applied psychology

Weekly Therapy: A post-Olympics haze.

- Mel

the week:
I skipped last week’s update, as I was traveling to Ohio for my grandmother’s memorial service — and basically the biggest family reunion of my life. We also drove to Pittsburgh to spend a little time there (and have margaritas and my favorite burgers!). While in Pittsburgh, my former roller derby league was hosting a 10-year anniversary celebration of its league with an alumni celebration, and I was happy that I went out to be a part of that history.

Oh. This place looks familiar! ?? #lovepgh #roadtrip #timeformargaritas

A photo posted by Mel! (@melliesmel) on

Naturally, I cried a LOT last weekend — returning to Pittsburgh made me miss it a whole lot, while also realizing it would never be the same even if I eventually returned. And then I had a lot of stress at my job (including interviews!), and then my period started five days early (because haaaaaaa OF COURSE!). So I’m trying to find some balance with my emotions again.

weekend:
So much to catch up on at home (I seriously have dead plants all over the place)! But we also plan to take the bikes out on the trails, and then I have another 8-miler. I do plan to have some fun on the golf course on Sunday (after brunch, natch).

seven things, seven days:
1. Catching up with one of my uncles, I found out that he runs 4 miles every morning and is on a 400+ day run streak. It was kind of fun to have someone in my family to geek out over running with (though he is definitely more intrinsically motivated than me).
2. Flew first class for the first time, and now I can’t ever travel another way.
3. I always wondered why cars had heated seats but not cooling seats, and randomly, our rental car in Ohio had COOLING SEATS! They are weird and not at all what I expected.
4. I’m putting races on my 2017 calendar, which means WOOOOO training through winter! (It gets me sincerely so excited.)
5. The Olympics are over, and since I was traveling Sunday night, I missed the closing ceremonies. I also didn’t hear much about them. How were they?
6. So you just won a gold medal… welcome to the rest of your life! {via Washington Post}
7. The myths and realities of doing what you love. {via Lifehacker}

Weekly Therapy: Brevity is the soul of wit.

- Mel

the week:
I had one of the most inspiring and empowering experiences at work this week — invited by a coworker to a women’s networking event, which was lead by an incredible speaker (a senior executive at my workplace). The event encouraged these feelings of female camaraderie that I’ve never had at ANY of my jobs, and also helped me make the decision to post to an open position. I really, really like my job, and well… I’m feeling pretty pumped this week.

weekend:
This morning is Bootcamp & BBQ at Life Time. One of my coworkers had a part in putting together the obstacle course, and a few others from work will be out for the fun. I’m pretty excited about this event (and also for some much-needed pool time) for something new to do and getting outside for a dirty, sweaty workout.

seven things, seven days:
1. I hired a running coach for my half marathon training! More on that in a later post.
2. Many thanks to several other runners online who helped with recommendations on their favorite running watch. You know that I’ve NEVER, in over two years, connected my current Garmin to the Connect software because wires? I upgraded to the 230, which OMG BLUETOOTH SYNC! is exactly what I needed.
3. I got two separate kudos at our team meeting this week. WHOOP!
4. The power randomly cut off at work on Wednesday, so they sent everyone in our building home an hour or so early.
5. Our weather got up to 115 degrees this week, and it was as awful as you think.
6. I LOVED Hootie & The Blowfish, so I LOVED THIS ARTICLE: My Life in the Bush of Hootie about signing the band to their first record deal. {via Observer}
7. If it doesn’t suck, it’s not worth doing — the science of the anticipation of an event and pushing past your capabilities {via Medium}

Weekly Therapy: The past is gone but something might be found to take its place.

- Mel

the week:
I’m still struggling with getting my sleep schedule back on track. I wish I knew what threw me off my schedule. Hormones? Probably hormones.

