Marie Scarpa Daily Blog

Today was PSACs for XC and the women race a 6k, which was a big change from a 5k at the start of the season but has gotten a lot easier. I have had very good race and other races I had a lot to learn from this season, there is no race gone to waste because you can learn from every time you run. I have learned throughout my season that I need to go out slower and then work up to catching people and today I did that. Today was one of my best races that I have had in a really long time and I really needed that because I was starting to get worked up and really down on myself. When racing today I really felt my body pushing through the wall and going to a different level and ended up getting a new PR and finding my purpose in running a little bit more. 

 Today I have decided to make a post about a topic that is talked about often but maybe not enough, especially with college students. This topic is mental health and trying to understand it. Mental health can affect everyone differently and there is a wide spectrum that someone can be diagnosed as. As a student-athlete and a female, I have may fair share of dealing with mental health and anxiety and some days are way better than others. When I am having an off day, I find myself secluding myself from everyone, in negative mindset, and I also struggle with sleeping. Knowing your symptoms is a good start to realize you may be struggling with your mental health and need to seek help. Asking for help is the first step to get better and steps in the right direction. It is okay to not be okay. 

 Today is Wednesday and this is a busier day than usual. I leave tomorrow for PSACs and will be missing classes on Thursday and Friday so I need to make sure I am getting all of my work done and to the best of my ability. In addition to getting my school work done, I also have to go into work so I can make money. This is a very stressful time and when I feel stressed, I find myself not sleeping well and my mood turning negative. So, during this stressful week, I need to make time to make sure my mental health is okay and I am taking care of myself. We all know school work is important, but mental health is just as important, especially as our minds and bodys are growing. 

I am student at Slippery Rock University and learning how to use different technology for my future career. This lesson is on blogging; what it is, how to post, and how to make comments on other blogs. We are currently finishing up microblogging, which we used Twitter for and it was very enjoyable to post daily about our day and have people read them. I am not the best with technology and have learned tons of applications that I have never even heard of. I am finding this easier and more enjoyable than I thought it would be and I think since we all enjoyed tweeting so much, we will enjoy posting on our own personal blogs!