Multi-tasker Extraordinare

Before you roll your eyes at me and get all freaked out and think I'm getting all psychadelic and new-agey on you, just hear me out. Buddhists and the rad man the Dalai Lama are all for doing a task and concentrating soley on that single task; this is how we live in the now. Why live in the now, you ask? Because the past is the past (and often a source of depression) and the future is the future (a common cause of anxiety for many); since you can't change the past and there's no point in worrying about a future that hasn't happened yet the best thing is to live fully in the now. This is where we find peace.

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I'm a big proponent of this idea. I noticed it this summer when I was busy waiting tables; with the restaurant packed and all of my tables full, all I could concentrate on were the tasks at hand. Let me tell you, I don't think I've ever been so present in my life as I was when I was waiting tables. Nowadays, I've got a lot of shit going on. We all do. And I've gotten really good at multitasking, especially in class (I've adopted the idea, well if I'm not going to learn anything useful in this class, I might as well make the most of my time here and get something done) and it's definitely helped to ease some of the workload I've felt saddled with these past couple of weeks. But it also makes me stop and wonder: this can't be good for my psyche. I've felt this building up for some time now, all the stress and anxiety that I've been feeling over impending assignments and deadlines, but just last night I realized I couldn't go on feeling so frazzled and stressed. I'm going to have a breakdown if I continue working and worrying myself as I am (and lets face it, breakdowns don't help anyone, ain't nobody got time fo that!).

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Just gotta take it one day at a time (and maybe study/work on assignments a few days in advance just so you don't screw yourself over). I figure, this can't last forever; grad school is my great spring to the finish line of life! If you are interested in finding out more, I'd highly recommend The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. It's a great read that talks about the benefits and necessity of living in the now. Plus, every day's a gift (that's why we call it the present!) so why wouldn't you want to fully live it?!