High levels of stress can cause many bizarre changes to you mentally, physically, and emotionally.

I, unfortunately, have been experiencing some roller-coasters of stress. I sometimes don't even realize I am stressed. I have noticed lately that my eyelid has been twitching a lot. It could be a combination of stress and sleep deprivation. I did some research about this twitch because I have never experienced this before until recently; it has been off and on within the past year.

Twitches. Unlike tics,the majority of muscle twitches are isolated occurrences, not repeated actions. Muscle twitches are also known as myoclonic jerks. They are entirely involuntary and cannot be controlled or suppressed.

One type of muscle twitch is benign essential blepharospasm. Blepharospasm refers to the muscles of one or both eyelids twitching uncontrollably. This often occurs repeatedly over a sustained period of time. In extreme cases, which are rare, benign essential blepharospasm may also involve the eyebrows, mouth, and neck.

While an eyelid twitch may mimic an eye-blinking tic, it is different because it cannot be controlled. It also occurs most often in adults, rather than in children. Your doctor may be able to determine whether you or your child is experiencing tics or an eyelid twitch based upon the symptoms.

Experts believe that the eyelid twitching of blepharospasm is caused by the misfiring of certain cells in one area of the brain. Eyelid twitches may be aggravated by having dry eyes. They may also be worsened by stress, lack of sleep, caffeine, and harsh light conditions.

Information from WebMD 

What have I been doing to help alleviate my twitch? I gently massage my eye and try to get more sleep. The latter hasn't been too effective yet as I'm constantly thinking of things.

Furthermore, my energy level is low, my hair is more prone to breakage and is falling out more than usual, and my facial skin is breaking out. I have not been getting outdoors or hitting the gym as much. I'll need to squeeze in a workout here and there. I will need to condition my hair more to keep it strong. I need to continue keeping my face clean. I will try to watch my diet and eat less oily/greasy food.

I've been eating more chocolate than normal to help "reduce" my stress. But maybe I should try dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate since researchers say dark chocolate has been shown to help reduce stress hormones.

I will eventually be able to get back to a more normal schedule in a couple of months. Until then, I just need to keep pushing and stay motivated. Most importantly to stay healthy!

The weekend of October 24, 2009, I flew home to visit family and friends. The last time I was home was during Memorial Day weekend! It was a long overdue visit! It first started off just as a low key visit and quickly became jam-packed with activities. It was awesome hanging out with family and friends. There was lots of catching up done.

One of the highlights besides some birthday celebrations, was my high school friend, Monica's baby shower. She recently got married in July 2009 and is now expecting a baby girl! It's wonderful and exciting she is starting a new family. I can't wait to meet baby Danielle Grace!

This got me reflecting on my life. Am I where I want to be? Have I achieved my goals yet?

. . .

My mom gave me my belated birthday present. It was a beautiful surprise. She framed my undergraduate degree! It was very nice and so special. I couldn't even remember where I put my diploma. Then she says, now you need to get your Masters to make it complete to hang in your future office. This hit home for me. Getting my Masters has always a goal of mine; but I hadn't been proactive in putting my goal into motion.

Anytime, I need some motivation, I think of my family and the empty space on the wall next to my undergraduate diploma frame. I am thankful for the support and love from my family and friends who keep me going and pushing me higher.

About three years ago, I determined that Public Health is my calling. What exactly is Public Health? According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language:

public health   
n.  The science and practice of protecting and improving the health of a community, as by preventive medicine, health education, control of communicable diseases, application of sanitary measures, and monitoring of environmental hazards.

"public health." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 27 Oct. 2009. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/public health>.

Public Health is the crucial piece to educating people about ways to prevent disease and improve healthy living. It is the key to connecting the medical world to the public. It's hard enough trying to understand the medical jargon; in addition, to navigating the health system. Through improved health literacy programs and literature, health information has been made easier to comprehend.

There are many areas to specialize in Public Health: Community Health Education, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Maternal Health, Environmental Health Science, and so on. I really want to do Environmental Health Science - not Occupational & Safety. Some schools put a focus on the latter and that's just not interesting to me. I want to work with mother nature!

Now if you ask what type of Environmental topic I want to focus on... I don't have a clue. I have the passion to work with people and to help improve their health; but to focus specially on air pollution or deforestation, etc. I am lost. It may just be that I haven't had enough experience yet to know what I want. What I do know is that I want to get my Masters in Public Health! That is my goal.