Hello, Renrenspeakers! Happy July! I just started my first week of my LAST YEAR of grad school, can yall believe that? It feels like I have been in school forever, but it also feels like it went by so quickly. The start of this semester has been so different compared to the previous two years. I have been doing a TON of reflecting this past week because I finally have… time! As a grad student, I’ve learned that time is so precious and time management needs to be on point. Throughout my schooling, I can pinpoint specific times where I told myself that I did not have time to do X, Y, Z. But now that I have transitioned to my last year of school, I have found myself with ample time to actually do things that I wrote down as goals in my Passion Planner at the beginning of the year such as exercise frequently, eat healthier, stretch, read, etc. To have time to breathe and not feel pressed for time has been so wonderful.

This first week has been such a relaxing one for me, as it has given me an opportunity to catch up on literally just existing and tapping into self-development. With the help of my Passion Planner and prayer, I’ve started off my day positively soaking in the natural sunlight radiating in my room (though it sucks because I cannot go outside because it is actually 115 degrees daily). I started incorporating oil pulling into my morning routine and committing to an 8-minute Good Morning Pilates stretch to promote flexibility throughout my body. Something that I have been really wanting to get back to is exercise. I used to be very consistent with moving my body regularly prior to school, but I fell off and realized that I had a rather unhealthy, unrealistic view on exercise in school. However, movement is powerful enough, and one of the easiest, low-demanding forms of exercise any of us can do is engage in walking if you do have the physical ability to do so. I started power walking on my treadmill, and listening to podcasts about wellness emphasize that walking fuels creativity and increases energy to do other things. Ideally, it would be nice to powerwalk outside, but hey, that’s Arizona heat for ya. Come September, you’ll definitely catch me outside. But wow, the power of walking has made me feel so lively, energized, and motivated. It really is a mood changer, especially with the stress of grad school. Thus, I am loving this new routine I am developing and hope to keep up with it! I ended my week with dressing up and watching the Barbie movie on Barbie day yesterday. It was such an entertaining movie – most definitely not what I expected, but great nonetheless. 

As a grad student, I am plagued with the familiar feeling of not being ‘productive enough’ because I only have two classes I am taking. However, having two classes is a good thing that is teaching me that it is totally okay to not always be on grind mode. Slowing down, enjoying being in the present, and having the time to be intentional with health and wellness has elevated my overall well-being, as I am already seeing the effects of establishing a healthy routine. School is unpredictable as always, but for these 10 weeks at least, I am going to soak up every moment of time that I have to finally engage in the things that I’ve intentionally or unintentionally eliminated in my life that are important to me. Cheers to having more time! 

Peace and love,

Irene