Inspirational Messages

These messages aren't from me. These are posted by the LDS church, and I'm just sharing them with you.

The Rescue for Real Growth Posted: 06 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT "To His Apostles, the Lord said, 'The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few' (Matthew 9:37). The laborers need not be few. We have thousands of capable, worthy priesthood holders and millions of committed members of the Church in all parts of the world. We have functioning ward councils, priesthood quorums, Relief Societies, and other organizations, all with the charge to rescue. Saving souls is the work the Savior has called all of us to do." —Bishop Richard C. Edgley, "The Rescue for Real Growth", General Conference, Apr. 2012 Topics: Ministering

Reducing Stress For Finals

Last semester,
I felt it, you felt it, everyone...well most people felt it. The stress of having to study for finals. We locked ourselves in our rooms or hid in a corner of the library to study non-stop for days. And looking back now was it worth it? Personally, I don't think so. So here are some ways you could reduce stress without having to meditate for hours. Though I said finals, this applies for midterms, AP exams, writing papers, etc. Still for the purpose of this blog, I'll stick with finals.

Tip 1: If you are stressed, most likely everyone else is stressed as well. And that kind of environment can't be good for your soul. So step away. Go take a walk. This doesn't have to be a long walk. By removing yourself from that kind of stressful environment, you give your mind a break and a chance to regroup before tackling the study guide for the final.

Tip 2: Do something fun. You aren't required to study for 24 hrs straight while living off 5-hour energy juice. Not only will you hate your professor and class for the rest of your life, you will burn yourself out for the test resulting in a bad score (Trust me... I'm speaking from experience). So set apart an hour to do something fun. If this is watching funny Youtube videos, go for it. Play some video games. Grab a friend and go eat together (But don't talk about how hard the test will be while eating). You'd be surprised how productive you can be if you take a break for your brain.

And for this reason, I have a funny Youtube video you might enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmun8GK6o2c

Tip 3: Get some sleep. Like I said, pulling all-nighters for couple days straight especially right before the test is not the solution. Of course, the amount you sleep might be far from the ideal amount of time you'd like (8 hrs - 12 hrs). But getting at least a little bit of sleep can help your mind focus better. Take a quick nap, power nap, go to sleep early one night, etc. My friend and I were going to take the final together. My friend got around 6 hrs of sleep every night while I got like 2. Guess who got the better score? That's right Me!... No just kidding. My friend ended up getting a much higher score. Maybe he is smarter than I am (Probably true). But one things for sure, he was alive and energized and ready to take the test. So get some ZZZ.

Tip 4: Get something in your stomach. If you don't get adequate amount of food, your body may feel physically stressed out. But eating unhealthy isn't a good idea either. Go get a balanced and proper meal. "But I need to study... I don't have time to eat..." is a lame excuse (Sadly, I'm guilty of this). Taking a 30 min break to go get something to eat is not going to make a significant change on your test score, but not eating could significantly shoot your score down.



Tip 5: Exercise. You'd be surprised how exercise with food and sleep could energize you for the final. Go out and shoots some hoop, run, jog, walk, do jumping jacks, do something. And exercise doesn't mean rigorous 2 hrs of Zumba. Here's something that you could do. Take a small walk, go get some food, walk  back, then take a short power nap, and then start studying again. The whole process probably takes an hour or so, but the result? You aren't starving, you stretched your muscles, and your mind feels refreshed. And guess who's going to dominate the test?

Tip 6: Ask for help. Unless your friends can read your mind, your friends probably have no idea that you are going through. Every student from high school to college go through the same thing. So don't be afraid to just talk with a friend for a little and just let them know whats going on. And if your friends aren't willing to listen to you, I suggest that you check that they are your friends or you can just blog (like on this one) and just vent out everything that's bottled up. I was lucky to have a friend who was always willing to listen to me. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we'd get together and just chat. It was a great way for me to release stress. I'm not saying you need to meet weekly, but once in a while, go and talk to a friend, parents, siblings, close teachers/professors, or author of this blog (maybe).

Tip 7: Make a plan. A lot of students stress because they don't know what they're doing. Sometimes, having an organized plan/schedule can help you calm down because you know exactly what you are going to do or at least have a good idea. But after you make a plan, you have to stick to the plan. If you set apart an hour for a break, then when that time comes, take a break. I can guarantee you that by setting up a schedule, you can be more effective.

So there you have it guys. 7 tips to help reduce your stress. There probably are a million+ tips that you guys can think of that I haven't covered. If you have any other ideas or tips that you found helpful, please comment and share your experience. Thanks!

Work Cited
http://www.freeclipartnow.com/education/signs/walk.jpg.html
http://leehuang.blogspot.com/2012_02_01_archive.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USDA_Food_Pyramid.gif
http://dsm5-reform.com/how-can-i-help/
http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-2943_4853-146295--,00.html

Let's get started!

Hey guys,
So I guess you could tell by the title that it'll be something about getting prepared for college; however, I want this to be a collection of information that people can come in for help getting ready for college or surviving college. This is kind of the basic introduction to what it'll be about. However, I'll also be posting some fun things I've done as a college student.
I know there are a lot of students who are wondering "how in the world should I prepare for college?" Don't sweat it, that's normal. That's how I felt when I was getting ready. But also some of you coming into college or attending college are wondering "What classes do I take? which professors are good? How can I do well in class? What can I do to have some fun?" And I hope I'll be answer some of those questions as well.
Also I'm asking the college experts (those who have attend for a while) to give advise for the college newbies (myself included). My first semester of college, I would have really appreciated it if someone gave a crash course about college. So to all of you veterans, please share your experience with us.
And to the incoming freshmen and prospective college students, don't freak out about college. It's not a bad place where everyone loses their social life, sleep time, and are forced to study for the "deadly" American Heritage like 10 hrs everyday. But it's not a walk in the park either. And hopefully, this blog will be able to help you find that right balance to have a fun, successful college life.