I started watching OITNB Season 4. DON’T RUIN ANYTHING I’M ONLY ON EPISODE 9. I’m binge-watching the remainder of the show today though because I keep catching people talking about it and I have to run in the other direction LALALALALALALA.

weekend:
The Des Moines Arts Festival is this weekend, and last night the GIN BLOSSOMS performed on the main stage. The VIP upgrade was worth it for the free drinks and snacks, but the placement of that section not at all near the stage was a little lackluster because the sound quality/volume was pretty bad. I was impressed how many people were in downtown Des Moines though! And that you can walk around with an open container of vodka lemonade [pick your poison] throughout the festival area.

If the rain holds off for the weekend, we’ll probably ride our bikes back down on Sunday and eat some food truck brunch.

seven things, seven days:
1. I had my second golf lesson this week, which… OMG I’M SO FRUSTRATED BY IT ALL. (But I’m making contact with the ball more often — my primary “play less embarrassingly” goal.)
2. I don’t understand bars that have these tiny-ass drink glasses, and then give you the shaker with the rest of your alcohol in it. JUST BUY BIGGER GLASSES/STOP BEING SO HIPSTER.
3. I started researching grad programs again this week…
4. Have you ever tried to ignore your cat’s bad behavior so as to not encourage said behavior to continue? Have you ever tried to do it at 4am when he’s destroying all the books on your nightstand and OMG JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME SLEEP? Just me then?
5. An interview with one of my favorite people-who-I-met-online about making successful life changes. {via Women’s Running magazine}
6. Signs you’re burning out (and what to do about it) {via Forbes}
7. NO, you cannot eat “whatever you want” and more common running myths {via Well + Good

Weekly Therapy: The light at the end of the tunnel is not an illusion. The tunnel is.

- Mel

Oh man, the statement in the title of this post from my yoga instructor hit me right where I needed it at practice this week.

the week:
This week, I discovered that May Day is a thing. Did you celebrate May Day when you were a kid? My coworkers were telling me all about the “random and anonymous acts of kindness” associated with this holiday when they were kids in Iowa, and it sounds very nice! (We got free candy at work because of it.)

weekend:
Since my birthday is on a Monday (boo!), we’ll be out getting the b-day shenanigans on over the weekend. Boyfriend tells me that I have a WEEKS WORTH of surprises that start on Saturday. In all honesty, I really don’t like surprises, but in this case: GIVE IT TO ME.

This weekend, the weekly Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market opens; Des Moines Social Club is hosting a Food Truck Throw Down; and it’s also Tulip Time in Pella!

Wow, what great Iowan folks to schedule three wonderful events around my birthday celebrations! 😉

seven things, seven days:
1. We got a Roomba, and the reception of it on behalf of the cats is mixed (I don’t think there are any youtube videos in our future). Though *I* am thoroughly impressed by this thing.
2. My bottom front teeth were SUPER sensitive last week, and I never listen to my body cues when I know it’s getting sick (spoiler alert: I’m getting sick). But I’m completely serious about the teeth sensitivity thing; happens every single time.
3. I seriously worked for 40 minutes straightening a drawstring in a pair of my casual pants BECAUSE IT’S THE ABSOLUTE WORST. And when I got *almost* to the end, I realized that it’s sewn in twisted, and I can’t fix it! Gah.
4. A follow-up Trunk Club shipment came, and I have a new stylist (already), and it was worse than the first one.
5. I spent a few hours reading my old, dead blog. I feel like I used to be a much better writer (and a helluva lot funnier), and I wish I could harness some of that again.
6. Putting work in its place — don’t fall for the anecdotal fallacies! Also, it’s OK to not have a “calling” or to be passionate about work and it’s OK to choose the paycheck, k? WE ALL WORK FOR MONEY. {a great piece via The Manual}
7. May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, so PLEASE make sure to read up on warning signs and symptoms, and schedule your annual screening! This is very near-and-dear to me, considering that I had skin cancer in my 30s (and my future odds at being cancer-free are not good) and one of my closest friends just passed away in March at age 40 from melanoma.

