As we begin to conclude yet another semester, let’s just take a deep breather. It’s been stressful trying to balance that social life and studious life at the same time. I’m not here to give tips but rather to take the time to acknowledge your growth and success throughout this semester. Personally, it’s been a really rough semester trying to balance two jobs on top of being a RA and getting good grades at the same time. Let me take a few deep breaths.
It’s perfectly natural for you to lose track on your successes when your busy working on your goals, I’ve been there. But sometimes, its necessary for you to acknowledge where you stand today. Get up, stand straight and look at yourself up and down and just say “Thank You”. Your saying thank you to yourself because regardless of what you may have went through you are still standing here today. Blessing yourself with that acknowledgment will just loosen your shoulders up and feel ready to take on the day, confident. Thank you all for reading, stay motivated and strong. Always acknowledge your work, you worked hard on it! Seen you soon, *Multiple Mics Drop*
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FRIENDSHIP ICE BREAKER
Let’s break the ice real quick. As the semester is quickly coming to an end, it time to get just a tad bit closer with your floor mate and connect! Why connect with them? Well, you need to expand your horizons and further look to meet new people. Yes, you are tired of people and who isn’t but it’s important to work with others and see the many different point of views. So, let’s break the ice with these sample questions that you can ask each other from Forbes! Okurrrr, so let’s get to it! What are you reading currently? What’s the first concert you attended? Where do you most hope to visit? What’s your favorite book? What's your favorite 90’s show? What's the best Halloween costume you've ever had? What's your dream job? What's your favorite word? What was your first job? What's one thing you're excited about that's coming up in 2018? What was the worst job you've ever had? What is your most-used emoji? If you could win an Olympic medal for any sport, real or fake, what would it be? If you could change your name, what would it be? What movie or TV show title best describes your week? What was your favorite subject in school? What’s your hidden talent? If you had to eat one thing for every meal going forward, what would you eat? If someone were to play you in a movie, who would you want it to be? If you could spend a day in someone else’s shoes, whose would they be? Why? What's one thing your mother/father taught you that completely changed your life? What’s been on your mind lately? What’s the first career you dreamed of having as a kid? What’s the last text you sent? What's one of your favorite memories? What's one thing about you that surprises people? Who, or what, was your biggest teacher? What was something you've done that made you feel extreme happiness? Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your 18-year-old self? If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be? What does success mean to you? What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Where is your happy place? If you could invite 3 people, dead or alive, to a dinner party, who would they be, and why? How can someone win a gold star with you? What energizes you and brings you excitement? What qualities do you value in the people with whom you spend time? For what would you be famous? What does your dream day look like? If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time? What’s your guilty pleasure? At what job would you be terrible? If you had to choose only 3 adjectives to describe yourself, which would you choose? Well, these are only sample questions and you can even broaden them or even make them even more personal. It important to sometimes have that conversation with each other and get down to showing each other a side that you normally don’t show. So, don’t be afraid to ask some of these! Talk, express how you feel! We are all humans, we have our differences but it’s within our hearts to truly get to open up. From an RA to you, Adim Oxha It’s common to get distracted in college, you plan to do one thing but do something else instead. It’s like that time when you forgot to brush your teeth because you decided to wake up late and you have less than a minute to spare to get to class. Listen everyone has their reasoning behind why they didn’t get to brush their teeth, but that shouldn’t matter. BRUSH YOUR TEETH! Do not forget that it’s important to take care of yourself throughout college. You become prone to stress, anxiety, depression, and anything in between. Then you become busy in between classes and working four jobs because you can’t just catch up to these college loans *LOL, SHEDS A TEAR* With all this chaos going on, you just forget to take care of yourself. Lack of sleep, your eye bags shouldn’t be the size of the moon! Acne, you start to break out even more. “Want to play connect