Why I Love Spring
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Reasons it’s Time to Unplug and Go Outside
by: Olivia Benecke
March has just arrived and, while I know it’s hard to find the time, you’re well overdue for a trip outside. Let’s be real, most of us haven’t truly embraced the outside world for quite some time now. If you find that you’re translucently pale, the sunlight hurts your eyes, and you’ve forgotten what trees look like, let this be a wakeup call. Spring has sprung! It’s the perfect time to unplug; unleash your inner hippie and “become one with nature”. Here’s why you should:
1. You need to get away from the chaos of everyday life! As the year is coming to a close, exams are nearing. There’s no denying that the stress is overwhelming, so give yourself a break! Because we tend to carry our insanely hectic schedules wherever we go, venturing outdoors is one good way to relax and recharge your body and mind.
2. Vitamin D! Feeling sick lately? A little bit of sunshine will definitely do you some good. Vitamin D is absolutely vital in maintaining a healthy immune system and an hour or two in the sun will leave you gorgeously tanned. Kill two birds with one stone!
3. Be kind to your eyes. With our ridiculous workload, we tend to stay focused on one thing for hours, namely laptop screens. Save yourself from this sensory overload and step outside for a few minutes. Your pupils are like muscles, they contact when looking at various distances. If you step outside for just a few minutes, your eyes have a chance to focus on the ground in front of you and the landscape around you, which is an awesome exercise for tired eyes.
4. Boost your energy level. Does work have you feeling exhausted? Go get some fresh air; going outside has therapeutic effects that will increase your energy level, giving you an all natural pick me up. This will help you return to your work thinking clearer and focusing more.
5. Just go because it’s beautiful! Earth day is right around the corner, so take the time to go outdoors and appreciate how amazing it is. It will leave you feeling relaxed and positive, and who doesn’t need a little of that?
Don’t be scared! I promise you everything is going to be ok; you can step away from your computer for 10 minutes to enjoy what nature has to offer. Liberate yourselves! March into spring feeling less dependent on technology and more laid back.
1. You need to get away from the chaos of everyday life! As the year is coming to a close, exams are nearing. There’s no denying that the stress is overwhelming, so give yourself a break! Because we tend to carry our insanely hectic schedules wherever we go, venturing outdoors is one good way to relax and recharge your body and mind.
2. Vitamin D! Feeling sick lately? A little bit of sunshine will definitely do you some good. Vitamin D is absolutely vital in maintaining a healthy immune system and an hour or two in the sun will leave you gorgeously tanned. Kill two birds with one stone!
3. Be kind to your eyes. With our ridiculous workload, we tend to stay focused on one thing for hours, namely laptop screens. Save yourself from this sensory overload and step outside for a few minutes. Your pupils are like muscles, they contact when looking at various distances. If you step outside for just a few minutes, your eyes have a chance to focus on the ground in front of you and the landscape around you, which is an awesome exercise for tired eyes.
4. Boost your energy level. Does work have you feeling exhausted? Go get some fresh air; going outside has therapeutic effects that will increase your energy level, giving you an all natural pick me up. This will help you return to your work thinking clearer and focusing more.
5. Just go because it’s beautiful! Earth day is right around the corner, so take the time to go outdoors and appreciate how amazing it is. It will leave you feeling relaxed and positive, and who doesn’t need a little of that?
Don’t be scared! I promise you everything is going to be ok; you can step away from your computer for 10 minutes to enjoy what nature has to offer. Liberate yourselves! March into spring feeling less dependent on technology and more laid back.
Spring Cleaning
by: Eun Biy Ko
It’s spring, the time for trees and flowers, as well as regrowth and renewal. This season is perfect for feeling fresh and clean, and in order to feel this way we should start by spring cleaning. I personally find organizing and cleaning enjoyable; I find myself rearranging my room once in a while, even when it is not spring. But for those who recoil from just hearing the word “cleaning,” which is almost everyone, I assure you that at the end—when you lay back and look at your finished achievement—you will feel pristine and squeaky clean.
Why should you clean? Well, first of all, you will be surprised at the number of lost items you will come across. By “lost” I don’t only mean objects you had misplaced and haven’t seen forever, but also possessions you totally forgot you had. I am guilty of getting distracted while cleaning my room. As I go through all my belongings, I wander down memory lane, which then results in me sitting in the middle of a clutter for the whole day. What can I say…it’s fun!
I can’t stand lack of organization. Spring cleaning gives you the opportunity to get rid of all the possessions accumulating and taking up all your physical space. While getting distracted by all your lost items, throw away all of the unnecessary stuff. You will be surprised by all the extra space you will have at the end. Take advantage of this extra room to rearrange your possessions in a more orderly manner.
The one space many people tend to forget about organizing is the closet. I’m not going to lie; organizing your closet is hard work, and it may take a long time. But it’s necessary! If you are complaining about how cramped your closet is, and you just don’t have enough space to store all of your clothing pieces, or if you take forever to look for that one shirt, I’m sorry to say that you have to go through the dreaded task of organizing your closet. Go through your clothes and donate, throw away, or sell any clothing items that don’t fit or you don’t use anymore. While going through your closet, you will also discover your old favorite pieces that you can incorporate into your current style. My friends can’t understand why I organize the closet the way I do; I have my clothes organized by style and color, but having it this way makes it easier for me to look for an outfit. I’m not saying that everyone should organize it the way I do, but having a system that works for you will cut the time you take putting an outfit together.
