Tag Archives: midterms

L.A. Life, Outlook, USC

Mental Health Exercises

By Eun Soo Jackie Kim

Happy finals season! As the fall semester approaches its endpoint, classes are in full swing, extracurricular activities are becoming more demanding, and the constant search for a career path is becoming more nebulous. These factors of school life, coupled with pressure from society, family obligations, and the desperate attempt to maintain a social life while squeezing in at least a handful of hours of sleep at night are enough to push a student overboard. An important aspect of maintaining a healthy school life comes to the spotlight particularly during the midterm season, as academic, social, and emotional pressures start to build up: mental health.

Although at a school like USC, physical health is frequently emphasized and encouraged, oftentimes, mental health is forgotten. As an intangible, invisible aspect of a person’s well-being, it is understandable why mental health is not at the forefront of health discussions. However, just like working out at the gym, or going for a quick jog around the neighborhood, your mental health needs consistent exercise too, especially during such a stressful time like now! Follow these tips listed below to take a step back, relax, and focus on why and where your mind is overworked, so that you can come back refreshed, ready to tackle the challenge of a balanced college lifestyle.

  1. When you’re feeling less confident, write out a list of accomplishments and achievements from the past year that you can reflect on and be proud of yourself for. You’ll start to realize how long the list will get.
  2. Build up a support group who will be there for you when times are tough. They don’t need to be physically present, but it’d be nice to reach out for a quick phone call, or a nice cup of coffee when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
  3. During particularly tough days, begin the day with some stretching or a five-minute meditation. Some links to helpful resources can be found at Mindful USC’s website: http://mindful.usc.edu/
  4. Treat yourself to a mental break at least once a day by going out to your favorite ice cream place, going for quick run, watching a short TV show, with no distractions (e.g. homework) at hand.
  5. Set boundaries for yourself—USC is an amazing university so many resources and opportunities, but as one individual, it is impossible to do be involved in everything. Understand this, and allow yourself to breathe and focus on activities that matter the most to you.
  6. Write out a prioritization list for the week by listing out all the things you need to get done, and when you will get them done by. I found that a week long list is neither too short nor too long, and allows me to focus on the details but also the big picture very well!
  7. There’s always going to be someone better or someone worse than you in everything you do—come to peace with this fact, and allow yourself to excel in your own way.
  8. Realize when things are too challenging to a point when you need help—the USC health center is always available for therapy appointments, and they will be happy to direct you to additional resources near to campus as well.
  9. Keep in mind that mental and physical health go hand in hand. A little bit of exercise can be an immense mood booster, and a little mindfulness practice can do wonders for your physical activities. Try to remember the duality and balance.

Featured image from WallpaperSafari

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Outlook, USC

How to De-Stress During Midterm Season

By Hannah Hunt

Now that the first few weeks of school are behind us, we’re headed into everybody’s (least) favorite time of the year: midterm season. When exams and projects start building up, it can be hard not to wallow in stress. However, working yourself up too much over midterms is detrimental to your mental and physical health (and often doesn’t help your performance, either). Here are some of my best tips on how to de-stress around exam time and to keep you feeling your best!

  1. Go outside

A little bit of sunshine and fresh air can really do wonders for your stress levels, and there are some amazing spots around the USC campus where you can relax and forget about your exams. For example, the Exposition Park Rose Garden is a hidden gem just right across the street from campus– all the colorful roses and sparkling fountains make it a perfect place to stroll or read a book

2.   Get some food

When you feel the work piling on, comfort food is what you need. No matter what your favorite cuisine is or what you’re craving, you’re bound to have plenty of options in Los Angeles! There are some really yummy restaurants on campus, like Seeds in campus center or CAVA in the Village, but don’t be afraid to go off campus for a special treat either– Salt and Straw ice cream in Santa Monica is a favorite!

3.  Go on an adventure

If you’re worried about exams, sometimes getting off campus is the best thing to do. Think about the places that make you happy or get you excited: maybe it’s the beach, a museum, or a theater. If you don’t know where you want to go, just turn to the Internet to see if you can find something interesting going on that you want to try out (in Los Angeles, you can always find something!). Spontaneous “field trips” are great to take your mind off your stress, and giving yourself some time off campus gives you a fresh perspective when you do return back to school.

