Stress Reflections
Part 1
My stress level on Tuesday was low. I think that the weather played a big part in that -- when it's nice outside I tend to be in a better mood and dwell less on stressors.
I'm rarely stressed. I know, I know, you all must be thinking that I'm some sort of a freak or something, but I honestly don't feel stressed very often. Some of my friends get weirded out by it -- some of them have said to me in the past they wish I would complain about an upcoming test or paper once in awhile. If they're stressed they like to talk about it. I don't. I attribute my lack of stress to both my good time-managing skills and my relaxed personality.
For the hour before the presentation I made several stops. First, I went to that arc thing (very scientific name) on Lily Plaza and listened to my voice sound weird. I know that it has something to do with physics but I can't remember what it's called. Side note: there's a much bigger arc like that between Ferguson and Anderson halls on the West Bank, although that one is much more humorous because people standing down there always feel compelled to shout and scream at the top of their lungs, causing a good laugh for passers-by. Then I went to Starbucks (have to get rid of that FlexDine!) Tasty drinks relax me. And then I sat in the sun with Miranda on Northrop Plaza and we talked about stress and other things. Sometimes if you're stressed it's good to talk it out. I'm not advocating complainging, just talking.
I liked the installation in Nolte, but it didn't do much to calm me. When I need to destress I want to be alone. In my room. Door shut. No one else. So this project space was a little too open for me; I didn't like the idea that it was so open and other people could watch you. The stones on the ground were soothing--nature tends to sooth me. And I also liked the blue light in the floor; it added kind of a "magical" quality to the space. But overall, I probably wouldn't go there to unwind.
Part 2
I would say that it's a great start, but like the presenters noted in the presentation, the space doesn't work for everyone. Everyone deals with stress in different ways, so if that particular installation doesn't work for you maybe one of the future ones will.
The project has to do with art because it's essentially an art installation, except the key point here is that the viewer can interact with it, shifting his or her role from viewer to user. I love that you're actually allowed to touch it, to interact with it. It brings the museum out of art and puts it into the real world.
I like the idea of the Present Moment Project, but if I were to propose a program to address stress on campus I would propose one that targets stress at its roots, kind of like the commercials for that certain medicine that claim to "stop heartburn before it starts." What I mean by that is I would want to create a program to deal with stress prevention and not just stress relief. The program might include talks about how to budget time, organize, deal with personal relationships, works with finances, or any one of the other issues that cause people to stress. The Present Moment Project is great if you already are stressed and need to relax, but it doesn't address the causes of stress. I'm not saying that it should--it has its specific purpose and fulfills that purpose well--but my proposed program would be more proactive.