Stress Fractures

I want to make a connection between two types of stress fractures, one dealing with physical health and the other with the emotional side. Let's say I get a stress fracture in my leg or foot, what led to that? Repeated pounding and pressure was placed on it until it, quite literally, reached a breaking point. And the result? Constant pain and discomfort. The only real way to fix it is by resting it, staying off it.. Until you do, nothing will get better.

The other kind of stress is something that everyone deals with. Things pile up, get too hard or too much, never stop. That's part of life. So can this stress cause a fracture too? I would have to say yes. If you allow yourself to become overwhelmed or consumed by the events in your life, you will probably hit an emotional breaking point. And rather than demobilizing just a body part, you will render your entire self useless.

I'm not suggesting that there is a sure fix for this problem. Life will continue to be challenging. I get stressed just like everybody else, but I see a difference in how one might handle the situations they are faced with. As a student, employee, boyfriend/girlfriend, family member, and any other sort of responsibility or relationship we are engaged in, the bombardment of commitments will never stop. That part I am sure about.

I'm no doctor, but i'm sure there is a way to avoid a stress fracture of a body part. At the first sign of pain or discomfort, proper steps should be taken before there is a problem, not after. It may require more work, but in the end, the benefit will be greater. Here's what I've noticed in my own experiences when it comes to dealing with stress:

In most cases, stress doesn't hit all at once, but adds one thing on top of another. Think of it like holding a stack of books with your arms stretched out in front of you. Try starting with a stack of 20 books from the beginning, and you won't last long. But start with one, then another, and then another, until you've got all 20. At first, one book is a cake walk—even two or three books. But the more you add, the more the strain starts to wear on your muscles. I've often wondered how it ever got to that point. Even more, I start wondering why on earth I would be walking around holding 20 books with my arms stretched out. Who does that? It's your life, and who's to say you can't stop and set each book down as you go. Let the librarian pick them up.

Rather than freaking out, and stop functioning when a stressful situation hits, slow down. Take a step back. Then a deep breath. Now think about similar situations in the past, because I know it's not the first time that this has happened. And it won't be the last. In the end, things will work themselves out. They always do. How often have you been faced with a challenge and felt like you came up short of expectations? Almost never. That's not to say that you are perfect, or even that things will go exactly according to plan each and every time. Sure, you may have to spend a few sleepless nights, skip a few meals or maybe even sacrifice working on something else that's a little less important. But you'll find a way to get it done. Because you always do. Spending time stressing about something means you are wasting time that could be better spent doing something productive. It doesn't help anyone. It all comes down to how you react when these things come. I view stress as something you choose to let into your life, not something that is forced upon you.

So do yourself a favor and take care of those injuries before they become stress fractures. In the words of songwriter, Bobby McFerrin, "Don't worry, be happy." You might regret it if you don't.

How do you spell rowdy? . . . J-A-Z-Z

Let's be honest...when does being a Jazz fan ever actually pay back?


Until last week, I had only ever been rewarded with, well, nothing for my Jazz loyalties. But that all changed on Tuesday, March 9. I decided to go on a date to watch one of the Jazz road games on the big screen at Jordan Commons. I had heard that they were choosing two more members of the Jazz Rowdies, but it wasn't a focus for me, especially since i was on a date, and even more because I had already gone all out the first time they held tryouts, only to come up short. For those who don't know anything about the Jazz Rowdies, let me explain. About a month ago, the Jazz held auditions for the craziest, most intense Jazz fans to win free tickets for the rest of the season. They showed another of the Jazz road games at the Gateway theatre, and encouraged fans to dress up and be as "rowdy" as possible. Somehow my full jazz apparel, face paint, giant green sombrero and running antics were not enough for the audition. But out of the 400 or so fans in attendance, 75 were chosen for the Rowdy section tickets.

But I guess my time had come this past Tuesday. Since they were only choosing 2 more Rowdies, I didn't really think I had much of a chance this time. Not after the outcome of the previous attempt at least. But lucky for me, my date decided to be a champion, because I never would have won without the help of another person. As the game went on, we got louder and louder. It helped that the Jazz were playing fantastic against the Chicago Bulls. When they started to announce the two winners at the end of the game, I didn't think we really had any chance of winning. But then they called out what we were wearing, and I was totally blown away. We were the 2 newest Jazz Rowdies! And along with it, we got tickets to the rest of the home games for this season.

So who says it doesn't pay off to be a dedicated, die-hard Jazz fan? I have tickets at will call waiting for me that beg to differ with anyone who disagrees. So go ahead, look for me at the next Jazz home game. I'll be in the Rowdy section.