This week was dead week at school, but it seemed like I was doing more catch-up work than studying for finals. I found some time to study, but it was still difficult while catching up on lab work and finding time to train.
I definitely tweeted way too much about the work I had to do, which probably wasn’t the best way to deal with it. I knew I had to just buckle down and get it done, but I didn’t know how to start. Sometimes when I have a lot of things to do it feels easier to just ignore it. I think we all feel that way sometimes.
I realized that having that kind of attitude affects everything else in my life. If I have too many things to do at school and let it get backed up, it makes me feel crappy when I’m training or hanging out with my friends. It’s the same for everything else. If I have a lot to worry about with my job at the gym, I feel crappy at home or at school. I’m not sure if everyone else is like that, but I feel that way a lot. My boyfriend and training partners can attest to that.
I was slightly grumpy this week at the gym, but I still made it to classes and got some good work in. On Monday, we went over some triangle techniques that I really enjoyed. Frank showed us this awesome set up from the bump sweep that I want to try to work into my game. I love triangles, and I’m always looking for new ways to set them up. We also went over defenses to different kinds of stacking. Considering my performance at my last two competitions, that’s definitely something I need to work on.
On Wednesday, instead of going over technique, we just rolled for an hour. Mentally, I didn’t feel up to it because I knew I had a lot of work to do for school, but I sucked it up and rolled. It felt good. I needed something to take my mind off of the stress from school. I can’t wait to take my finals and be done with school!
Earlier on Wednesday, Frank, Steve, and I went to a Met Life building nearby to participate in their health fair. We set up our table with some fliers, a raffle, and a video we made of some self-defense moves. We talked to people who came by and told them about what we do at Scranton MMA. It was a long day, but I had a lot of fun talking to everyone. I told the ladies about my free self-defense seminar coming up in June, and there were a lot of people who seemed interested. I’m excited to have people come by and to teach them how to defend themselves.
Sorry I had to make it short and boring this week. My mind is wandering all over the place. This week coming up is finals week, so after that I’ll be a lot more interesting! Have a nice week, everyone!
Jess Papi is a blue belt at Scranton MMA and also pursuing her degree in exercise science. Read her entries every week for insights on competing, training, and juggling BJJ and life.
Photo courtesy of Cauliphlower.
