GiphyDon't freak out. I know this seems unbearable and obvious, but it's also effective. Just getting to class and making connections with your fellow peers and professors can encourage you to continue showing up to class. I know it definitely helped me get to class when I knew my friends would be disappointed if I chose to sleep rather than try to sneak in conversations while our professors took joy in shushing us. So, GO TO CLASS!!
GiphyTRUST ME. Falling asleep amidst an endless drone is commonplace throughout these institutions of higher education. Sure a nice power nap might make your day, but thenn you missed all of the notes you won't see again until your test on Friday. To prevent this mishap, try putting your addicting mobile device to sleep an hour before you plan to snooze. That way, you fall asleep in a timely manner, and can aim for a solid six to eight hours before your next class.
GiphyWeird prescription to do well in school, right? Not the most educational of methods, but you aren't going to achieve the gpa you desire if you're hidden in your room 24/7 not associating with the outside world. Friends (both the tv show and the real beings) make everything better. So go hang out with your people (or find some through a mutual interest), have fun, and destress your studied-out mind.
GiphyIf you don't need any extra help, than you go Glen Coco! But there is no shame in falling behind or not entirely grasping a subject. Chances are your school offers free educational assistance if you ask. So go ahead and march down to your learning facilities and find yourself a tutor!
GiphySimilar to a tutor, but can be even more informative if they specialize in what you don't understand. Professor's office hours are there to help their students. So take advantage of them to get help understanding notes, writing equations, or an essay, etc etc.
GiphyWhether treating yourself means a spa day, watching your favorite tv show, or getting an extra hour of sleep, go for it. Sometimes you just need to decompress and can't be go go go 24/7. Taking a break helps you absorb your study material better, and is healthier mentally. My favorite thing to do is grab a coffee and leisurely read a book to ease my running mind. So find what relaxes you and take advantage of it.
GiphyYou may be a tad confused at the moment, I was likewise when I discovered these. Animals in general help to reduce stress and can be very beneficial for mental health, and physical health. Many of these "animal cafes' exist around the world, and allow customers the opportunity to eat with free roaming animals. Some cafes are just cause, and others allow you to meet and adopt the animals you play with. All around: a great reason to find one near you.
GiphyI know you're already groaning and decided against this. But exercise can be really good for you. Other than the obvious effects of a healthier life, running around can help make you happier and has shown to be a great way to reduce stress. Give it a try, and aim for a healthier and happier semester!
GiphyExploring is awesome guys! Wherever you go to school, you have the ability to explore your campus and learn more about it, and/or go adventuring within the surrounding area. This can be a new and exciting way to spend time with friends and find your sense of adventure while you're at it.
GiphyOr find newfound joy in an old one. This is another way to spend your free time without worry about all the schoolwork you need to attend to. Take time for yourself and have some entertainment while you're at it.
Nothing helps you get through life more than a positive outlook on things. Sure, we're all negative sometimes, but it's the effort that counts more than anything else. Focus on restructuring those negative thoughts into positive ones and you'll be okay going into 2019.
The New Year will bring plenty of opportunity for new friendships to form, but don't forget about the old ones, too! Make time for the friends you hold close to your heart and keep inviting new ones into your life, too.
Who says that Christmas is the only time we're able to give? Take that spirit into 2019 with you and make it a priority to give as much (if not more) than you get.
Going hand-in-hand with giving is being thankful for what you've been given. Don't forget to always show that you are thankful for what's in your life, and remind those in your life how lucky you are to have them.
My favorite foods I've grown accustomed to this year are double-chocolate cupcakes (don't judge me), cheesesteaks, and garlic parm wings.
And if you're a Spotify user, you should check your Spotify wrapped statistics for all of your top songs this year and songs you should check out!
Confidence is key going into 2019. Yeah, sometimes it might be fake, but fake confidence is just as important as real confidence. Fake it 'til you make it, amirite?
Remember all the good times fondly, especially during the bad that the next year brings you. No year is going to be perfect, but it's all about perspective.
Yeah, pain really sucks, but it's helped make you into the person you are today. I'm not saying to hold onto it and not move on, but own it and remind yourself where you've come from using it.
I've personally had so many amazing experiences this year. From Firefly Music Festival, to making new friends, to getting new jobs, while there's definitely been bad, the good trumps it by a long shot -- and that's how it is for you, too.
Whether it's life advice from your mom or something you've learned just through living in this crazy world, keep those lessons close to your heart and keep them in mind going into 2019.
Realistically, no, 2019 will not be your "best year ever." Most of us will give up our resolutions after less than a month of trying, and the rest probably didn't even make one. But that's not to say that it won't be an amazing one. Take the best and the worst from 2018, the good feelings and the bad, everything you loved and everything you hated, into the New Year with you. Remember all that you've learned. And above all else, remember that, even if this isn't your best year ever, this year can still be something great to look back on.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Take the time to do everything you need to do during Finals week, but do not forget that your health is important too!
Back home, one of the walls in my kitchen is painted with black chalkboard paint, meaning that we could draw on it and create different designs and illustrations that match the season, month, holiday, etc. Normally, I embark on this artistic endeavor with my mom and my sister. We'd stand in front of the wall and try to come up with designs to put on the wall that is different and more complicated than our previous designs. We'd try to make the most of the available space and collaborate to create a masterpiece. Sometimes we'd debate about what to put up, but on occasion we'd sit there and stare at the blank canvas, scouring our brains for original ideas.
Halloween wall from a few years agoPhoto by Anna Masciandaro
Once we come up with a vague idea of what to do, some of us would use references like Google to find images that we could base our creations off of, but we all have different ways of approaching it. My mom normally jumps right into it. She'll start delicately sketching an outline of a design and then go back in with detail, the trademarks of a trained artist. My sister can easily come up with an idea in her head and execute it perfectly on the wall, a skill that I wish I had. While they're both working away, I'm usually spending hours and hours on Google and Pinterest, scavenging the internet universe for the perfect image that matches the one in my head, sometimes I'll even sketch out the design before actually putting it on the wall just so that I can figure out the problem areas and get a basic idea of the shape and size of the image.
Christmas wall from a few years agoPhoto by Anna Masciandaro
How often we draw on the chalkboard really depends on the amount of free time we have and how spirited we are feeling during the holidays/seasons. But, this is the first time since we got a chalkboard wall that I'm not home to do that with them. While it is a little sad that I won't be able to continue this family tradition at home, I'm also excited to spread it and introduce it to my newfound college friends and get them involved in the process, something that I also used to do at home with my hometown friends.
This year for Halloween, my mom told me that she's planning on drawing a calavera on the wall. So, I figured that I would do something similar but with a little twist. My design for this year is "la muerte," a colorful woman who personifies death from the movie "The Book of Life." I chose to draw her because it's a little bit of Halloween with the skeleton but also pays homage to the other holidays that fall around Halloween. By drawing la muerte, I'm bringing a piece of home with me to college which allows me to create a sense of home at school and feel like I'm still a part of the family despite being in another town.
