Study Tips & Tricks

Relax!

For all you students out there, whether you’ve attended OCV all year, or you have just recently begun full-time online learning, yet another school year is coming to an end! I don’t know about you, but I am so ready for this year to be over. The last ten months have been non-stop, fast paced learning. School is never a walk in the park, but the compact quadmesters made this year even more difficult. Props to you for making it; you should be proud of yourself. By this time of the year, many of our brains have stopped working. Our heads are just filled with a gooey blob of pink mush. For so long, we haven’t had a single moment to not think about the work we have in front of us, as well as the work that we will get assigned in the near future. However, in just a few days, summer break will be upon us. All of our plans are different, whether that means doing summer school, hanging out with friends, going to the beach, the possibilities are endless.

What is the tip?

The final tip that I will leave you with this year is to RELAX. In theory, relaxing is one of the easiest things that anyone can do. It is really easy for many. However, for others, we jam our schedules full with so much. Sometimes, summer can seem more tedious than the school year itself. Maybe, you’ve picked up a summer job, a course, or an internship. To all of you, summer is not a break. It may be a break from school, but you’ve filled up what used to be taken up by school with other commitments. Even if it is just for a few days, I strongly encourage you to relax. The summer is just like the rest of your year. You are still prone to burnout, stress, anxiety, and all of the things that we should try to lessen in our lives. You do not want to build up these emotions and problems in time for when school starts again. You want to be relaxed, rejuvenated, and ready to go.

Why is it important to relax?

Think of yourself like a rechargeable battery. When you use a battery for a few hours, eventually, you’ll have to charge it for at least a little while. We are all like different batteries. Some of us last a little longer than others. Some of us recharge a little slower than others. This is perfectly normal. What do you notice about your phone when your battery is close to running out of battery? At least for me, my phone starts to lag and run slower. I can definitely tell that I have a low battery. This is like many of us right now. Our batteries have constantly been used over the course of the school year, only charging occasionally. I’d say we’re all running pretty low. Perhaps, you are noticing the sluggishness of running at a low battery percentage. We all desperately need to charge for at least a small amount of time. Having many summer plans doesn't mean that you cannot relax. Inversely, taking some time to relax doesn’t mean that you cannot be productive. Once you get back to full battery, or for you impatient folks, 75%, you will be fresh and ready to take on the summer. At full(er) battery, you will not only be more productive and creative, but you will also be much happier. After all, the most important thing is to be happy.

How should you relax?

We all relax differently. Some of you may like the “do nothing approach” where you essentially do nothing. Perhaps, your day is made up of watching shows in bed and taking long naps. Some of you may find certain activities relaxing. For example, finally playing your favourite sport that you’ve had to put aside because of school or finishing up that painting you started over a month ago. Do anything that you enjoy and that is not taxing on your energy levels or health. Personally, I follow the “do nothing approach.” Whether it is the Holiday Break, March Break, or Holiday Break, I take at least a few days to lie around and binge movies and shows on Netflix. Sure, it is the polar opposite of productivity. However, I find that it effectively resets and rejuvenates my mind. My relaxation is highly concentrated over a shorter period of time. I’m not saying this is the best method, but it certainly works for me. Experiment, maybe, you would prefer to ease into your relaxation over a longer timespan. Whatever you do, just RELAX!

Final note:

To everyone who is reading this article, and to however many of you have kept up with my column over the last few months, I want to sincerely thank you. I’ve written these articles to try and make school just a little bit easier for you, and I hope that it helped at least slightly. I will not be returning to OCV next year, so the future of my columning is unknown, but I guess we’ll have to see what the future holds.

Have a great summer, and if any seniors are reading this, I wish you luck and success in wherever your future takes you. Take care.