Well the fort building, unfortunately, was an epic fail. Whether it be the rare opportunity in the middle of the week or during your weekend, free time is something that any college student enjoys. The majority of this semester has been constant work, including the weekends, so what have I decided to do this Friday night? Clean!! It is extremely beneficial not just to finally find your floor but it’s a stress reliever like no other. I find it my own way of Feng Shui. I love reorganizing my room and moving furniture but just cleaning alone helps me to organize my life. The thought process of being alone in your room and going through everything helps me BREATHE!

I’m baaaaaaack lol. What’s up everybody? This is your main man Jeeb formally known as Najeeb Abdur-Rahman for those of you that don’t me. But anyways this blog I want to talk to you guys about sanctuaries. Everyone, regardless of age or financial status, experiences stress. Some experience more stress than others but that’s irrelevant. The question here is how you are going to temporarily deal with this stress. My answer is to establish a sanctuary. Find a place you know you can go to where you’re always welcome. This should be a place where you can clear your mind and motivate yourself to bounce back from whatever adversity or controversy you are facing. For me, my sanctuary is the basketball court. I know that at anytime I can go there to get away and clear my head which is part of the reason I love the game of basketball so much. When I’m on the basketball court, even when I’m by myself, all the adversity that I’m facing goes away, I can get my thoughts together, and regain my confidence. If you’re not sure where your sanctuary is, think about the place where you know you can go to get away. For some it may be your tree house,  a hill, a roof top, or even a basketball court like me wherever it is, go there next time you’re stressed out, gather your thoughts, regain your confidence and you’ll be alright. That’s it for now, until next time peace.

College is so stressful, why didn’t anyone tell us it wouldbe so stressful! I swear things keep happening to make life difficult! So thisweekend my keys straight vanished off the face of the earth. Real Talk! Like Iwas at my friend’s house, I drove there, so I know I had them! When I go toleave, they were gone! So after hours of extensive searching I had to bum aride from a friend. I still haven’t found them, So My car sat abandoned on theother side of town for 3 days before my mom found time to bring my spare set.Which would be reasonable, if I didn’t live 20 minutes away, and my mom had alife HAHA! So we go get my car right, and of course I had a flat. YAY! But heyits cool, I got a new tire, and now I have my car back! Which is good, I missedSally Sue! For the record, Sally Sue is my car, she’s red, and she lovesdinosaurs.

And I still can’t stop sleeping through my classes! Itscrazy, like no matter how many alarms I set, I will sleep through them all. Andfor me being a teenager I go to bed at a decent hour, decent meaning midnightor later. My drawing teacher is working with me though, She’s letting me re-doone of my drawings for a reduced grade, which is generous considering as of nowit’s a zero.

As far as family and relationships go, my moms all better!Her birthday was this weekend and I got to go home and see my family. I met upwith all my friends too and we went to a haunted trail, it was a lot of fun. Itwas good to be home even if it was just for a day or two.

ANYWAYS!

Halloween is around the corner! And if anything can turnlife around right now it’s dressing up like fools and buying half priceHalloween candy the day after! I need to find something to wear! I want to besomething wicked sweet, but not completely cliché. I want to go the thriftstore sometime and see what I can find. I may buy some crazy sweet Christmassweaters while I’m there!

Classes are getting really cool, in my Honors IDS classwe’ve been going on field trips and I’ve really had a lot of fun, this weekwe’re going to the museum and next week we get to meet Bobbie Ann Mason, who isthe author of “In Country” I’m really excited for all of it. My 2D studio classhowever, is getting rough. I have a pretty intense project due here soon (Ihave no idea when) I need to work on it here soon, as well as study for mymidterms! AH! I probably wont study though, lets be real. Oh the things uscollege kids do! But tennis practice is here soon! We’re getting ready for ourbig tourney up in Indianapolis! See ya later!

So lately college has been going great for me, I haven’t been having as much homework as my friends do, I’vebeen having fun at tennis, and managing my time so well! Until now that is.

