A Little Pick-Me-Up

By Wheatish @wheatish

Hello all! I’ve avoided posting during these past few weeks of madness before I graduated and left this college town that I’ve been in since I was 18. Feels like forever. It’s been pretty hellish and I only had pretty emo things to say because I was being super drama. Anyway, that’s over, and although I’m still having that post-finals anxiety where I feel like I should still be doing work, I want to share a few de-stressing tips that have become my favorites over the years. Maybe they’ll help!

1) Pleasure reading! And do it right. Get the right lighting, the right spot, and your drink of choice. Maybe some Moroccan Mint tea? Apple cider? Hot chocolate? (It’s raining super heavy right now; I’m totally about to make myself some cider and catch up on my George R. R. Martin)

2) Masks! My favorite ingredients for masks include: besan (gram flour? you know, the stuff for pakora batter), strawberries, yogurt, and honey. If I’m in serious stress mode, I throw in some crushed aspirin to avoid potential breakouts.

3) Coloring! So so so underrated. Turn on your favorite jams and color away. If you’re as nerdy as I am, you might take pleasure in the anatomy or physiology coloring books and LEARN while COLORING. This pleases me immensely.

4) Work on a skill you don’t normally have time for, but care about or think is cool! So, personally, I really want to improve on my Tamil and Sanskrit, make more time for practicing tabla, and become a better/faster/more active reader. Not sure if speed reading classes are necessary, but YouTube’s showed me a trick or two that make sense and I’ve been meaning to try em. And if you don’t have a skill in mind, YouTube will give you ideas. Learn how to beatbox! Ooh, maybe I’ll do that…

5) Listen to or make your “Pick-Me-Up” playlist if you don’t have one already. No drama or sass allowed. So mine is constructed as follows: first some tracks to get me to unwind, calm my nerves, and be happy again in case I have momentarily forgotten how awesome it is to be alive and well; then transition into some sweet jams that get me pumped to do work. Or just go out have a good time I’ll share one of my more brown Pick-Me-Up playlists with you, for inspiration:

  • the Ravi Shankar album “Chants of India”
  • Piya Haji Ali (Fiza)
  • Arziyaan (Delhi 6)
  • Stardust (Michael Buble)
  • the Penn Masala album “Panoramic”

I’ve just put myself in a FANTASTIC mood! Time for that cider. Lots of luck and best wishes! Feeling inspired. Be back soon.