I hate, HATE walking into a disorganized, messy room. I want to get onto my hands and knees immediately and start rearranging everything I can get my hands on. However, the massive task of spring cleaning can be a bit off putting—even for me. If you haven’t started spring cleaning already, or are planning on putting it off for as long as possible, think twice.
Why should you clean? Well, first of all, you will be surprised at the number of lost items you will come across. By “lost” I don’t only mean objects you had misplaced and haven’t seen forever, but also possessions you totally forgot you had. I am guilty of getting distracted while cleaning my room. As I go through all my belongings, I wander down memory lane, which then results in me sitting in the middle of a clutter for the whole day. What can I say…it’s fun!
I can’t stand lack of organization. Spring cleaning gives you the opportunity to get rid of all the possessions accumulating and taking up all your physical space. While getting distracted by all your lost items, throw away all of the unnecessary stuff. You will be surprised by all the extra space you will have at the end. Take advantage of this extra room to rearrange your possessions in a more orderly manner.
The one space many people tend to forget about organizing is the closet. I’m not going to lie; organizing your closet is hard work, and it may take a long time. But it’s necessary! If you are complaining about how cramped your closet is, and you just don’t have enough space to store all of your clothing pieces, or if you take forever to look for that one shirt, I’m sorry to say that you have to go through the dreaded task of organizing your closet. Go through your clothes and donate, throw away, or sell any clothing items that don’t fit or you don’t use anymore. While going through your closet, you will also discover your old favorite pieces that you can incorporate into your current style. My friends can’t understand why I organize the closet the way I do; I have my clothes organized by style and color, but having it this way makes it easier for me to look for an outfit. I’m not saying that everyone should organize it the way I do, but having a system that works for you will cut the time you take putting an outfit together.
I hate, HATE walking into a disorganized, messy room. I want to get onto my hands and knees immediately and start rearranging everything I can get my hands on. However, the massive task of spring cleaning can be a bit off putting—even for me. If you haven’t started spring cleaning already, or are planning on putting it off for as long as possible, think twice.
Why I Dislike March
by: Shreeja Bhattacharjee
March, a beautiful entry to spring. Flowers in full bloom and the sun shining through. Perfect, right? Not for all of us. For some people, like me, it’s the month of dread. Why, you say? Proceed on.
Granted there are some positives—my mom’s birthday, some of my friends’ birthdays, and St.Patricks Day (excellent excuse to harm people who aren’t wearing green). However, for me, these positives are offset by the negatives.
- Allergies. Flowers, bless them. Don’t you just love inhaling in the scent of flowers and their pollen, and then waking up the next morning to a stuffy nose and red eyes? So do I! (said no one ever). Trying to focus in class is hard enough. I don’t need to be constantly plagued by sneezes or puffy eyes. For those of you out there who suffer from allergies, small tip: taking medication before the allergies kick in is actually more effective.
- This one the ladies can relate to—time for a change of wardrobe! What fun you say? Got your entire outfit planned out for the next day you say? Well time to take a glance at your legs because they probably resemble a gorilla’s. Yep, the calming full length pants of winter are no longer there to protect your not-so-clean-shaven legs. There probably are some ladies out there who keep their legs hair-free all the time. But admit it—once or twice we’ve all taken comfort in the fact that it’s winter and those long comfortable pants hide everything.
- The sun. While some people love the sun, such is not the case for me. The days of my various jackets/coats are no more. Alas, I have to wear less clothing. However, no matter what I wear, I seem to always be hot. It doesn’t matter how much ice cream I eat or what I wear, the sun simply does not stop being sunny.
- Spring cleaning. My “cleaning” consists of systematically moving all my junk to convenient places where I hope my mom won’t notice (she always does and tells me in full volume when I’m trying to sleep in on the weekend). It’s the morning? Dump everything on the bed! It’s time to sleep? Move it all to the floor! A beautiful systematic rotation which is cruelly interrupted by my mom’s need to make me spring clean. And it never helps, frankly speaking. I clean it all up but come another week, the ‘balance’ of disorder is restored. If you’re as horrible as I am, proceed to Eun Biy’s article on tips on how to organize better!
- The Recession. I’m not sure whether everyone experiences this. The first semester I work hard and do well. Then the first two months of 2nd semester, I’m like, “I’ve got this.” When March comes around, I’m just like: "Procrastinate Now, Work Later!" This of course isn’t the wisest of plans and I wait in fear for the wrath of The Mom. But even after that I still dawdle around, preferring to watch Netflix instead of doing something actually productive with my life. It’s only a week into March and I’ve broken my record for the lowest grade- twice. This mentality usually stays till April, when panic sets in as I realize that AP Exams are coming.
Granted there are some positives—my mom’s birthday, some of my friends’ birthdays, and St.Patricks Day (excellent excuse to harm people who aren’t wearing green). However, for me, these positives are offset by the negatives.