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In the race of life, at times we must hit the pause button and introspect on our choices and the path ahead.

What a roller coaster ride 2020 has been! We haven’t even reached the quarter of the year and already so many events, some cherishing, and others scaring us to death, have unfolded. The atmos, especially in colleges, is much amped up due to department and college fests; the ongoing, deeply worrying political and social status quo of the nation and of course, the samey anxiety of attendance, assignments and internals.   There was no better way to discover that the most common motivation mantra of our parents “Abhi mehnat karlo, college mein toh aish hai (Work hard now, college is no sweat)” was the biggest con trick of our lives. But like Sisyphus doomed to push a rock uphill for eternity, we, students push on; no matter what.

It is only natural that most students are distressed, face fatigue, loss of interest and lack of focus. If we keep ignoring our physical and mental well – being, the stress can snowball into being overwhelming and lead to serious health problems. Thus, it is imperative to realize the importance of taking a break. The approaching mid – semester break offer us all the perfect opportunity to take some real time off. It has been scientifically proven that vacations and taking short breaks, that give some physical and psychological space from everyday activities, are very rewarding. They boost your memory, spark your creativity, help to build focus and make better decisions. By interrupting the stress cycle, one stands at a better position to restore one’s physical and mental bliss. Taking a break is often labelled as being lazy and wastage of time. Videos and articles on ‘How to survive on 4 hours of sleep or How to work 22 hours per day’ appear almost every month. Being a workaholic is not a bad thing as long as due attention is paid to one’s draining of productivity battery.

So in addition to taking a break, it is vital to make your breaks effective. The effectiveness of breaks depends on an individual’s interests but should chiefly serve the purpose of relaxing your brain. For instance, although enjoyable, a recent survey by Huffington Post found that activities like social networking can significantly increase stress. There are numerous things one can do during his/her break like based on one’s amusements and size of one’s pocket, taking a vacation, staycation or playcation, indulging in hobbies, hanging out with friends and family, catching up on the sleep lost in binging Netflix and/or Prime.

Bill Gates, in one of his interviews said, “I think you could over worship and mythologize the idea of working extremely hard. For my particular makeup — and it really is true that I didn’t believe in weekends; I didn’t believe in vacations.…Once I got into my 30s, I could hardly even imagine how I had done that. Because by then, some natural behavior kicked in, and I loved weekends.” He also reads an hour before bed each night and takes a ‘Think Week’ a year to get away and just read and reflect alone. It is true that success demands sacrifice and persistence but it what good will come if we are not healthy enough to reap and enjoy its fruits?

In the end, ‘keep on keeping on’, but is totally fine if at some moment you just sit back, appreciate what you have and ponder over your locus in the universe.

Feature Image Credit: PC Mag UK

Ipshika Ghosh

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Study breaks help give you a short duration to unwind and relax and temporarily forget about the stress of mounting syllabus. However, doing them right is imperative to derive the most out of the 30 minutes of respite.

Duration of the Break

The duration of the break you take heavily impacts your ability to concentrate. It’s is advisable to take study breaks every ninety minutes or so to enhance concentration, and ability to understand and absorb. Taking breaks that last for more than 30 minutes end up actually hampering not only the study flow, but also the ability to concentrate better. By taking larger breaks, one may actually put themselves at risk of actually taking longer to redeem the previously built concentrative flow. This means starting over, and putting in the extra effort of getting your mind into study mode again. A short break of no more than thirty to forty minutes can actually help refresh your mind and improve concentration. The mind feels fresh and ready to take on new information.

Break Activities

What you do during your break is as important as the duration. There are some activities which may actually tire your mind and body, instead of preparing you for another round of revision. Refrain from partaking in activities which include screens of any kind, eg. cell phones, television, iPads etc, as they may tire your eyes, making you more sleeper than awake. Short walks, painting, playing with a pet, cooking etc are better activities to help concentration as they reduce stress hormones without harmful omissions like blue light. Taking a hot shower also helps relax muscles and refresh the mind and body.