the dots?” Honey, you a mess. (shrugs shoulders, as I accept my messiness) “So, what? Adim, I’ve tried everything. What else can I do to take care of myself? Do you have any tips for me?” *Taps my fingers on the table with a thinking face on* Tips! I can do more then just give you a tip, better than that I’ll give you some ideas for your mind and body with help from a site that helped me. Hopefully those tips below can inspire you to take those last two minutes of your day to do something for yourself. It’s vital to take good care of yourself, no matter the conditions. It’ll help make you stronger and capable to take on any day. Keep drinking water, keep eating, focus on you! This is your path, so make sure your included in it. - Yours Truly, Resident Assistant, Adim Oxha TINY SELF-CARE IDEAS FOR THE MIND:
1. Start a compliments file. Document the great things people say about you to read later. 2. Scratch off a lurker on your to-do list, something that’s been there for ages and you’ll never do. 3. Change up the way you make decisions. Decide something with your heart if you usually use your head. Or if you tend to go with your heart, decide with your head. 4. Go cloud-watching. Lie on your back, relax, and watch the sky. 5. Take another route to work. Mixing up your routine in small ways creates new neural pathways in the brain to keep it healthy. 6. Pay complete attention to something you usually do on autopilot, perhaps brushing your teeth, driving, eating, or performing your morning routine. 7. Goof around for a bit. Schedule in five minutes of “play” (non-directed activity) several times throughout your day. 8. Create a deliberate habit, and routinize something small in your life by doing it in the same way each day—what you wear on Tuesdays, or picking up the dental floss before you brush. 9. Fix a small annoyance at home that’s been nagging you—a button lost, a drawer that’s stuck, a light bulb that’s gone. 10. Punctuate your day with a mini-meditation with one minute of awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations; one minute of focused attention on breathing; and one minute of awareness of the body as a whole. 11. Be selfish. Do one thing today just because it makes you happy. 12. Do a mini-declutter. Recycle three things from your wardrobe that you don’t love or regularly wear. 13. Unplug for an hour. Switch everything to airplane mode and free yourself from the constant bings of social media and email. 14. Get out of your comfort zone, even if it’s just talking to a stranger at the bus stop. 15. Edit your social media feeds, and take out any negative people. You can just “mute” them; you don’t have to delete them. Tiny Self-Care Ideas for the Body 1. Give your body ten minutes of mindful attention. Use the body scan technique to check in with each part of your body. 2. Oxygenate by taking three deep breaths. Breathe into your abdomen, and let the air puff out your stomach and chest. 3. Get down and boogie. Put on your favorite upbeat record and shake your booty. 4. Stretch out the kinks. If you’re at work, you can always head to the bathroom to avoid strange looks. 5. Run (or walk, depending on your current physical health) for a few minutes. Or go up and down the stairs three times. 6. Narrow your food choices. Pick two healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and rotate for the week. 7. Activate your self-soothing system. Stroke your own arm, or if that feels too weird, moisturize. 8. Make one small change to your diet for the week. Drink an extra glass of water each day, or have an extra portion of veggies each meal. 9. Give your body a treat. Pick something from your wardrobe that feels great next to your skin. 10. Be still. Sit somewhere green, and be quiet for a few minutes. 11. Get fifteen minutes of sun, especially if you’re in a cold climate. (Use sunscreen if appropriate.) 12. Inhale an upbeat smell. Try peppermint to suppress food cravings and boost mood and motivation. 13. Have a good laugh. Read a couple of comic strips that you enjoy. (For inspiration, try Calvin and Hobbes, Dilbert, Garfield, ETC.) 14. Take a quick nap. Ten to twenty minutes can reduce your sleep debt and leave you ready for action. Ways to Relax
As college students we tend to forget how to focus on relaxation. We are constantly stressed, sleep deprived, annoyed, or just all of them mixed into one! It’s important to take a few minutes out of your day to just breathe. Here’s a few tips that may help from a article that has helped me: 1. Sip Green Tea Instead of turning purple with rage, get green with a cup of herbal tea. Green tea is a source of L-Theanine, a chemical that helps relieve anger . Boil the water, pour it out, and take a soothing sip. 2. Nosh on Chocolate Just a square (about 1.4 ounces) of the sweet stuff can calm your nerves. Dark chocolate regulates levels of the stress hormone cortisol and stabilizes metabolism. 