10 Self-Care Reminders For The End Of That Dreadful Winter Quarter
Take some time for yourself before things get going tough.
With winter quarter quickly coming to a close (just three more weeks!), everything can feel like it's stacking up quickly. A paper here, an exam there. Don't forget to take time for yourself. I failed to do any of these things last quarter and struggled all the way to the end. This list isn't anything new, but it is a reminder to take a break from the papers, eat some food, and take a nap. Then get back on the grind.
1. Take a nap
This is the simplest one, in my eyes. Shut your eyes and let reality go for a bit. Catch up on some much-needed sleep and wake up ready to take on the world.
2. Play your favorite video game
When I'm feeling a little stressed, I like to sit down and play "The Sims." It's a game I can get lost in for hours at a time and can come back feeling inspired by the crazy stories I made up. I absolutely can become the president of everything, just like my Sim.
3. Read a book
If video games aren't your forte, maybe pick up a book. It could be an old favorite or a new one, but anything to get you away from the boring old textbooks and/or confusing middle English that some professors require you to read for their courses.
4. Cook
To some people, cooking can be therapeutic. Sometimes I get more stressed than I was when I'm cooking, but it's a different kind of stress. Usually, it's all worth it because you have yummy food at the end to enjoy.
5. Go to work
Some of you are probably laughing, but to me, escaping the confines of my study cave and doing something as simple as working on something different can help. I work a pretty easy-going retail job, so going out and actually being a person and interacting with others helps.
6. Meet up with some friends
Another easy one. Chances are that they're all stressed out too, and they want to get out of their rooms and hang out. Go see a movie, go bowling, get some dinner, go for a walk - anything to get your mind fresh and moving again.
7. Watch Netflix
Let your brain rest for a bit. Watch some "Grey's Anatomy," watch a comedy special, or something even more light-hearted. Your brain doesn't have to work as hard when John Mulaney is talking about working with Mick Jagger.
8. Take a bath
Most people think that unless you have a bath bomb, baths aren't relaxing. If you don't have a Lush near you, you can always go to the store and purchase a cheap bubble bath or even a body wash to create a nice bubble bath. Even without that, baths are a nice way to relax the muscles and take a step away from the textbooks. Light a candle, put on a tv show, and soak.
9. Listen to a musical
There are plenty of musicals that are fun and have upbeat songs. "Dear Evan Hansen" is my current listen (even though I've heard it about a million times) it's one of my favorites to listen to when things are going rough.
10. Take up a passion project
This is a new one of mine. What do you love? Painting? Writing? Knitting? Anything? Do it. I recently started using Adobe Illustrator to create some art in a way that I learned a few years ago and it's one of my favorite things to do. Get back to your roots, relax, and enjoy the ride.
Priscilla Febus
Priscilla Febus
Priscilla Febus
Poetry On Odyssey: A 21st Century Love Story
"That, or I quickly looked you up on Facebook while you were in the bathroom."
The time when every romantic encounter was an adventure into the unknown has long passed. In the technologically sophisticated society we live in today, you can practically know everything about a person by looking them up on social media: their food preferences, music taste, hobbies, likes, dislikes. Gone are the days when a date was filled with refreshing discovery of similar interests and playful banter over trivial differences. In the world of millennials, it's a dying art-form, and so are long, sappy love poems. So, I suppose it only makes sense to pair the two together.
A 21st Century Love Story
As soon as you introduced yourself to me,
I instantly knew everything about you.
I knew you were the type of girl
to have a sporadic interest in pottery.
If I close my eyes, I can feel
your soft, damp hands gliding
across the sticky, cold clay.
Your vase — which would be inspired
by your obvious interest in ancient Greek culture
(the loose Athenian braids gave it away)
would end up looking more like
a pregnant woman. However,
I knew you would still be proud enough
to display it on your farmhouse table.
No doubt it would be a great conversation starter
during dinner parties and girls' nights in.
Perhaps you would even consider permanently replacing
the plastic lilacs you were so fond of with this new centerpiece.
I knew you were the type of girl
to dabble in Italian cuisine
from time to time.
Oh how I would love to steal
a taste of your pasta carbonara,
mushroom risotto, and
eggplant parmigiana
right from your tinted lips —
nevermind the wooden spoon.
I knew you were bound to have
Beatles records somewhere in your home.
That wasn't hard to guess, though,
since everyone is a Beatles fan.
I can imagine you absent-mindedly over-twirling
al dente fettuccine in a long pot with silver tongs,
one hand on your aproned-hip
as you and John Lennon duet "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds"
in front of your kitchen window
that frames a starry night that is almost just as bright.
I knew you had a hunger
for adventure.
You were going to be the type of girl
to zip line beside the frosted chocolate mountains of Canada,
raft down the rough, white waves of the Colorado rapids, and
scuba dive in the rainbow waters of the Mexican coast.
I knew that you would be a girl
whose favorite books,
like her favorite movies,
were the ones with cliche endings.
You just seemed like
a Notting Hill, Love Actually,
Sleepless in Seattle kind of girl.
Maybe it's because I knew
you were the type of girl to have had
a When-Harry-Met-Sally relationship
of your own. Except in this version,
Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan spent New Years
alone and became estranged after that.
I made a mental note to tell you "sorry"
whenever I got the chance.
I wasn't really sorry, though.
After all,
it lead you to meeting me.
As soon as you introduced yourself to me,
I knew everything I needed to know about you.
I guess you could say we're soulmates.
That, or I quickly looked you up on Facebook
while you were in the bathroom.
But never mind that,
this was still romantic as hell.