Saglit.

Create. Hibernate. Indulge. Laugh. Long walks.

Oh, UPLB. Look what you’ve made me do *laughs and cries simultaneously*

It’s midterms season now, and it seemed like UPLB has now turned to a zombies den full of caffeinated students trying to hang on and survive during the busiest time of their life. So, do they even have time to rest and chill? Well, of course, they do—we do.

Here are some of the little things I do when I need to chill:

Create. This is a very unusual thing to destress or unwind, I guess, but this really helps me a lot. Lately, I’ve been into digital art and it really makes me happy. Whenever I feel stressed or unfocused, I close all the tabs on my laptop and just proceed to create art.

Hibernate. Every college student knows how important naps are. We may have neglected it from the past, but now, we would do everything just to get some—8, 7, 6 or even 5 hours of sleep.

Indulge. Donuts? Milk Tea? Spaghetti? Burrito? Give it to me. I guess I’m not alone on this one. Every one of us, when stressed, indulge all the good food that we could afford. So, buy that burger, fries, or sundae! You deserve it.

Laugh. Sometimes, when sleeping and eating doesn’t work, all I do is meet up with my friends (who are also free, by the way) just to catch up. Of course, laughing, hugging and crying will always be there. It’s also nice to have some time with your friends, away from all your academic responsibilities.

Long walks. If only Freedom Park could talk, he would have talked to me every single time I was there. Sometimes, being alone isn’t bad. We all need some time with ourselves, reflecting with whatever we’re going through. Try taking some long walks and 20 minutes later, you’re all good. You’re now ready to take the challenge again.

So, to you, who are experiencing the same thing right now, all the stress and anxiety that *coughs* the university is giving you, let me give you a virtual hug and a pat on the back. You can do this. Everything will be alright. Let’s go, Isko and Iska! Padayon.