{"id":1120,"date":"2014-08-20T07:50:28","date_gmt":"2014-08-20T12:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/?p=1120"},"modified":"2016-06-28T10:46:12","modified_gmt":"2016-06-28T15:46:12","slug":"stop-breathe-relax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/2014\/08\/stop-breathe-relax\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop. Breathe. Relax."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
VDS students Summer 2014 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This week, we share words of advice prepared by second year MDiv, James W. Dennis III, for our first year students.<\/em><\/p>\n

Stop. Breathe. Relax.<\/strong> The hardest part of your transition to Vanderbilt Divinity School is over!\u00a0 You are finally here!!\u00a0 Congratulations!!\u00a0 \u00a0However, don\u2019t celebrate too soon.\u00a0 A pat on the back is appropriate at this point, but don\u2019t go too overboard. Divinity School\u2019s greatest challenge is still before you\u2014getting out! \u00a0Today is the start of an amazing, beautiful, scary, bumpy journey filled with surprises, ups-and- downs, tears, laugher, and the joys of developing into the person you are to become.\u00a0 Let me share with you some tips on how to get the most out of this journey.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Social media doesn\u2019t want you to pay attention in class or to study. <\/strong>I know this tad bit of revelation is shocking, but it is true. \u00a0There is no such thing as a good \u201cmulti-tasker\u201d. \u00a0It has been proven that divided attention impairs learning and lessens the ability to remember.\u00a0 Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Christian Mingle are the perfect solutions when you feeling overwhelmed in class, but they will not help you pass Hebrew Bible.<\/li>\n
  2. Feeling out of place and lost is normal\u2014I promise. <\/strong>Divinity School attracts a lot of smart people, and as you interact with faculty and students, you may feel that you are not smart enough or that you don\u2019t belong here.\u00a0 This is a lie.\u00a0 Remember that this is a \u201cstep by step\u201d journey; quantum leaps do not exist.\u00a0 It is perfectly normal to feel nervous and worried; if you break down in your academic advisor\u2019s office, you won\u2019t be the first<\/strong>. Don\u2019t expect yourself to be perfect!<\/strong> The Divinity School has cultivated a space that will support you as you grow and evolve. You will eventually become a better scholar and thinker.<\/li>\n
  3. Divinity School is a part-time job. <\/strong> Schedule! Schedule! Schedule!\u00a0 Course work can be like working another job at times.\u00a0 So thinking about your course work as a job can help you stay focused.\u00a0 Putting yourself on a regular schedule will help you manage what will seem like an overwhelming load.<\/li>\n
  4. Don\u2019t let Divinity School be your entire life. <\/strong>Make time to live!\u00a0 (I would like to say I\u2019m an expert on this tad bit of advice.)\u00a0 If you schedule time to have a little fun, Divinity School will go by a lot quicker.\u00a0 Sit outside and read fiction, go to the movies, join a faith community, or explore the Natchez Trace Parkway with a significant other.\u00a0 Nashville is a wonderful city.\u00a0\u00a0 Enjoy it!<\/li>\n
  5. Don\u2019t Procrastinate. <\/strong>I shouldn\u2019t have to say more. <\/strong><\/li>\n
  6. Don\u2019t ignore your health\u2014physical or emotional! <\/strong>Let me tell you a secret! Your mind and body will break down if you don\u2019t relax, exercise, eat well and or SLEEP! <\/strong>Give yourself a break.\u00a0 If you are feeling emotionally overwhelmed, go see Angela Dillon in Admissions.\u00a0 I\u2019ve never met a more honest and genuine person who cares deeply! If she can\u2019t help you, utilize the Psychological and Counseling Center. Help is free! <\/strong><\/li>\n
  7. Finally, remember that you are the captain on this journey! <\/strong>Don\u2019t let other people try to tell you what to do or what to become!\u00a0 Don\u2019t try to compare yourself to others! Don\u2019t let others silence your voice!\u00a0 Don\u2019t let others run over you or manipulate you! What matters is that you come to understand what you really want! Give your self the opportunity to discover your own passions and how to manifest them.\u00a0 \u201cAsk what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.\u201d- Howard Washington Thurman <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Well this is it.\u00a0 You have already made everyone proud. Now go make a difference.<\/span><\/p>\n

    I believe in you!<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
    \"\"<\/a>
    James W. Dennis III, MDiv 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This week, we share words of advice prepared by second year MDiv, James W. Dennis III, for our first year students. Stop. Breathe. Relax. The hardest part of your transition to Vanderbilt Divinity School is over!\u00a0 You are finally here!!\u00a0 Congratulations!!\u00a0 \u00a0However, don\u2019t celebrate too soon.\u00a0 A pat on the back is appropriate at this…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1576,"featured_media":1121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[370,223,369,975,31],"class_list":["post-1120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","tag-howard-thurman","tag-nashville","tag-scholar","tag-second-year-student","tag-vanderbilt-divinity-school"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1576"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1120"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1241,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1120\/revisions\/1241"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/vanderbiltdivinity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}