So a lot of things have been going on with me lately that’s really been affecting school. I’ve been so stressed out, I can’t sleep, and when I do sleep I will sleep right through my alarms inthe morning and be late for classes, which knocks my grade down. So I’m alwaysstarting my day off with frustration and anxiety, which in turn causes me moreproblems because I’m always in a bad mood, and BELIEVE ME! That’s not a verypleasant me. I’m also really homesick, even though I live about an hour northof college I’ve only been home once, which was only for an hour or so, becauseI had to get back to school and do homework and stuff. My moms been pretty sicklately and my little cousin has swine flu, and its been in the back of my mindfor awhile now, lots of “what if’s?” and “how come’s?” have been runningthrough my mind and just adding to the stress and anxiety that I’m alreadyfeeling. And with all of this in my head already I can’t seem to make room fortennis. And that’s really affecting my tennis game.

Now don’t get it twisted, I lovetennis with all my heart, I have a passion for sports, but its getting harderand harder not to resent it with everything that’s going on. I have iteveryday, when its just practice, we get done about 5:30 or 6pm, after that youhave to rush to the dining hall and eat, shower, do homework and by that timeits like 10 at night. On weekends we’ve been having Tri matches, which Ipreviously explained in my blog, that we don’t get done with until 7 or 8 thenwe have to drive home, which takes another 3874139084 hours. So I’m staying upon the weekends until 5 in the morning cutting and pasting scrap paper onto amatte boards for 25 hour art projects in my sweaty tennis uniform while all myfriends are out having a good time. I never have time to go home, I never havetime to drive down to Clifton and see my boyfriend, or my other friends. Myboyfriends of which is getting really mad (not really mad, but hurt) that Inever talk to him or text him, because I truly do not have the time.

Tennis is doing more than making ithard to keep a social life, its hurting me physically. I’ve recently beendiagnosed with Costochondritis, after weeks of complaining about my chesthurting, its where all the cartilage between your sternum and ribcage swells,which causes a constant dull throbbing pain, and a sharp stabbing one if I playtennis. That and I have shin splints, and if you’ve ever had shin splints youknow how obnoxious those are. So I now have to take time out of my already busyschedule to go to physical therapy, EVERYDAY.

But I’m hoping that some way, somehow, things will start to look up, especially with midterms just around thecorner, I could sure use a lift

So I’m off to go do rehab, then tryto find time to eat, tennis match today at 4pm if anyone wants to come! But I’mgoing to leave you with a quote my tennis coach told me to consider!

“Everything we do is infused withthe energy in which we do it, if we’re frantic, life will be frantic, if we’repeaceful life will be peaceful” – Marianne Williamson

   Hey everyone.  Ok, I know everyone talks about it.  I didn't want to be the guy who also talks about it, but I have to.  I am stressed out.  It's just a huge conglomerate of baseball, school, and the social life.  I think baseball is taking a lot out of me with so many games in such a short time.  Also, we are playing in 40 degree weather everyday, although it is starting to warm up a little.  School, I don't even want to talk about.  In tradition of what I always do, I put off everything until the end of the semester because I think it's more fun to cram a semester's worth of work into three weeks.

   Anyway, I talked to my mom about all this stuff going on, mostly baseball, and as always mom knows best.  She had a few of the normal pointers about keeping a positive attitude and all that mumbo jumbo.  It's still nice to hear though.  Thankfully, she took me grocery shopping so if nothing else I won't starve to death during these bleak times.

   Aside from mom's helpful hints, I have a few stress relievers of my own that I think will help out my fellow students.  First of all, I am growing a beard.  It all started in Facial Hair February, which I didn't do to well at.  Then it turned into Mustache March which is coming to a sad end.  I just kind of did my own thing and let it go.  I like to see what I am capable of on a facial hair level.  It takes my mind off other more important things.  So, growing a beard is a good option for stress relief.  For some men and most women who cannot grow a beard, I recommend playing Guitar Hero.  I don't know how many times Guitar Hero has just taken off the edge after a long day, not to mention it's good hand-eye coordination.  So, needless to say, I have become pretty accomplished at Guitar Hero since starting college. 

   For those who like a little more traditional methods of stress relief, here are some other things I find really help out.  If you need to, just take a day off.  Just sit back, watch some movies, and worry about the other stuff later.  I also like to go shopping, even if I don't buy anything.  I just like to get out, and look at things I want to buy someday.  Looking at golf clubs is always fun, because I know it means that summer is coming up.  So hopefully these are some helpful tips for everyone to make this last part of the year go a little easier.  Good luck everyone.  See ya.