SAMEERA PANT

I've posted about how I've been trying to run more this year. However, as I've started pushing myself more, I've also noticed that they've been days where my body (and my brain, if I'm being honest!) wants to go at a slower pace, or simply stop entirely and just sit on a grassy patch to enjoy the sunshine, rather than be on the move. So, over the last week, I've gone on what I've dubbed "mental health walks" and also tried to work outside more, integrating time in the sun while giving my body a break. 

I quickly realized that while working on my computer on Janss or listening to music as I walked in Westwood wasn't always relaxing because I didn't feel mindful of my surroundings. My brain would still be distracted by whatever task I was on or what I was blasting in my AirPods. Today, I decided to leave my phone at home and go out with just a notebook and pen to see how that would feel.

I definitely was anxious at first. Even though it was bright outside, I always have my phone on me so I can keep my roommates posted on where I am. Additionally, with nothing to distract myself with, I felt my thoughts racing. After a few minutes, I felt myself calming down and even irked by how many empty cans of alcohol I stumbled across in Westwood - there were two in a one bush alone. I also was annoyed by the lack of spaces/small parks around the neighborhood. I wanted to sit on a bench or grassy patch to write but there was none, something I hadn't noticed before. Instead, I sat on a railing outside an apartment and planned my week out in my journal. Doing a task I normally do in a stuffy apartment outside in the sunshine definitely took the edge off. On my walk back home, I even bumped into a classmate and said hello, something I would have been unable to do if I was on a run or working at home. Normally I end runs feeling amped and slightly exhausted but today I felt much more relaxed and recharged at the end of my outing.

While I've been struggling to eat mindfully - I do like watching TV when I snack, especially to unwind during finals season! - I do think writing, walking and occasionally doing homework outside might be more sustainable, just so I get the sunshine I often sorely lack. 

TLDR; the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has a lot of interesting events online to go to, either live or recorded! I went to one of them so I can vouch for how interesting and engaging it was, even though the recording capabilities definitely glitched at one point. 

Around three weeks ago, I was able to attend The Quest for Environmental and Climate Justice: The 2nd Annual Donald Hopkins Scholars Lecture held by the school. The speaker, Robert Bullard, is dubbed the “father of environmental justice,” and spent more than five decades spotlighting this burden of pollution equal environmental protections. An eloquent speaker, it's clear that his life's goal of dismantling the systems which cater to environmental racism is one which energizes him both as an educator and an activist. 

A lot of what Dr. Bullard spoke about is general knowledge I've always kept in the back of my mind when it came to climate change, chiefly that a lot of minorities are going to face the brunt of it. However, the numbers Dr. Bullard used put this idea into harsh, realistic context. For instance, not only will climate-driven floods disproportionately impact Black communities, flood insurance rates in the states where these communities reside are also rising, leading to an ugly, self-fulfilling cycle. Another angle which Dr. Bullard spoke about, one which stuck with me as a student, is how global warming will inevitably impact education as rising temperatures will make it harder for children to concentrate in class or even go to school. It may, one day, be "too hot to learn in schools." Definitely food for thought given how the last two years of learning has been given the pandemic. It's a depressing thought but maybe learning remotely/having hybrid options will be more and more of a norm, even once we move past COVID. 

 Lately I've been trying to implement a tip I learned from the Los Angeles Global Health conference, one of the first climate events I was able to go to. Although the event was almost a month ago now, Occidental Professor Bhavna Shamasunder's discussion on consumer product exposures - i.e. how the products we use daily, specifically those in the beauty industry, have environmental consequences. Not only do these products affect us due to what they're made of, as the chemicals within them are often unregulated, the process of manufacturing them can also lead to undue harm and environmental racism. 

On a personal level, I've been incorporating more beauty items in my daily routine since September and since then I've noticed more acne breakouts and skin issues. Professor Shamasunder recommended cutting down the amount of products one uses - both for personal health but also to ensure that we're not using products stemming environmentally challenging practices. I've found that the weeks when I keep my makeup and/or skincare routine simple are the ones where my skin is less 'stressed'. Additionally, although I try my best to favor cruelty-free beauty products, I've realized that I might need to take a closer look at what they're made of rather than how they're made. In the future, I'd want to eventually shift to cleaner and organic beauty brands. While I know those tend to be more expensive, as more environmentally conscious brands are, I'd love to see if they would be better for my skin. If anyone has any recommendations, feel free to let me know.

I was really inspired by everyone else who has been attempting to eat with no distractions that I tried it out today! I'm definitely an anxious person, and this is probably the first time in a long time I was eating both on my own and with no screen in front of me, so I felt my brain racing a bit. I immediately started thinking about what all I had to do after eating, remembered that I had to text someone, and even opened my phone before I realized I wasn't supposed to. 

That being said, I'm also the kind of person who shovels my food down in order to 'save time' (also the kind of person that uses eating as an excuse to watch TV, oops!) so it was nice to be more mindful of what I was eating and taking the time to enjoy the simple meal I had prepared - in fact, it made it taste better. I've also been struggling with feeling full after my meals - I often have to make another quick snack right after dinner, for example - but mindful eating definitely made me feel like I'd eaten enough. I think I'm going to try to continue this as much as I can, especially during the workday, and even get my roommates to join me when they can. 

Two of my goals for this quarter (hopefully ones I can continue the rest of the year too) are to eat less meat/integrate more fruits and vegetables in my diet and also to run/walk outside at least twice a week, if not more. This is largely so I diversify the amount of nutrients I consume - I struggled a lot when it came to living on my own - and stay active despite the sedentary lifestyle online learning inevitably leads to. 

I did get a pretty bad cold towards the end of last week so I only managed one longer ~4 mile run last Tuesday and a quick 2 miles on Sunday but it was super nice to be outside, away from a screen, and explore the paths around Westwood. I started running around the area last year and the habit has made me learn my way about the neighborhood. In fact, I now often leave my house with no "path" in mind and just see where the roads take me! It's a fun exercise I'm probably going to continue wherever I move to next. 

When it comes to eating more fruits and vegetables, I've realized that when I eat in, I tend to eat more green rather than when I order a meal. I've also been feeling lighter and less sluggish, which I've heard is a perk of eating cleaner. Hopefully the energy continues as the quarter progresses and classwork picks up!

Hi everyone! Excited to take what we learn this quarter and become more mindful of everything I consume, from nutrition to media.