Ask Agnes | Long distance relationships, New Year’s resolution

Dear Agnes: I’m in a long-distance relationship, and I constantly miss my girlfriend. I don’t know what the right balance is between finding time to travel to see her/have her see me and finding time for everything else in my life. What do you think?

As for everything in life, too much of anything can be bad. If you eat too many carrots, you turn orange. If you stay awake for too long, you start hallucinating. If you’re spending the majority of your time with your girlfriend, whether that be traveling or just being with her, I’d bet that other aspects of your life are being ignored. It definitely is more difficult to be with someone who isn’t close to you because of the travel, but it is not impossible. Just be realistic with it. If you have a test in a week and you really need to study for it to make a good grade, don’t spend your nights FaceTiming her or driving up to see her if she’s within driving distance. You need to ensure that you are being present in the place you live, or you may lose yourself in your relationship. In the end, finding the balance is something that you will have to figure out on your own, but as long as you are spending enough time with your loved ones, on school work and with any other major aspects of your life, I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out. Best of luck!

Dear Agnes: My New Year’s resolution to lose weight hasn’t exactly stuck. I get that spring break is only two weeks away, but I’d like to lose weight just to feel better. Do you know of any tips on how to do that?

Of course! I actually hate using the word “dieting” because it’s morphed into a word that symbolizes a temporary change, and losing weight has to be long-term in order to be effective. Instead, I’ll be talking about how you can make some lifestyle changes to help you out with this. Since you’re not focused on a specific deadline, I recommend giving yourself enough grace to change things in steps. Start by drinking a lot more water. You will quickly notice how much better your body will run. After that, start incorporating some short workouts into your daily routine until you can commit more time to them. Go on a 30-minute walk, spend an hour or so deep cleaning your house or find a workout circuit on Pinterest — I’m not kidding, there’s some really good ones there. I think the most difficult part of losing weight for most people is restructuring eating habits. A huge help will be to start learning how to listen to your body. Figure out when you’re actually full and what foods make you feel good. It might take time, but you might as well start today. You’ll thank yourself in the long run.

To submit questions to Agnes, visit the various boxes around the Washington Street Campus or send questions to theranger
editor@gmail.com. This column is not a substitute for professional
counseling.

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