Food

Food plays an important role in reducing stress and boosting concentration. Making healthy choices in terms of food and snacks is important while studying, as food can directly affect concentration and stress levels.

  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids

It is no secret that omega-3 fatty acids are extremely beneficial for brain health and memory. Our brains are made of 60% of fat out of which half of those fats are of the omega-3 fatty kinds. Fatty fish like Salmon and trout are good options to obtain omega-3 fatty acids.

  • Turmeric- A staple in the Indian diet, turmeric is another brain boosting superhero. An active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, is able to reach the brain directly, and benefit memory, reduce stress levels and improve cell growth.
  • Fruits and Vegetables- Vegetables like broccoli and fruits like blueberries and oranges provide vitamins like vitamin C and vitamin K. Including fruits of this nature along with a handful of pumpkin seeds makes for not only a healthy and delicious snack but will also keep you full, preventing unwarranted snack breaks between studying.
  • Dark Chocolate and Coffee- Two sinful indulgences that form the perfect combination are dark chocolate and coffee. Inclusive of flavonoids, caffeine and antioxidants, both these eatables, while delicious in nature, must be consumed in moderation to prevent adverse after effects like sleeplessness, jittery ness and possible heart palpitations.

If you don’t have your parents around to periodically supply you with all these delicious and healthy snacks and meals, fret not. An easy solution would be to stack up on these ingredients beforehand, and prepare a trail mix consisting of dry fruits and dark chocolate and store it in an easily accessible container. Keep the container and fruits within your reach to snack conveniently while studying, or simply take a break and enjoy them.

These three points on making the most out of study breaks are all you need to effectively re-energize your mind and body during the stressful exam period.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Secret Yumiverse

Meher Gill

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It’s that time of the semester again when outstation students pack their bags and head out to their hometowns, either to revel in the festivities or for some quiet family time. After 3 months of continuous slogging and assignment submissions, the days left to go home are crossed off each day till the much-awaited beginning of the mid-semester break arrives and the prospect of homecoming seems as sweet as your mother’s ladoos.

However, for all those students that are bound to stay in Delhi, the break can seem like a not-so-exciting prospect and might just eventually turn into boredom. The hours of endless unproductivity might just get to you after one point in time.

But let us look at it this way, the word ‘break’ itself literally is supposed to mean a break from all the things that you normally do. Simply put, a break from your schedule. It doesn’t really matter if all you are doing is catching up on your sleep for you haven’t had a lot since the semester began and probably won’t have a lot either once the exams begin. It becomes important that you just sit back, relax and eventually doze off.

Another thing that is advisable is spending time with your family and friends. Delhites live at home and meet their parents every day but in the rush of college hours that only lets you catch your breath at night before you go to sleep, it makes sense that you might not be spending a lot of time with your family. Similarly, maintaining school friendships can prove to be gargantuan since college takes precedence over everything at this point. Gather your group, make plans and stick to them.

Invest time in things you like to do such as reading, cinema, or even some sport. Exploring new genres of books that you might like, watching an abundance of French Cinema, improving your Squash, writing in ways you haven’t tried writing in before etc can really make your one week of break seem fruitful at the end of it.

For all those who love to travel, Delhi has a number of small hill stations in a 300km radius that can be explored. A short trip to hill stations like Kasol, Lansdowne, or places in Rajasthan like Jaipur or even closer to home, Agra, might make up for great mini vacation spots.

Having said all this, it is essential to note that the added pressure of making your break count and utilising it in the best way possible is just a construct. A break is what you want it to be and what you make of it.

 

Feature Image Credits: India Today

Anoushka Singh
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It’s that time of the year again when the week-long break is what all college students wait for. The mid-sem break is the perfect time to rouse those latent hobbies and interests that can keep you from dropping out, till the next mid semester. Here is how you can utilise the break effectively.

