Radical Doula site

Just wanted to share a cool website I found during my procrastination spree: Radical Doula. I don’t know much about what being a doula, let alone a radical one, is all about, so here’s a word from the curator for others who might be curious:

“To me, being a Radical Doula is committing to the hard work of facing issues of racism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia head-on in our work with pregnant and parenting people. It means understanding birth as just one instance in a wide spectrum of pregnancy-related experiences that include abortion, miscarriage and adoption, and understanding why doula support across that spectrum makes sense. It’s about providing non-judgmental and unconditional support to pregnant and parenting people, ultimately in service of social justice.”- radicaldoula.com

Breathing exercise

Here’s a neat breathing meditation/exercise I read about somewhere (sorry for this improper citation…). If you find out you really can’t stand breathing exercises, it’s perfectly okay for these to not be your cup of tea!

Sit or lie in a comfortable position, closing your eyes if you would like. Focus on your breath without trying to alter it (this can be really hard to manage, so don’t worry too much and just keep breathing one way or another). Count from one to five on only your exhales — that is, breathe in, breathe out and count one, breathe in, breathe out and count two, etc. It’s easy to lose track and go up higher, but if you go to six or ten or thirty just gently pull your attention back to your breath and start counting the exhales again.

I find this helpful to even do for a few minutes as a break while writing papers as a break from the screen and to help regain my focus. If you like this tip, stop by the office to read about the many forms of meditation out there or grab a sheet about more mini-relaxation exercises!

MILK PARTY TIME!

Got milk? We do! Well-Woman’s annual Milk Tasting Party will take place from 3-5 PM today in the Well-Woman office, 119 Reid. There will be a variety of milks, including many non-dairy and kosher options, plus a ton of delicious cookies to complement your milk of choice. Stop on by for a fun study break on this rainy day!

From http://www.apartmenttherapy.com

Last week for the Barnard Pool!

As y’all may have heard by now, the Barnard pool is closing — for good, sadly. It’s still open one last week, though, so come take a dip (it’s warm and much shallower than Uris Pool!). Swimming is my favorite form of exercise, but I also like just floating around on the water. No one will judge you if you grab a pool noodle and just hang out for a nice, soothing break in a quiet place. This is also reading week, so here’s my message to you from another water-lover, the adorable Calming Manatee:

Finals: once more, with (more) feeling(s)!

It’s final paper time, and almost reading week. Time for a fun little break for me, and for you, should you choose to read this. As some of you may know, many of the Peer Eds are huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans. In celebration of this love and as encouragement for the end of the semester, I present to you a gif pep talk from me via Buffy and the rest of the Scooby Gang.

**TRIGGER WARNING: if you have photosensitive epilepsy or are bothered by gifs in general, some gifs contained within may have a frame rate high enough to be problematic, so please do not click ‘more.’**

Also, SPOILER ALERT. They are mild, but will make you sad if you haven’t finished and care about spoilers.

Are you ready? This is how excited I am:

Ways I calm racing thoughts

I find that this time of year, I can often oscillate between feeling calm appreciation of the beautiful aspects of spring, from nice weather to fun with friends, to feeling sudden, consuming anxiety about some part of my life. In those moments, my mind feels like it’s going so fast that I am overwhelmed by trying to stop my thoughts from popping up, making it harder to relax or do anything. Here’s a list of some tips that worked for me to return to a more balanced state — your results may vary, but see if any of these help you out, too:

• Write it all out. Whether on a Word document, a scrap of paper, or a journal, putting cycling thoughts on paper helps me break the rapid chain and catch a few mental (and physical!) breaths.
• Go outside. I’m partial to walks in Riverside park in the afternoon, whether with a friend or alone. There are lots of cute animals and blooming flowers this time of year, so getting some perspective by sitting or walking in nature (even just Lehman Lawn) helps me remember that these are thoughts that will pass.
• Do something really enjoyable, with full attention. When I have racing thoughts, I try to pick a fun activity that works with my frantic state of mind rather than trying to fight it — for me, that’s often dancing all out for three of my favorite songs. Getting rid of some excess energy or distracting myself with a quick break helps get me to a mental state where I can either relax more calmly or return to what I was trying to do before the thoughts came up.

These tips may not fit with your style, and that’s totally fine. Feel free to stop by the office if you want to check out our resources, enjoy our comfortable space, or chat with someone who is there to listen about whatever is on your mind!

Blooms at Barnard: A Scavenger Hunt

I don’t know if you (and/or your allergies) have noticed, but a lot of things have been blooming on campus this week. A big part of being well is being in touch with your surroundings, and, for me at least, nerding out about all living things. So I’ve put together this little scavenger hunt, from easiest to hardest, of some of the usual suspects around campus.

Magnolia

As promised , easiest first. This confection of a tree is like cotton candy for your eyes. Our’s at Barnard is basically an unofficial mascot. Still haven’t found it? Hint: take out a library book.

Our magnolia is a Magnolia × soulangeana, or a saucer magnolia. It’s a hybrid from France, and the first tree bloomed in 1826. This article explains the history of Barnard’s magnolia.

Tulip

These babies seem to have been recently planted at Barnard, and already they’re opening up super wide and stretching. Whoever planted these, mad props, cause I love this kind of tulip. It almost looks like a poppy.

Tulips have long been prized for their exceptional beauty. There was a time in Holland, known as tulip frenzy, when tulips were so valuable, they were used as a kind of currency. If you want to learn more about that, I recommend Michael Pollen’s Botany of Desire.

Daffodils

Look at that daffodil diversity shot! Kind of ironic, cause usually huge bunches of the same species of daffodil are planted all together. These flowers are named after Narcissus, that guy at Ovid wrote about in metamorphoses who was so freaking hot, when he caught a glimpse of himself in a brook, he couldn’t tear himself away. Poor guy, he starved to death and ultimately drowned in his own image. The gods took pity on him (probably cause he was so shmexy) and turned him into one of these pretty flowers!

Bradford Pear Tree (Semen Tree)

Here’s another one you might see around. I’m not sure if we have one on campus, but they’re definitely in Morningside Heights. Bradford pear trees make these darling little white flowers that seems to have whiskers poking out of them.

You may be asking yourself why I called it a semen tree. Well, according to some olfactory sensibilities, that’s what these trees reek of. Go figure.

Mountain Laurel

Now this one is a bonus–I’m not sure we have any of these. This is my guess of what some of those small flowering bushes are. If you find one, go spend a second with it because seriously, it’s gorgeous, what with those little delicate star-shaped flowers. But don’t get too close–every part of the plant is poisonous (if ingested, you can touch it).

Ok, now all you have to do is get outside and start hunting!