Weekly Therapy: “You will either step forward into growth or you will step back into safety.” – Abraham Maslow

- Mel

the week:
My Capstone project has been focused on burnout in organizations (and its relation to organizational culture and motivation), and thank the Applied Psych Gods that this course/project is only 6 weeks long because I’m sure that I would be experiencing burnout myself. I’m on my last couple days of assignments, with my final project presentation Saturday morning. And then, I’m DONE. D-O-N-E.

It’s so surreal from when I first started talking about going back to school and some of the obstacles that I encountered even trying to apply!

weekend:
I’m in Toronto for the annual APA convention, and I’m part of its Twitter Team again. If you’re into psychology follow along: @melindaurick and #APA2015

(AAAAAAAHHHHHH. I’M DONE WITH SCHOOL!)

I’m supposed to run Ray’s Race 5K Saturday morning, aka: the Running of the Psychologists as I like to call it. BUT with my final class presentation at 9 am, I’m nervous that I’ll be cutting it too close (and the starting point is a 30-minute walk from where I’m staying). I have 10 miles on my schedule for my long run on Sunday, so at least I’ll have that relaxing way to see some of Toronto without the stress of homework deadlines hovering over me.

seven things, seven days:
1. Experienced a water main break this week on my street. Thankfully, no flooding in the basement!
2. I attended my first info program about grad school… I know, I know, I’m talking all about being done but I plan to take at least 6 months off.
3. Changing your life is not a mid-life crisis. SO IMPORTANT! Change is certain in our lives; we need not judge others (or fear them) for wanting to change.
4. Seemed relevant: Perfectionism and burnout.
5. Something that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately (re: reducing the clutter and noise in my own life): One year without social media
6. 3 effective ways I’m dealing with professional burnout – a great personal essay from The Financial Diet
7. And if you’re suffering from burnout: How to recover {via Mind Tools}

Weekly therapy: The worst comes first.

- Mel

the week:
I feel like I’m finally making progress on my Capstone project, now that I have a clear focus (and I’m not freaking out on the regular). I can’t wait to share with you when I’m finished! It’s amazing to think how much my interests have changed since I started this program a year-and-a-half ago, and it’s incredible to think I will be done in less than a month. The first couple weeks of the semester were rough — this project is probably the hardest thing I’ve done to date — but I am keeping a new perspective of my accomplishments so far in this program, knowing that its completion will lead me to some recharged career opportunities and interests.

weekend:
Oh, hai Cleveland! I can’t wait to run along your beautiful lake. Aside from the comfort of hotel living for a couple days, I will be squeezing homework in between catching up with my ol’ stomping grounds. Any restaurant suggestions for this gluten-free lady?

I’m officially already on my weekend (hai, also wine!). Enjoy your pickles, Pittsburgh.

52 books in 52 weeks:
I figured that without any textbooks for my final two courses, that I would be doing a lot more reading of journals rather than books (I was right). I started getting into Judy Blume’s new book, but I’ll be leaving at home and bringing a case study with me to read (fun times!).

seven things, seven days:
1. This week, I inadvertently found the option to respond to text messages while in the lock screen of my iPhone. LIFE CHANGING.
2. You’ve heard of “ghosting” by now, right? (We used to call it “pancaking” in my day. And it happened to me more times than should for one person. Ahem.) Did you read this NYT article? All I can muster is WTF, COWARDS.
3. Hilariously, I received my PopsugarMustHave, StitchFix, and Ipsy on the same day this week. Should I start doing reviews?
4. Timehop tells me that I was in Costa Rica two years ago. SIGH.
5. PTO Day is my everything right now (hello, laundry!)
6. Darya of Summer Tomato gets this SO RIGHT >> The Secret Ingredient You’re Missing for Stronger Motivation
7. “Thirty-one per cent of us sleep fewer than six hours a night, and sixty-nine per cent report insufficient sleep” — I am part of this statistic. Why Can’t We Fall Asleep. {via New Yorker}