The end of the year is very stressful. With exams and exemptions, and the never-ending stream of seemingly vacuous drama, many are starting to shut themselves out from others like little hermit crabs and forget that schoolwork, while it may certainly count for a lot, is not the end of the world (May 21st is… Kidding!).
Soon enough, our little cave-people have been shut inside studying equations and memorizing vocabulary for so long, their spring tans have faded into nothingness and they forget what life is like without a book or internet resource constantly before their tired eyes, delivering hundreds of bits of information per minute. Studying becomes a condition, with stress the only emotion felt and the promise of happiness lying two unmerciful weeks away.
Luckily for us, our happiness doesn’t actually rest on grades. It’s a scary and sometimes unheard of concept during our school years, but really, we promise. Grade-related deaths are not possible, however, increased stress levels do show signs of stealing away our wonder years and medical investigations show that heightened stress levels impede brain activity. Therefore, information recall is restricted.
WHAT IS THIS?! Obviously that’s not something students want to hear days before their exams start.
We’ll tell you what, this is how you can increase your happiness (and very possibly your grades):
1) Take a break and go outside; better yet, take your study materials to a park! Finding a quiet area without distractions (i.e. instant access to social networking and technology) is often critical for many, and the myriad parks around town provide wonderful study locations. The best part? Definitely the fact that slides and swings are just a few feet away.
2) Have a dance party! Break up your studies into sections, and every time you finish a section. Turn up the music, tone down your inhibitions, and wiggle around like there’s no tomorrow for one or two songs, until you’ve forgotten all about your severe inabilities to remember what the significance of the unit circle, “laissez-faire”, and the mitochondria are. It’s then that you can answer life’s truly important question: Are we human?… Or are we dancers?!
3) Drink some lemonade. Not only is it super-delicious, but lemons are also natural agents against high blood pressure (a sure sign of stress) and increased brain activity. Studies show that essential oils found in lemons also reduce fatigue and anxiety, so there’s really no reason to avoid this delicious drink, especially on these hot and humid Texas days!
Lamas Lemonade Recipe:
2 Limes, cut in half (or Lemons, whichever you prefer)
4 Cups of water
Sugar to taste (I generally put in 1/3-2/3 of a cup)
Preparation:
Put water in blender. Put lemon/lime halves and sugar into the blender. Blend. Strain. Boom, you have lemonade.
