A Continued Guide to Fighting Finals

So I don't know if I have mentioned this yet, but it's finals season. Finals season is not very pleasent. I have already written two blogs here about ways to make this week and a half just a little less like one giant emotional break down, but I can't lie, it's going to be tough, no matter what you do. However, there are ways to get through it. I have already talked about movies to watch, and music to listen to, now it's time to talk about some other easy ways to relax, relieve a little stress, and at least take a few calming breaths.

Aromatherapy

You may or may not have heard about Aromatherapy, which is basically the science of using scents to solve problems. Well, that’s the shortened version. But certain scents have been known to make people really feel better, calmer, or even healthier. There are a lot of different places to look if you want try Aromatherapy, including right here! One place to look is the internet, which has lots of sites to find directions on using Aromatherapy in the best way possible.
 http://oxford-consultants.tripod.com/Aromatherapy50ways.htm is a newsletter that has an excellent list of different oils and scents and how to specifically use them to cure anything from stress to headaches to memory problems. These scents can be found anywhere, even Wal-Mart, so go ahead and check it out. Worst case scenario, you walk into finals smelling like vanilla. Maybe your professor will appreciate the smell as you turn your test in.
 
Yoga

 

You might not think about it very much, but exercise actually is very important when you’re trying to get a lot of school work done. Exercise can reduce stress chemically, with the sweat and motion relieving your body of negative energy. At least, according to the internet. This is what led me to yoga, a relaxing exercise routine that combines stretching, meditation, and movement to be both a workout, and a stress reliever. If you don’t have time to take one of the classes offered at the REC, here are a few books we have here to help you get started on your own!

15 Minute Gentle Yoga- Louise Grime: [e-book from Safari Online]

Yoga: A Gateway to Curb Social Evils-Ramesh Kumar [e-book from ebrary]   p.s. the title alone should make you want to bend yourself like a pretzel!

 

Alternative Medicine

 

 If you are interested in learning more about Aromatherapy, yoga, or any other ways to calm yourself before you start banging your head against the nearest hard surface, there are many places to go to get more information. Check out Complementary and Alternative Medicine ( REF R735 .C66 2010) by Amy L. Sutton. It’s filled with information on meditation, music therapy, dietary therepy, and herbal remedies. It’s a pretty clinical book, so if you wanted to learn how to actually practice a lot of these things, you might want to look around a bit more for information, but this is a very good place to start! Now you might be rolling your eyes a bit at all the “New Age” stuff, but it’s not a bunch of just pointless techniques that hipsters like to throw around, this is all pretty legit. At least give some of them a try. Again, better than damaging your wall as you smash your head against it.

CP