Logical VS Emotional
by Amber Keener
My happy place is found losing myself to the shadows of the dancing lights. The elegant glow of a flame waving back at me in the fireplace or small illuminating lights dancing at me through the darkness. I have forever found a softness in the dark staring at these tiny fluorescent objects. Most days my mind is on overdrive, never finding ways to still itself. Since I was young I can recall having trouble shutting my mind off or trying to find the calmness in all the madness. My mental capacity starts to short circuit and the ON switch has forever been broken. It's as if the flood gates have opened and a wave of ideas and memories come pouring out. The memories of the good and the ugly, they are all barreling toward me with no end in sight.
On most nights I am engulfed by the thoughts of science and the tremendous effect I want to make in others' lives. On other unforgiving nights the thoughts of hopelessness creep in and whisper to me in unforgiving ways. Yet these tiny strings of lights seemingly have a way of shutting me down and helping me to gather my thoughts in a more efficient manner. Once I am in this space I can reboot and attempt to process my thoughts and feelings as if a normal person should.
Low and behold there is a science to everything, and yes even the understanding as to why this works for me. Science has been able to guide me my entire life and continues to stand by my side. Science tells us that the intensity of light is proven to demonstrate a correlation between our emotions. In these moments I feel a "warmth" due to the change in my emotion. Something we don't think about every day is how light actually impacts our physical structure. It affects the way we sleep, mood, how clearly, we think, and our overall health. The Pineal gland located inside our brains. (So tiny yet completely misunderstood.) The pineal gland has an incredibly important function, and that is generating melatonin. (This plays a large effect on our sleep cycle.) This hormone is very different because its secretion is dictated by light. How unusual that something so small that may seem insignificant to most impacts us in such a large way.
Most of us do not think about how large an impact something as silly as light could play on our overall health, from our mood all the way to our sleep patterns. In life I have learned that the smallest things create the most massive impacts. Whether it’s the light in your bedroom to the smile at the stranger in the grocery store. As a physics student we are taught to pay close attention to our surroundings and focus on the minuscule things. This has been the biggest challenge mostly because we live a life extremely fast paced.
Every day is another gentle reminder to slow down and reflect on all the little things in life.
ABOUT THE AUTHORESS
Amber Keener
From an early age science has always been my first and foremost passion.
I was blessed with a healthy sense of curiosity and wonder. I would look at the night sky and think about the constellations and what they meant. Not just to me, but everyone back thousands of years before. How they utilized them, what meaning they held in their time, and the discoveries that would soon take place.
This has lead me to the path I’m on now. Currently I have an Associates in Physics and am working towards achieving my dream of getting an astrophysics degree.
The dream isn’t just about this milestone, but also educating and inspiring young minds that have the same passion and curiosity for science that I had at their age.
Stay Curious!
AMBER KEENER