It can wait.

What is more important-- that blinking text on your phone, or the immediacy of the road in front of you? Unfortunately, the obvious right answer is not the one that many of us choose.

The answer is 'It can wait'. It being that text that takes your attention from the road. And so begins Iowa's campaign to raise awareness about texting while driving.

Iowa has joined the some other 28 states that are now enacting some type of ban on texting. Today is the first day of this law going into effect. However, according to those most invested in this law, the actual law is not really the concern. It is the people. Read: you!

In an associated press article in Bloomberg Businessweek, the Department of Public Safety Director said, "This new law is not about writing tickets, it is about saving lives. While law enforcement will enforce the new law, the focus is on changing behavior."

The Fence

What can shift us? What can be the 'straw' on the proverbial (and rather abused) camel's back?

We all can think of a moment, or a person, or decision that has rapidly veered us from taking one path in life to taking the other.

The Butterfly Effect- a well-known cliche (or a bad Ashton Kutcher movie)-- do you buy it? Can a three hour conversation, one choice-- have everlasting repercussions? Not to wax poetic on existentialism, but ...

If you are sitting on the fence, what is most likely to affect you? Words? Your own decisions? The decisions of others?

Foreign Concept: Relaxation

How do you relax?

I know this word may seem unfamiliar to you, but it is incredibly important. According to Mayo Clinic, stress is actually normal. It is an alarm system that can protect you and prepare you for fight-or-flight in a dangerous environment. However, if the alarm system does not 'turn off' than stress can lead to serious physical health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, ulcers, weight gain or loss. That is why this foreign word is so important: Relax.

Let's peek into the minds of our group once more, and check out how they tackle this strange, strange concept: How do you relax?

Nicole: Listen to music, go for a run or walk or sleep.

Neal: Exercise is the main thing. More competitive sports like raquetball where you can take out frustration. Sometimes just talking to someone, someone to listen. Also I heard of someone cleaning when they are stressed.

Katie: I clean when I am stressed. I also take long walks, or make to-do lists that get all of the ideas out of my mind and onto paper.

So there you have it! I urge you to take this simple and quick stress assessment. Answer the questions honestly, and find your own way to take off the pressure. If you need some ideas, check out the post to come for more relaxation techniques.

A full plate: Contending that 'lazy' is simply 'crazy'

College is super easy, right? It's not like we have life decisions to make, 18 credits of classes to take a semester, a job, family, social life (or lack there-of) to think of ...

Psych!

Of course we do. And amidst the craziness that our very privileged age group gets to deal with, we must decide what is important. Or more important.

Are we really just lazy? Or is it that we have so much on our 'plate' that we have a hard time allotting value.

Family> Friends> School?

Biochemistry>English>Extracurriculars?

Facebook>School>Job?

How do you prioritize your life? And where does 'self' come in?

Under Pressure

Pressure- exams, papers, meeting new people, obtaining loans, building a resume, dealing with choices that will affect one for a lifetime. Pressure (literally and figuratively) is all around us. And how we deal with stress and pressure can sometimes define our lives.

There are multiple ways of dealing with stress. Option one - avoiding pressure- by setting up a schedule, setting priorities, and not procrastinating. But for most college students, this is an option that is unattainable due to our deep desire to be lazy.

That leaves us with the other option- coping with our stress. How we choose to cope with our stress can impact our health and our future. We can let the situation control us, and run away from the problems by smoking, zoning out for hours in front of the TV, over-eating, or drinking to excess. Or we can control the situation and go work out, savor a warm cup of coffee or tea, or listen to music.

Prioritizing expenses

Everything is expensive. But, it is really interesting how we prioritize our expenses.

For example, I am ridiculously proud of the fact that I have changed from a 'Grande mocha, skim milk, whipped cream' on a shameful twice a day basis ($3.55 a pop) to 'Grande cafe au lait, skim milk and honey' ($2.20 a pop) on a twice a week basis.

Despite my willingness to dole out the cash for coffee, I will not buy new shoes unless absolutely necessary, and I am still carting around the same tattered $14 bag from Borders.

Similarly, I have watched people pay 6 or 7 dollars a drink (times 3... 4... 5... 9?) at the club and not be willing to split a cab at 5 dollars a person. Or, spend $150 to $200 dollars on textbooks, but then skip every class.

What are priorities based on when it comes to your wallet? I heard someone say once that the way we spend our money shows where our hearts are at-- Do you think this is true? How do you prioritize your expenses? How do you determine what is important to you? Is it based on risk, habit, necessity? Discuss!