3. Slurp Some Honey Replace stress with sweetness and try a spoonful of honey. Besides being a natural skin moisturizer and antibiotic, honey also provides compounds that reduce inflammation in the brain, meaning it fights depression and anxiety. *Even when you are feeling sick, eat a tablespoon of honey! It’ll help a lot! Thank me later* 4. Bite Into a Mango Take a tropical vacation without leaving the desk chair. Use a five-minute break to peel, slice, and bite into a juicy mango, which packs a compound called linalool that helps lower stress levels . Don’t fret about the juice dripping down your chin—the stress relief is worth the mess. 5. Chew Gum Minty, fruity, or bubble-gum flavor, a stick of gum is a surprisingly quick and easy way to beat stress. Just a few minutes of chewing can actually reduce anxiety and lower cortisol levels . 6. Munch a Crunchy Snack Sometimes there’s nothing more satisfying than munching away on a candy bar when we’re stressed—one study found stressed adults craved crunchy and salty snacks more than usual. But that salty crunch doesn’t have to be so sugary—a handful of trail mix or a bag of celery sticks will work just as well. 7. Meditate No need to go on a retreat to the mountains—five minutes of peace is all it takes to reap the benefits of meditation. There’s evidence that just two quick bouts of silent meditation per day can relieve stress and depression . Find a comfortable spot in a quiet place, concentrate on your breath, and feel those anxieties start to disappear. *Meditating has definitely helped me a lot when it comes to freeing the mind and relieving that deep stress* 8. Lay Your Head on a Cushion or Pillow There are days when all we really need is a nice, long nap. But it’s not always possible to start snoring in the middle of the office. If you’ve got a pillow, you’re already on the road to relaxation. Try this visualization technique: Lay your head down for a few minutes and imagine the pillow is a sponge sucking up all your worries. 9. Remember to Breathe Is there any simpler way to relax? Slow, deep breaths can help lower blood pressure and heart rate . For the fancy noses out there, try pranayama breathing, a yogic method that involves breathing through one nostril at a time to relieve anxiety. The technique’s supposed to work the same way as acupuncture, balancing the mind and body (and possibly eliminating the need for a tissue). 10. Try Progressive Relaxation Anxious? Just squeeze, release, and repeat. Progressive relaxation involves tensing the muscles in one body part at a time to achieve a state of calm. The method (also used by actors) is a great way to help fall asleep. 11. Count Backward Nope, it’s not an IQ test, but it is a way to relax. When worries are running rampant, try slowly counting to 10 and then back again to calm down. It’s harder to freak about an upcoming date or job interview when you’re busy remembering what number comes before seven. (Hey, kindergarten was a long time ago.) 13. Close Your Eyes James Taylor said it: You can close your eyes, it’s all right. Take a quick break from a busy office or a chaotic household by just lowering your eyelids. It’s an easy way to regain calm and focus. 17. Squeeze a Stress Ball On days when you want to strangle a coworker, your BFF, or the driver in the next lane, squeeze a stress ball instead. It’s an easy, portable, and non-violent way to relieve tension. 18. Drip Cold Water On Your Wrists Pass on the perfume and go with water. When stress hits, head for the bathroom and drop some cold water on your wrists and behind your earlobes. There are major arteries right underneath the skin, so cooling these areas can help calm the whole body. These tips can easily help you feel better. So take some time out of your day to try one out! If it works for you, spread the word. RESIDENT ASSISTANT ADIM OXHA Your RA went through intensive training, to help provide your floor mates and fellow residents with tools to feel at home, safe, happy, and connected! It’s been a full semester of programs, bulletin boards, and hopefully a bond created between you and your RA. Sometimes many don’t realize the amount of work RAs put in, to making sure each resident has a smooth transition into a new semester. A great way to conclude the semester or even to plan for the upcoming spring semester, is to appreciate your RA. Here’s a few ways how:
1. Thank them. Physically thanking your RA will show character. Your RA will remember that time you thanked them because it shows that their job has an impact on others. 2. Follow the rules. As cliche as it sounds, following the rules will just make the life of an RA much easier. It shows that your willing to take responsibility for your actions and to even work together as a community to make it better. Rules are put there for a reason. 3. Give them ideas. Your RA is always on the run thinking about programs for the residents. If you have an idea, tell them. Show that you want to make it even help build a better community. One day you might want to be an RA, so it would look good if you were active! |
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