I'm still at the tutoring job. After
re-reading my previous post, it made me laugh a little because I'm
doing those things we're not “supposed” to do – like rewriting
things for people, etc. It's just easier that way. And no one's said
anything to me about it, so I'm just gonna continue in the groove I'm
in. I also have a method – no matter what type of paper it is, I
always read for grammar first. If I try to do content while grammar
stuff is staring me in the face, I can't do it. I fix grammar first
and then I go back and do content. Also, I like how when it comes to
writing the summary of my review, it often requires some thought to
compose what I want to say. And when I come up with just the right
wording, it feels really good and satisfying. Because it came from
me. And maybe no one else would've come up with that same thing. I
love putting words to page, no matter what it is. Oh, and the fact
that someone will read what I wrote to them and be able to improve on
what they submitted – that feels good too.
It does still get tiring sometimes. And
there is the distraction thing – having to block out the sound of
people talking. (On my phone I play music that I have the least
attachment to because it blocks out the talking but doesn't distract
me the way some music would). And sometimes there's pressure to
finish a paper in a certain amount of time. There's a timer at the
top of the window that keeps track of how long it takes you to
finish. They want us to generally not go over 30 minutes per paper.
Now, depending on the length and quality of the paper, that may or
may not be feasible. I like it when I do get through papers fairly
quickly, but there have been times when I've spent up to an hour on
one. And I'm not going to short-change someone by only reading the
first few pages, as has been suggested on occasion. I'd rather my
work be better in quality rather than quantity. And, of course, when
there are hundreds of papers waiting in the queue, that can be
stressful too.
But another thing that's good is the
freedom and flexibility with the job. Freedom because we can pretty
much get up and walk around whenever we feel like it and flexibility
because the place is open 24/7 so we can pretty much work whenever we
want. I might miss that in the future. But I might have a chance to
grow if I get something in health coaching. It's funny to think about
growth and advancement, isn't it? How much does it matter if you “get
promoted”? Having a certain title, or even an increasing salary,
isn't always everything. I've always been more concerned with
personal growth. Some people who work day jobs without much chance of
growth may still grow outside of work. Or they might grow in their
job, regardless of whether or not there's an official “promotion.”
I think as a health coach, I'd always be learning by helping people
and keeping up with research in the field and I'd be as happy as a
clam. And who knows if one day, with my accumulation of knowledge, I
might be able to contribute something to the field myself. That, to
me, is growth. I don't know what other “title” would indicate
career advancement for me. There are wellness coordinators who do
program planning and help with the health of a bigger population (as
opposed to coaching individuals one-on-one). But even that could be
more of a lateral move. It just depends on what you like doing.
What do I like doing? Well, in another
life I might've gone into the publishing world. Hell, even working in
a bookstore would be fun (I worked in a library once, and I did like
that). But I chose to study exercise science when I did because I
thought being physically active was the missing piece in my life. And
I've since discovered maybe it wasn't. Because I think I changed my
eating habits and lifestyle to accommodate the non-physical work I
was doing enough to not NEED exercise the way I thought I did. This
may seem blasphemous. But if you think about it, when people are
starving, they conserve energy by not exerting themselves as much,
right? Not that I'm a starving person; I'm just using it as an
example to make a point that it's about energy balance. People think
they need to exercise to stay in shape. To an extent, that's true.
Everyone needs SOME physical activity. But do what feels good to you.
Listen to your body. Get enough sleep. Tap into your intuition and
things will be good.
Is my intuition working for me? Am I
healthy? Well, I'm a work in progress like anyone else. And this sort
of goes back to the topic of what it is I like doing. I like figuring
out how to help myself. And that sort of led to helping others with
health. We're all on the same journey, aren't we? Trying to figure
out the best lives for ourselves, figuring out how to be our best
selves. And if helping others helps me, then I can say I've
succeeded.
I can't really remember what I've
mentioned regarding my own health, but why not recap a little? Two
things that have affected me have been being underweight and having
issues with digestion. In attempting to address these things, I've
come across possibilities such as SIBO, leaky gut (when the
intestinal lining is compromised), impaired motility, low stomach
acid, vitamin deficiency, IBS. I've seen my regular doctor, GI
doctors, a dietitian, and counselors. Often, it's hard to pinpoint
something specific. Sometimes it's beneficial to approach things from
the perspective of integrative / functional / holistic medicine,
which aims to treat “the whole person” rather than “symptoms.”
(I know there's a lot of debate over that versus traditional medicine
but I advocate for both). I've tried probiotics (some, not all),
enzymes (just a sample because they're really expensive), vitamin
supplements, and recently an SSRI. I was really hesitant about that
last one because I don't have depression, but this specific one also
treats OCD and bulimia. I don't believe I have either of those things
exactly...if anything I'd diagnose myself with EDNOS. (Actually, I
think it's called something else now but I forget what it is). I've
even read some things that suggested this SSRI as a last resort for
people with IBS. Popular conception says it's supposed to make you
feel things less. I think mostly they mean feel emotions less, but
could it also mean feeling physical symptoms less? Could higher
serotonin somehow improve digestion? The brain and the gut are, after
all, tied extremely closely together. I'm very curious about that. I
had gotten a few injections of vitamin B12 before starting on the OTC
supplement version I'm taking now, and I recall feeling better with
the injections. But they were expensive. I don't know if having them
again would be my fix. Or if trying a prescription strength probiotic
would be. It's a continuous effort to find your optimal functioning
sometimes. But you keep trying, you keep learning.