We, as college students are very busy during the semester with classes, assignments, friends, and internships. It becomes difficult to have time for everything that needs to be done. When break comes around, we have a lot of time for ourselves .However, it is important to use this time wisely and to stay focused. Here are a few things which can help:

  1. Spend time with your family – As an outstation student, one rarely gets time to visit his/her family. Even if you commute, college life can get so busy that you do not get to spend as much time as you would like to with your family. Holiday breaks are a perfect time to spend time with your family. Spend time together and tell each other what is going on in your lives.
  1. Catch up with friends from school – With a hectic college schedule, it becomes difficult to keep a track of all the friends from high school. Still, social media has helped us stay connected with some. Mid-sem break is the perfect time to catch up and remember all the crazy stuff you have done in your school days.
  1. Pick up a hobby – When was the last time you thought of playing the violin? Though you might have lost touch with your hobbies or pastimes, it’s never too late to start again.
Image Credits: WikiHow
Image Credits: WikiHow
  1. Sleep – Sleep can seem evasive when you are busy with college and assignments. We tend to stay up late, trying complete assignments which we were unable to do during the day. Over break, make a point to catch up on sleep. It may be tempting to stay up late, but catching up on sleep will help you renergise for the next few weeks.

 

  1. Update your resume or start making one – This week long break is the perfect time to add all the volunteer activities and internships you have done in the semester. It is important to update your resume so that you look as great as possible when you go for job interviews, or even scholarships.
Image Credits: India Today
Image Credits: India Today
  1. Read something apart from your course books -Haven’t picked up a novel in the last four months? With the mounting pile of course work, multiple readings for the same topic, classes, a dozen societies and some socialising squeezed in between, reading for leisure has been pushed into a corner somewhere at the back of our minds, where we know we would like to read that book, but just haven’t got around to actually doing it. Pick some novels or articles this mid-sem break and enhance your knowledge.

 

As it is said, ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.’ However, it is only through making concrete, time-bound plans that you will be able to accomplish all you want this break, and nothing is more satisfying than a period where one can proudly claim of time well-spent.

 

Feature Image Credits: Surewinner

 Anoushka Sharma

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Mid-semester break basically means a little escape from our ‘adulting’ responsibilities, a trip home, and catching up with academics. It is a short relief from the hectic college life and a welcome return to our homes.

Here is what mid-semester break means to outstation students:

Sudden and constant pampering

During this short trip back home, your family wants to make the most of whatever little time you have with them. Living away from your parents is deemed cool, but nothing substitutes the love they shower upon you. Consequently, this tiny set of holidays turns out to be the time when you have the spotlight at home. Everything happens for you and according to you. Your parents barely leave your side, food gets cooked according to your preferences, and you get to change the channels at home. At the same time, you try to be around your parents as much as you can, get all the love and care from them, and let them know how much you have missed them. Hence, the mid-semester break is often times, highly emotional.

Catching up with old buddies

You left your school, house, city, and a host of different memories to come to the big city and chase your dreams in college. But most importantly, you left your friends behind. These first friendships are special simply by virtue that they are the oldest and stood the  test of time. College can make you feel like life is going a bit too fast, but the mid-semester break and catching up with friends does help reduce the pace.  They, besides your family, seem to add meaning to your connection with your own home town. A simple lunch or catch-up with your old pals at your favourite local hang out spot coupled with heart to heart talks about each other’s new lives not only makes new memories but also allows you to relive the old ones.

Bidding adieu to budget blues

Going home basically means an end to all your money problems. You no longer have a budget to live by. Being home means you have your family to take care of you and they usually don’t say no because they want you to be happy around them. It also means no more bad, bland, tasteless food since your mother puts her heart and soul in all the dishes she has made because she can see how “Delhi is not suiting you,” and how “you are losing weight!”

Hello, Privacy!

Be it a hostel or a paying guest accommodation, one thing that makes life difficult is that you are living in an overcrowded place, sharing your room and washroom with at least three other people. It is a constant struggle accommodating everyone and having your private space respected. But all these troubles come to a standstill in the break. During the mid-semester break, you can go home, stay in your own room, sleep on your own bed, adjust the room temperature according to your will, and have the washroom all to yourself. After all, there is no place like home anywhere else in this world.

