Hey, you matter!

Finals is waving, are you ready to wave back?Exams are not easy as you wanted it to be especially in college it will really squeeze your brain, test your knowledge and understanding. Exams also can cause stress and you are worried about it. So to avoid this kind of difficulties and procrastination in finals if you don't want to fail you need to be prepared so here are the things you need to do:

Get Plenty of Sleep

At first glance, sleep might not seem like the most important of the many study tips for finals. In reality, however, all that prep work will do little good if it’s not accompanied by plenty of shut-eye. Extensive research reveals that sleep not only improves our ability to focus, but also plays an active role in consolidating memories and making it easier to retrieve information. Slow-wave non-REM sleep, in particular, is important for memories involving facts that need to be actively recalled.

The need for sleep underscores the importance of avoiding procrastination. If you wait until the last minute to begin studying, you may panic and choose to ditch sleep in favor of cramming. The sooner you get started, the less likely you’ll have to endure all-nighters later on.

If you’re currently struggling to get quality sleep, you’re far from alone. Still, college doesn’t need to be a time of minimal shut-eye. Make an active effort to improve sleep hygiene by removing TVs and mobile devices from your room, getting on as consistent of a schedule as possible, and avoiding caffeine in the evening.

Create a Study-Oriented Space

Is your workspace conducive to studying? Or do you simply hang out with your laptop and textbook wherever you can find a comfy spot?

Environment matters. You might find it difficult to focus if your space is cluttered or chock full of distracting devices.

If possible, set up a nook exclusively dedicated to studying. This area should include a desk, an ergonomic chair, quality lighting, and any materials you might require during your study session. Let your roommates, family members, or other fellow residents know that, when you sit down at your desk, you are not to be disturbed.

Level Up Your Playlist

The right music can make your study session both more enjoyable and more effective. Several studies highlight the value of classical music, in particular. For example, in a study published in Learning and Individual Differences, researchers discovered that lectures involving classical background music prompted higher quiz scores than similar lectures that lacked such music.

The main theory underscoring these results: Music places students in a heightened emotional state that makes them far more receptive to information than they would be under ordinary circumstances. Experts at the Duke Cancer Institute also believe that music boosts retention because it reduces anxiety.

Ditch Distracting Devices

In today’s digital world, it’s tough to go even a few minutes without glancing at our smartphones. Unfortunately, this dependence can cause big problems when it’s time to buckle down and study. Research suggests that the mere presence of a smartphone is enough to prevent most people from learning effectively—even when showing restraint and managing to avoid scrolling through notifications.

While apps and alarms might seem helpful, they may not make up for the inherent distraction that comes with keeping your phone in your study space. For best results, commit to turning your phone off for at least an hour and placing it in a safe space as far from your desk as possible.

Experiment With a Variety of Study Tactics

No one study method works equally well for everyone. Some people learn best from reading notes out loud, while others benefit from flashcards or highlighters. Experiment with several approaches until you find a strategy that best addresses your unique needs. Don’t be surprised, however, if a single method fails to deliver results for every subject. A specific strategy may prove more effective for one course than for others, so don’t be afraid to switch things up as soon as your approach appears to deliver diminishing returns.

Create Sample Test Questions

As you try different approaches to studying, consider this effective option: Develop and answer questions that might realistically be found on your exams.

This method provides a variety of benefits. First, it forces you to boil down weeks of learning into a few basic takeaways. Details matter, of course, but it’s equally important to understand the big picture.

Writing sample questions also allows you to think like an instructor. This thought process may benefit you when the actual exam arrives. Finally, self-created tests help you determine where your main gaps in knowledge lie for a clear indication of the topics that warrant closer review.

Get Involved with a Study Group

It’s never too late to start a study group. While these gatherings are most beneficial if they take place throughout the entire course of the semester, they can provide plenty of value in the last few days before finals. If nothing else, commiserating over test prep may ease your stress.

Many of the tactics highlighted above can be integrated into group efforts. For example, everybody in your group can be tasked with creating flashcards from a specific lecture or chapter in your textbook. These can then be mixed and used for the ultimate flashcard review session. Likewise, participants could develop sample questions to be compiled and used in a practice exam.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

Exam prep may feel lonely at times, but you can take solace in knowing that you’re never truly alone. Numerous resources are available to help you conquer difficult material and deal with pre-exam stress.

Begin by turning to your fellow classmates or study group members for assistance. Even a brief chat could trigger valuable insights or provide the motivation needed to push through when the going gets tough.

Don’t hesitate to seek help from your instructors. Office hours exist for a reason, and yet, far too many students are too intimidated to chat up those in the best position to help.

The sooner you get over this discomfort, the better. Not only will increased interaction with your instructor prove helpful for short-term test prep, you could build a strong relationship to form the basis of your college networking efforts.

Keep the Big Picture in Mind

Final exams aren’t designed to torture stressed-out students. There’s more to this college essential than grades alone. It’s the perfect example of the cliché about the journey being more important than the destination. The act of studying for your finals ensures that you fully engage with the extensive material covered throughout the duration of each course.

