Women Living Well: Mind/Body Connection - 2002
Student Papers
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I believe that discussing mind and body as two inter-related aspects has been very enlightening, in the same vein, it also seems to have complicated my life as it has pushed me to examine things more realistically.

After the series of seminars, there are so many aspects of my life that I recognize are in need of improvement. I need to sleep more, start exercising and I really should toss out most of my medicine cabinet. But my life hasn't been too receptive to these sorts of changes. Instead, now that I know how much things like sleep deprivation really truly affect my mind and body, I feel all the more affected by it. Maybe it's just me feeling sorry for my poor, lazy self. But I daresay that ignorance is bliss.

I used to be quite content with 5-6 hours of sleep, and I thought that I could function on 3.5-4. But now, I find it difficult to roll out of bed on 7, reminding myself that I deserve 8.

I think that especially as college students, we tend to make lifestyle choices wherein we don't end up at top functioning levels or with optimum health. Our work takes a toll, of course. For example, I am writing this paper in a bit of a daze. I'm inexplicably tired on this early Sunday evening (6:05pm) and actually I have been wondering where my weekend went.

The seminars however, provide answers to little questions like that. And when I am fully awake, I may be coherent enough to recall them. But for now, I am merely trying to keep my eyes open and my mind focused on the task at hand.

I hope to one day be healthier and happier and carrying the stamp of approval of health specialists and psychoanalysts and anyone else who has a say in this. But today, and probably through exam week, I will be just another fairly confused Bryn Mawr girl trying to make it to commencement.


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