4. Talk to people

Even though sometimes all you want to do is be by yourself, when you start to feel stressed that’s actually a great time to hang out with friends. Surrounding yourself with friends will remind you that you’re not alone, and is guaranteed to leave you feeling better than you would if you just holed yourself up in your room. Ask a friend to grab coffee, or to do a fun activity with you– chances are they’ll be just as grateful for the opportunity to take a break from studying!

5. Make a schedule

It’s important to take your mind off your studies occasionally, but sometimes (especially as ambitious USC students) stress just won’t go away until your work is finished. To help speed up that process, try making “to-do” lists or schedules where you prioritize assignments and space out blocks of time to work on them throughout the day. The schedule will keep you organized, as it’s harder to procrastinate when you’ve already blocked out what you want to work on — this intentional use of time will help you feel productive, so at least you can end each day feeling a little more accomplished. Of course, be sure to schedule in breaks and time to decompress, so you keep your mind fresh!

Featured image by Espacio Mas Instante on Unsplash

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Outlook, USC

But First, Take a Breath

By Yoko Fukumura

It’s finals season. Or it’s application season. Maybe it’s your first semester at college. Maybe it’s your last semester of school before you head off to the world.

No matter where you are in life, most of the time you probably have something big on your mind. And it’s not a bad thing – it means that you’re working hard and pushing yourself! But as important as it is to succeed and reach towards your goals, it is equally, if not more, important to be in tune with your mind and body.

As young adults sometimes we feel invincible. We think that we can eat cereal and instant noodles for weeks and pull all-nighters because self care can wait, but the test tomorrow will not wait. I’m also guilty of this and I can attest that this is false – I’ve done better when I prioritized eating and sleeping over studying on the last day. Even if our overworked immune system makes up for all the unhealthy choices momentarily, our physical and mental health might be taking a toll that ultimately affects your studies and future.

Doing well in school is not irrelevant, but your health will decide whether you do well, in school and after. These are a couple small things that I have found helpful along the way that don’t take up too much time.

First, you need to get to know yourself. If you don’t know your limits, it’s hard to plan ahead or know when to stop. We commend hard work, but we can’t keep working hard if we don’t know our limits. Writing a daily journal entry is one simple way to get to know yourself better, and it makes you tune in to your self at least briefly every day. If a blank paper isn’t enough structure for you, you could also get “Q&A a Day” at a bookstore or on Amazon.

Another big one for me was picking up an activity to do fairly consistently. In school, we have multiple deadlines and exams that have hard set dates and limited flexibility, but your hobbies and exercise are flexible. I try to exercise every day – nothing big, anything from ten minutes to thirty minutes on weekdays so that I don’t intimidate myself out of it. When I’m busy I can skip it without feeling guilty – it’s almost like tricking your mind and body so that when you have less time, you have surplus energy. One of the great resources of USC is the Recreational Sports program. There are many affordable fitness programs, from yoga and mindfulness to kickboxing. If you find group classes intimidating, there are 1-on-1 personal training and private session pilates/yoga as well. You can find more about the options here: https://sait.usc.edu/recsports/

Lastly, the easiest to do but also the easiest to forget, is to take deep breaths. Diaphragmatic breathing involves using the muscle between your lungs and abdominal area to breathe deeply (this youtube link explains and helps visualize the diaphragm), and one of our automatic reactions to stress is to take shallow breaths. Deep breathing has many lasting physiological effects, including inhibiting your body’s stress response. Stress affects not just your mind but your whole body, and too much of it can cause long term effects such as memory issues, high blood pressure, and migraines, among others. Breathing can be done anywhere – during class, on a bus, in your bed. It only takes a second, but you could feel better for the entire day, which affects your next day, week, and semester.

Your test tomorrow is important. But first, take a breath.

Featured image from Pixabay

Yoko is a 1st year graduate student in USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. She is originally from Boston, Massachusetts where she studied piano performance at New England Conservatory of Music. Born to Japanese immigrant parents, Yoko is very familiar with both the challenges and beauties of cultural diversity. She is also an expert collaborator and teacher from her experience teaching piano and performing in ensembles.