If you take exam prep seriously, you’ll come away with a richer understanding of key concepts. This, in turn, will ensure that you retain the knowledge you’ve worked so hard to gain. As you move forward with upper-level courses, graduate school, or your eventual career, you’ll thank yourself for putting in the effort.

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Reference:

Today, I know you are stress. It's either from work or home or maybe both and you don't know how to control it. If you are strrss everyday you are putting yourself at risk. When you are stress you can't think clearly, it cannot function effectively and most importantly you cannot enjoy your life. If you feel you don't know what to do about this and loses a believe that it can be resolve there are lots of things you can take to relieve the pressure.

Furthermore, stress cannot only affect your ability to think it can also affect your emotional and physical well being. So, to help you about your problems here are the steps you need to take.

1. Re-balance Work and Home

All work and no play? If you’re spending too much time at the office, intentionally put more dates in your calendar to enjoy time for fun, either alone or with others.

2. Build in Regular Exercise

Moving your body on a regular basis balances the nervous system and increases blood circulation, helping to flush out stress hormones. Even a daily 20-minute walk makes a difference.

3. Eat Well and Limit Alcohol and Stimulants

Alcohol, nicotine and caffeine may temporarily relieve stress but have negative health impacts and can make stress worse in the long run. Well-nourished bodies cope better, so start with a good breakfast, add more organic fruits and vegetables, avoid processed foods and sugar, and drink more water.

4. Connect with Supportive People

Talking face to face with another person releases hormones that reduce stress. Lean on those good listeners in your life.

5. Carve out Hobby Time

Do you enjoy gardening, reading, listening to music or some other creative pursuit? Engage in activities that bring you pleasure and joy; research shows that reduces stress by almost half and lowers your heart rate, too.

6. Practice Meditation, Stress Reduction or Yoga

Relaxation techniques activate a state of restfulness that counterbalances your body’s fight-or-flight hormones. Consider taking a mindfulness-based stress reduction course to learn effective, lasting tools.

7. Sleep Enough

If you get less than seven to eight hours of sleep, your body won’t tolerate stress as well as it could. If stress keeps you up at night, address the cause and add extra meditation into your day to make up for the lost z’s.

8. Bond with Your Pet

Clinical studies show that spending even a short time with a companion animal can cut anxiety levels almost in half.

9. Take a Vacation

Getting away from it all can reset your stress tolerance by increasing your mental and emotional outlook, which makes you a happier, more productive person upon return. Leave your cellphone and laptop at home!

10. See a Counselor, Coach or Therapist

If negative thoughts overwhelm your ability to make positive changes, it’s time to seek professional help. Make an appointment today—your health and life are worth it.

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2020 is a scary year of all. It gives the world a lot of things to remember. The world if full of sorrow and sadness. Every countries are facing a phenomena, there were volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, pandemic and typhoons that killed many lives.

In the Philippines, especially in the month of November there were typhoons and super typhoon that ruin every area of the country. Super typhhon Rolly beat the Typhoon Yolanda and Ondoy way back then because of its higher level that reaches signal number 5 that really affects and leave a mark to peoples lives, it damaged the region of Bicol. On the other hand, one typhoon also that has a big impact to the country is typhoon Ulysses that hit the Southern and Central Luzon area. Most of its victims are crying and seeking for help. The water is on the level of their roof they had no place to run or to go and most of the house are under the water. The innocent children are crying because of the fear that this typhoon Ulysses brought to them.

Now that us, who are safe we all know that we are not talking too much about humanity but now is the answer to make an actions about humanity. This is the time to practice humanity. Now that our country is facing a big problem, our countrymen are dying and needs to be rescue as soon as possible. It is the time to show kindness and compassion despite of any circumstances. It's time to lend our hands to those who badly need it. Let us help each other to save lives.

To those who doesn't have the amount to donate, one way solution also is to PRAY. Pray for our countrymen to be strong enough and be safe in this kind of situation. Prayer really works, it is powerful, and the only answer to our problems. If you are at home LET'S PRAY TOGETHER FOR THEM AND FOR THE SAFETY ALSO OF THE RESCUERS WHO ARE READY TO SACRIFICE THEIR OWN LIVES TO SAVE PEOPLE.

THE PEOPLE WHO PRAY TOGETHER BUILD TOGETHER A BETTER WORLD

Covid-19 crisis really shocked the whole world. It affects our lives, jobs and health. We faced lockdown for how many months and the companies and business were forced to temporarily shut down to show a support to our Government to fight this Pandemic.

As people continuing the support for the efforts of Government amidst the Pandemic we can't deny the fact that while supporting them, people need also to support their needs because as of now that is it hard to look for a job. They also need to survive so it happened that it brought many changes to peoples lives on how they budget their income and finances. To help you get through this crisis here are some tips on how you can save during the Pandemic.

