As of late

Hi friends,

I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve talked to you all.  I guess we’ve got some catching up to do here.  I’ve been in kind of a daze the past few days.  Well, actually, really in a daze.  I can’t say too much on here right now, but Thursday night we were in a minor car accident where we were rear ended and the other driver fled the scene on foot.  Because she left her car there we were able to get her information, which is a good thing.

Anyhow, when we were hit, I hit my head pretty hard against the back of my seat.  I felt fine right after, but Friday morning when I woke up I started to get a terrible headache, my neck was really sore, I felt like I was going to puke, and just kind of in an overall daze.  I called the doctor and they told me to come in right away.  They gave me the full work up and told me I had a concussion and mild whiplash.

Now it’s Sunday and I’m still feeling pretty out of it.  The doctor said I should start to feel better soon though.  I’m hoping so, because I have an awful lot to do this week before the wedding!  For now, I have to rest and lay low to give myself a chance to heal.

It could have been a lot worse.  The other driver was in a giant SUV so if they would have been going any faster, the damage would have been terrible I’m sure.  There were a few lessons that I learned from this that I thought I would share with you all.  Some of them may seem silly, but I think it’s worth it to give them a little thought.

  1. Keep your eyes on the road.  The other driver was bending down in her car to get her fast food.  Her eyes were not on the road, she couldn’t ever see over the steering wheel for peet sake.  
  2. Wear your seatbelt!  Huge one right here.  I don’t care if you don’t think it’s cool.  You’ll be even less cool if you end up seriously injured because you weren’t wearing it.  Josh and I both had ours on and I can only imagine how much worse off I would be right now had I not had it on.
  3. Keep your insurance info and registration in a handy spot in your car.  In the heat of an accident there’s a lot going on.  The last thing you want to be doing is digging around trying to find these.
  4. If you’re ever in an accident, make sure to get the other driver’s information right away.  In my case, the other driver seemed very nice at first, but when she found out that I was going to call the police to report the accident she freaked out and bolted.  (Turns out she was driving after her license had been revoked, she thought she was going to jail)
  5. Do not underestimate the power of shock.  I was very calm and collected about the whole thing until it came time to write up an incident report.  At that point I lost it.  I started crying and all of the emotions started coming out.  Also, I didn’t feel the extent of my injuries (or know I was even hurt) until the next morning.
  6. Head injuries are not something to mess around with.  We were not going fast at all.  When I had a headache I thought maybe I was just stressed out, then I started listening to my body and really feeling the full effects.  The doctor described it as literally “having your bell wrung”.  While there is nothing that the doctor can really do for a concussion, they can confirm that it’s not something worse.
  7. It’s a good idea to call the cops after an accident to get a police report filed.  Minor accidents don’t require one, but it’s so much easier for insurance purposes.  I submitted my claim with the incident report, and now I just have to sit back and wait.  There is a reason you pay for car insurance people.

This whole thing has forced me to slow down and focus on what’s important right now.  I am grateful that I was done with finals when it happened.  Josh has been amazing taking care of me.  I can’t wait to marry him in 13 days!!!  And all of those little things that I have been stressed about, well they will either happen or not.  And at the end of the day we will have an amazing day, surrounded by our loved ones, and be married.

Sorry for the somber Sunday post.  Tomorrow I will have something better.  I managed to throw together some muffins for breakfast that turned out incredible.

Question of the day -
Have you ever been in a car accident?

How to survive finals

At this point in my college career I’ve been through 11 finals weeks.  Yikes bikes!!!  Still, every time this week comes along I freak out  tend to get a little nervous.  I’ve had my fair share of late nights and cry sessions.  I think my freshman year was the worst.  I ended up with a full blown migraine in the middle of the week for a day straight.  Another time I had to calm my nerves by shoe shopping.  Then there’s the inevitable final on my birthday in the winter semester.  That’s always a good time.

As many horror stories as I have, I’d like to think that after so many times taking finals I’ve learned a few things. So without further ado, here are my tips and tricks for surviving this week.

1.  Get some sleep.  I can’t say this enough.  Sure you may have to burn the candle a little more on both ends to cram everything in, but don’t pull an all nighter.  It’s not worth it.  I am better off getting a few hours of sleep and waking up and studying a little more before the test in the morning.  Studies show that you retain the most information if you get some rem zzzzzs after you’ve studied.   Plus, if you stay up all night you’ll be so tired and groggy during the actual final you won’t be able to think clearly.

2.  Get up and move around.  Take short breaks and go walk or run around.  Better yet, go get a quick workout or run in.  Your mind needs a little break every now and again.  When you get done you’ll be more focused too!

3.  Caffeine is sort of your friend.  Coffee and tea are good to help you stay awake and focused, but don’t rely too heavily on them so you’re jittery and crazy feeling.  Also, you don’t want to crash after the coffee buzz wears off, or not be able to sleep if you are pounding the energy drinks late at night (See tip #1).

4.  Eat healthy snacks.  Your body will probably crave carb filled, salty and sweet snacks but you’ll feel better when you’re studying if you eat better things.  Try to get in some fresh vegetables, fruits, protein, whole grains… yadda yadda.  In all seriousness though, it’s kind of like fueling up for a big race or game, you’ll perform better when you’re not full of junk.

Some of my healthy snack favorites are hummus and dippers (carrots, peppers, pita chips, pretzels)

Dark chocolate (for antioxidants of course :) )
5.  Make lists, cross things off.  There is nothing better than the satisfaction of physically crossing something off that to-do list.  
6.  Set aside time to not study.  If you manage your time well enough, you should be able to set aside a little time for some “you time”.  Don’t feel bad for taking it either.  Shoe shopping is wonderful “you time” fyi!
7.  Remember that it will be over in a week, then life will get so much better.  You can do it!  Just relax and take some deep breaths.
To all of you taking finals, good luck!  To all of you that are no longer taking finals, you lucky ducks!  I’d love to hear your finals experiences and tips.  Leave me some comment lovin’!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...