Whatchu Know About Stress?

         So let’s be really honest for a minute here. Like I mentioned in my previous blog, I thought straight up college would be a walk in the park. Going into my first semester, I was naively enthusiastic. Naïve being the key word here people. The workload is significantly different then in university. Did I mention I also now have 6 classes, instead of 5. So let’s break it down, that’s six classes, each with their own discussions, threads, quizzes, tests, group assignments, and individual submissions. Doing the math, that’s a $h*tload of work. This increase of workload leads me to feel stressed. And that my friends, is the purpose of this blog post, to discuss things we can all do to stress less. 

        Being stressed can have crazy effects on the body (also that’s desserts spelt backwards) such as head ache, fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, over eating, and the list goes on. What do I do to combat stress? Sure there are those times I feel very overwhelmed, but I remind myself this is nothing I can’t handle. Luckily, my professors are always available to lend a hand when I need it, not to mention my awesome classmates, now friends, who are always willing to help. At the end of the day, we are all in this together, and not too get all mushy on you, but I do find some comfort in that.

         My main combatant to stress is the gym. The gym is my saving grace, where you’ll find me 5-6 days of the week breaking a sweat. The gym is my solace where I can shut off my mind and give back to my body. I love being an athlete and pushing my body to it’s limits. I am starting to train for a half Ironman coming up in June, so now my time management will be tested even more so. If I’m pressed for time, I have the knowledge to cut my work outs down to 45 minutes or less but can still get in an extremely effective workout. Here’s an example of a short 20 minute conditioning workout you can do:

5 rounds of the following exercises, 1 min rest after each round:

20 jump squats, 20 pushups, 20 kettlebell swings, 20 jumping lunges, 1 min jump rope

         Other then the gym, I run. I run with my best friend and we just talk. We always say running is our therapy. Other than running and the gym, I meditate. Meditation makes you still and allows you to focus on nothing at all. You just be. You be with you thoughts and calm your mind and body. I learned from the best, my meditation guru, if you will, Rosa. She is the owner at Rise Mind Body Fitness, and she is incredible. I leave feeling grounded, balanced, and still. If you’re curious about her services, check her out on Facebook

My best friend & I after our 30 km running race :)

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         Lastly, the thing I do to relieve a little stress is talk to my family and friends. That is one of the simplest and easiest ways to feel a little lighter when you’re feeling overwhelmed, whether it be school or personal issues.

 Hope this blog has helped remind you to take some time to do something good for yourself :). 

Kinesiologist Turns Advertiser... Come Again?

You read the blog title correctly. Yes I am a Kinesiologist turned Advertiser. I find myself compelled here to mention my not so very straight path that landed me at Sheridan College. Never did I ever think attending college was in my future. I graduated with an Honours Specialization in Kinesiology from UWO. My next steps involved taking a year off and then applying for Grad School in Occupational Therapy. After a strenuous year at McMaster trying to upgrade, I applied and was luckily denied entry (the average was 90%+). I use the word luckily because that denial forced me to explore other options for my future. I thought about what else I liked to..which mainly included inspiring and motivating people, being creative, working in groups, being social, etc. I had done a career test before applying to grad school which had advertising on the list of careers someone my age with my personality traits would enjoy. That right there pushed me to look online for advertising or marketing programs. After discussing with some friends that went to Sheridan and talking to the very helpful Sheridan guidance counsellor, I started to feel really excited thinking about Advertising as a career choice. I finally applied and ironically found out that a good friend of mine was also going to be going through the same program as me!

Now I was a college student. I never thought twice about college when I attended Western, and now I'm thinking why didn't I think about it sooner?! I love the Advertising Account Management Program and the tools I have been provided to ensure a successful path in the advertising industry. I originally thought college would be a walk in the park for me, but was I ever wrong. Sheridan is an amazing school that really has taught me so much already and really tests my time management skills. I have been gaining so much useful insight and hands on experience, all of which I never experienced at university. I have been given material that I will apply directly into my new career. The thing I love most about Sheridan is they prepare you for exactly what you will encounter in the real world. All my professors have been immersed in the advertising industry and you won't find better knowledge and expertise to learn from. At times I do feel overwhelmed with the workload, but at the end of the day, it'll make me better in my career. I have thought about what I'm interested in career wise, and so far those include Public Relations, Account Manager for an advertising agency (PSAs or Not For Profits), and of course due to my athletic background my dream job would be to represent sport accounts such as Nike or Under Armour. I'm looking forward to continue learning this semester and expand on the knowledge I've already been taught. I'm confident I have found a career path and passion that will fulfill the things I had been looking for in a career. Sometimes I look back and I can't believe I am where I am, but I know I'm sure glad I got here.

My First Networking Event

So tonight at the Marquee at Sheridan, I went to my first advertising networking event. At first, I was slightly apprehensive, or maybe more so nervous. I thought to myself, what am I going to talk to all these industry people about? Coming from a Kinesiology background, not being too exposed to all things advertising, and I am now in an extensive Post Graduate Program for Advertising Account Management. I'm sure you can see why I felt slightly overwhelmed.

Luckily, my good friend Lindsay is ironically taking this program with me, so we tackled the event together. Now, you're probably thinking, what do I mean by a networking event? Essentially, there were marketing communications professionals from a wide range of over 30 different companies. The purpose of this event was to mix and mingle with these professionals as they were donating their time to answer any and all of our questions. My nerves were easily calmed after the first table I went to. I thought to myself that the first guy I met was extremely nice and welcoming. I quickly realized that every professional there was just that, nice and willing to offer any advice and answer all the questions I had. One slight regret I had was that I hadn't had a chance to really fix up my resume, so I went home and ended up fixing that up right away and am going to brainstorm with my best friend, Alex (<-- check her out :) , who is an amazing graphic designer, to create a personal brand for my resume and business cards. Although I did hand out a couple of my resumes, I still felt extremely satisfied with my first networking experience and am looking forward to future events, now that I know what to expect.

Selfie Time Linds & I

Sheridan Students mixing and mingling