Stairwell Singing & Gratitude

 

This week has been nothing short of chaotic, I felt like I really only came back to my apartment to sleep. It was one of those weeks where you look at your calendar and wonder how in the world am I going to get this all done (and potentially shed a tear in the process). When I realized that I was starting to get in my head, I knew I needed a perspective shift and what better way to center myself than singing.

Before I sang I took a minute to reflect. It is so easy for me to mistake my blessings for stress, and I find myself creating unnecessary anxiety all the time. Before I sang I made a list of things that I take for granted on a day to day basis and re-wrote them as blessings. One of them being research. This week I got to present in the fall research symposium. Leading up to the event I was filled with stress wondering if my poster was good enough or if I will say the right things when presenting. I started to realize I was going about this all wrong. Conducting research here at UF is a dream come true and has helped fuel my love for the world of medicine. When I realized I was more nervous than excited I knew I had to shift my perspective. As I wrote my list I was instantly filled with gratitude. I am truly so blessed to be at this university and have the opportunity to create my busy schedule (full of clubs and classes I prayed to get into).  I ended up sticking this sticky note to my computer as a reminder of what a privilege it is to call myself busy. After I wrote my note I went to my favorite place to sing, the stairwell. There is something about the way your voice echos and reverberates off the walls in a stairwell that makes me so happy. After reflecting on my blessings I was reminded of the gift that is friendship. This brought me back to the first people who welcomed me with open arms to this campus, my a cappella group. They were my first family here at UF and they have made such an impact on my life in college. I started singing one of our songs from our competition set last year as I reflected on the love I have for them. The song was Angel of my Dreams by JADE, my favorite from the set. The process of singing with a set intention of gratitude gave me a whole new meaning to the song. As I listened to the echo of my voice through the stairwell I was flooded with memories from my freshman year in the group. I was able to fully clear my head from the anxious thoughts of the week and my fear was replaced with contentment and gratitude. Having a creative outlet my freshman year allowed me to escape the stress of school and find a community here at UF.  

To be able to use my voice as a tool for wellness is such an incredible blessing. Going through this week with a much needed perspective shift allowed me to walk into the research symposium excited to present. I was able to use my voice to ground me and reflect on the opportunities I have found at this university. 

Below are a clip of me singing in the stair well, my gratitude list and a pic of me with my research poster.