Emma's blog

 For my sabbath observation, I decided to abstain from doing any school work and focused instead on relaxing and spending time living in the moment. I spent 24 hours abstaining from assignments, not opening any emails related to school, and avoiding any work. After spending this time focusing on myself and my own mental health as opposed to external stressors, I felt a sense of calm and fulfillment that I have not felt very often. After this lack of work, I felt refreshed and a sense of relief, and had a renewed feeling of motivation to keep working after taking a break from my responsibilities. 

 The idea of awareness, conscience, and reality have been debated for as long as humanity has existed. The ability to guide your mind into a calm state takes effort, but is worth the reward. Dr. Stern's visit helped me to become more in touch with my mind and the greater awareness of the self, to accept the fact that only you are the one who is aware of efforting, helped me to reach a deeper state of acceptance and calm. The feeling of warmth and serenity that comes with a calm mind and the imagining of oneself in a safe environment, is greatly beneficial to one's mental state. The ability to shape your perception of reality through will is a powerful tool to help one reach a deeper state of self awareness, and rewards one with a greater feeling of power and mental stability.  

 I am a skeptic of alternative medicine, mainly due to the fact that I was raised by parents in the medical field (Radiation oncology and psychology). Personal experiences during my childhood also influenced my perspectives, attending a private school that focused on philosophical ideas and creativity. While I appreciated my Waldorf school education in my early years, I slowly wanted more academics and decided to switch to a public school. A main memory from my early school years was a conversation where a student discussed how acupuncture was used to help their asthma and improve their immune system, only for me to later contract whooping cough that required a doctor's visit. My main perspective is rooted in facts and proven ideas. While I do believe in the placebo effect, I would be more likely to trust a medical professional rather than an alternative healer.