Life Lessons (Coping with stress)

Article by Jodi Lynn Bryson, Girls' Life Magazine, August/September 2002, page 44

I tore this page out from a magazine called  Girls’ Life, and it is advice from actress Alexis Bledel who played the part  of Rory Gilmore in the TV show Gilmore Girls (my favorite TV show). I have this article in its entirety posted on my wall, and I refer to this article as a reminder of how to cope with stress.  In this article, Bledel responds to various questions on how she would react to a situation, and also how her character, Rory, would react to a situation. Even though the answers to these problems are basic, I find inspiration from them. The character Rory often reminds me of myself: overachieving, soft-spoken, and with the goal of becoming a journalist. Even though she is fictional, I refer to her “advice” because I think we have a lot in common. When I’m stressed, I definitely do go into overdrive mode, and start working really hard.

However, I also focus on things that make me happy when I’m stressed. In my past posts, I’ve written about writing in a journal, music, TV shows, going for walks, and doing fun things with friends. All of these things help ease my mind when I have a lot going on. Which of these things do you do most often when you are stressed? Vote for your best answer in my poll:

The Andy Griffith Show

I woke up this morning humming (I can’t whistle well) a catchy and joyful tune. I don’t know how this got stuck in my head, because I haven’t heard this tune in years. But it’s so reconizable and easily stuck in your head, and I haven’t been able to get this tune out of my head since! So, I decided to watch the show that this tune came from.

Listen to the theme song here.

For those who don’t know about The Andy Griffith Show, it is a sitcom that aired between 1960 and 1968. Andy Griffith plays a  the part of a widowed sheriff, and the show chronicles funny moments in day to day life.  Andy has hilarious interactions with his son Opie(Ron Howard), Andy’s aunt and housekeeper Aunt Bee, and deputy Barney Fife.  The show takes places in a fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina.

This show is so heartwarming. The episodes still air on TV Land, and you can find some episodes on their website to watch.  I used to watch this show all the time when I was younger, but I haven’t watched the show in so long!

-Steph