Jillian Daniel- Experience of Natural Setting blog 7

As we all know, college comes with a great deal of stress. Its easy to get overwhelmed with the complications that come with school work, being involved in activies and clubs, and merely having responsbilities. About two weeks ago was one of those times where I found myself having to write two papers that i'd forgotten about, study for an exam that I was banking on doing well on to get a good grade in the class, and having to write a couple of long over due lab reports. Needless to say I was posted up in the library for a ridiculous amount of time. The day after all of these assignments were completed, and I was way past exhauseted and was craving relaxation. It seemed like a perfect idea when my roommate suggested driving to Yorktown beach. It was about 1 am in the morning when we went, so socializing and tanning weren't on the agenda (especially since it was freezing outside). I just expected to drive there, get the some fresh air, and catch up with my roommate. However, I ended up getting a lot more out of the experience than i'd expected. Being surrounded by the ocean and feeling the cold air hit my skin was rejuvinating and remarkably peaceful. Considering I had been cooped up in the library literally every day and most of the night for the 4 days prior to the trip, being outdoors allowed me to put the stress behind me and to reflect on my week. My roommate and I sat on the sand in quasi-silence (there were obviously complaints about the freezing temperatures made) and just relaxed. The serenity of the beach allowed me to ditch my overwhelmed frenzy-state and, in the the risk of sounding cheezy, gave me a sense of hope for the rest of the semester.