But the mid semester break is like a sweet dream. It seemingly gets over as soon as it starts. It is advisable not to get used to these benefits too fast and too soon. So enjoy the little time you have, go ahead, let your family spoil you, catch up with old friends, and enjoy your time at home.

 

Feature Image Credits: Sirfnews

Bhavika Behal

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Half an academic year is over, and now you have a few weeks of leisure before the next semester begins. How can this period be utilised for maximum efficiency?

Before the season of examinations begins, and as soon as one opens their books and readings, there is a strong urge to make plans regarding the post-exam season. The mind wanders off towards things that cannot be done then- the shows and movies that cannot be watched, the restaurants that cannot be gone to, the pointless sleeping that cannot be done, and so on.

Now the word ‘productive’ has different interpretations for different people. It can mean taking up multiple internships and earning, doing social work, spending time on hobbies, and so on. But no matter what you hope to accomplish, unless it is pointless sleeping, you should set a pattern to your activities. What usually ends up happening is that with multiple priorities, we end up having only a rough idea of what we want to do. There is never any clear structure given to things. Periods like a winter break begin with a lot of hope about what all we hope to accomplish. However, with a lot of things happening in our heads, combined with the inertia we have regarding starting a task, not a lot ends up happening. We meet a few people we wanted to meet during exams, watch the same three movies rather than diversifying our tastes, and end up saying how bored we are. It needn’t be like this. After you get done with exams, you can start by making a structured layout which should include things like the order of your priorities, their urgency in terms of completion time, and the tasks you need to do in order to cater to them. Make further divisions on what you hope to achieve the most and set deadlines and timeframes for those activities, to achieve them realistically.

It’s only through making concrete, time-bound plans that you will be able to accomplish all you want this break, and nothing is more satisfying than a period where one can proudly claim of time well-spent.

 

Feature Image Credits: Law School Toolbox
Rishika Singh
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It is that time of the year again! The one-week that keeps you from dropping out of college every semester and considering the Indian Film Industry as your calling. It is the mid semester break! 10 days of early noon mornings and late night phone calls, ones that don’t involve you fretting over an assignment due the next day. Although your colleges have done a fine job at making sure you don’t have too much time to do pretty much anything else other than their own assignments (and projects and practical files!), the mid-sem break is the perfect time to rouse those latent hobbies and interests that can keep you from dropping out, till the next mid sem. If you’re having trouble remembering those, here’s some help:

Pick Up a hobby: When was the last time you thought of learning the guitar? Yesterday. When was the last time you did something about it? Never! Well then, no time like the present. And why just the guitar? Pick up that old box of paints, or that old French book, or that dusty skateboard. Believe me you’re still young enough to pick up something and start afresh.

vodka

Try Some New Eating Places: If you’re a food fanatic, then you have some serious catching up to do. With hundreds of new places opening up and your college sucking up all your time, you have been missing out on some superb places. (Refer to our DU Dhaba section, if you need help)

food

 

Complete an entire T.V Show Season: Although it might just be the most unproductive use of a day, but you need those days too! Pick a new T.V. show or a new season of an old one and spend the entire day in front of your T.V., in the comfort of your bed. The profound satisfaction of wasting an entire day after days of running around is well worth the little effort.

penny
Watching an entire season in a day

 

Make your resume, or start thinking of it: This isn’t exactly holiday time agenda, but the best time to think over grave issues like these would be the holidays. Pick up your resume and start punching holes. We all know what we want to do and how to get there. So start thinking of the future plan of action.

resume
Filling out a resume

Becoming best friends with your sweatpants: Let’s be real. A week of no college is bound to be spent on the bed, in front of the TV and/or with a bowl of edible items. But all these activities can be performed wearing the most comfortable attire in the world- The Sweatpants. So, this break become besties with your sweats and have a great week.

sweatpants

 imagecourtesy: Tumblr.com