Evaluate changes in your expenses

The pandemic has brought significant changes to your work and lifestyle that surely affects your finances. Now’s the time to assess your new financial situation—what exactly changed about it, what can be improved, and where opportunities to save more may come in. Here are the big ones that may affect your cash flow:

On essential expenses – before the crisis, essential expenses might have been 40% of your monthly income.

Since most people are in a WFH set-up, transportation costs are lower but electricity costs at home may certainly increase. 

People are forced to skip dine-ins and to switch to home cooking instead so yes, food expenses may also be lower.

When managed strategically, these changes in your essential expenses can help you boost your monthly savings by at least 10%.

On discretionary expenses –  before the crisis you might have spent 20% of your income on going out, entertainment, restaurant meals, etc. With the restrictions to leave your homes, you can get significant savings of at least 10% of your monthly income. Have a look at your previous bank statements and estimate how much money you are saving on a monthly basis on things that you no longer buy due to the crisis.

Cash flows can negatively be affected if you are under no work-no pay scheme or due to employee retrenchment.

Reallocate your spending

If in any case your income has been negatively affected by this pandemic—either due to pay cuts or retrenchment—it’s time to revisit and see how you can reallocate your spending to make ends meet. Cutting costs can help in getting through this difficult financial situation less stressful. But before you can do that, let’s first look at how and where you spend your money.

Start with your fixed expenses—this includes the things you need to maintain a basic standard of living like housing, utilities, food, insurance and etc. Next is your secondary expenses or your discretionary spending. This may include shopping, entertainment, personal care, recreation, and etc.

You should be able to place each spending to its respective category and decide what can be eliminated to be able to sustain and balance your monthly income and expenses.

Reallocate your spending

If in any case your income has been negatively affected by this pandemic—either due to pay cuts or retrenchment—it’s time to revisit and see how you can reallocate your spending to make ends meet. Cutting costs can help in getting through this difficult financial situation less stressful. But before you can do that, let’s first look at how and where you spend your money.

Start with your fixed expenses—this includes the things you need to maintain a basic standard of living like housing, utilities, food, insurance and etc. Next is your secondary expenses or your discretionary spending. This may include shopping, entertainment, personal care, recreation, and etc.

You should be able to place each spending to its respective category and decide what can be eliminated to be able to sustain and balance your monthly income and expenses.

Commit to budgeting and spending

There’s a lot you can’t control right now, but you can control your cash flow to free up some cash by cutting down expenses that you won’t be able to max out. Here are some items you can cut down on your expenses to help you live with your budget:

Online app subscriptions – you may not be spending a lot on physical services right now, but those digital ones can really eat up your funds over time. We’re not asking you to face home quarantine without Netflix to keep you busy but you can trim down on the ones you don’t use as often like Amazon Prime or Hulu—that gives the same entertainment as Netflix.

Gym/Club membership – since we’re forced to stay at home, it would be ideal to discontinue your memberships you won’t be able to maximize from home.

Review and downgrade your plans – have you checked your mobile phone plan recently? You might no longer need that much mobile data you’re getting since you’re at home 24/7 with a home wifi connection. Why not go for a lower deal to save some bucks? 

Fees for these subscriptions may appear small but these can have a way of eating up your monthly budget that can be spent on more important stuff.

Take stock of what you have and don’t hoard

Since the pandemic started, empty grocery shelves have become normal as more and more people resort to panic buying and hoarding.

Before you step out of your house to shop and give in to the impulse of buying everything that comes into your head, make sure you’re able to check your pantry shelves to make an assessment first of your current supplies. Many of us already have well-stocked pantries that could help us survive for many weeks but others may not already have these supplies on hand.

You’d rather use what you already have and let someone who needs those goods today. Not only will your community thank you for not hoarding, but your wallet will be glad to not spend on things you won’t need, too!

Identify alternative revenue sources

Aside from cutting back on your expenses and finding out how you can strategically save more money, it’s also important to diversify your income. Relying on a single source of income can be a threat to your financial stability, especially if the crisis is preventing you from earning your usual income rate. In addition to building your skills and consolidating your knowledge, think about how you can leverage those skills to start a side hustle, monetize your expertise, and diversify your income sources. Besides, there are plenty of online job opportunities you can try and surely, you’ll find one that best fits your skill set. 

All of these are helpful , people need to know how to save and budget their money and expenses. It is important that you are always prepared to the things that may come.

--------------------------------------------------Reference: https://www.securitybank.com/blog/5-tips-to-save-money-during-covid-19-crisis/

You fail as a student? It's okay.

You fail as a daughter/son? It's okay.

You fail as a parent? It's okay.

You fail as a sibling? It's okay.

You fail as an employee? It's okay.

You fail as a teacher? It's okay.

You fail as a leader? It's okay.

You fail as a human? It's okay.

Failure is a big word. A word that everyone is trying to avoid but did you know failure will always be part of your success. If you didn't fail you did nothing. You're like nothing. In short, failure became an integral part of our success.

If you fail on everything, it's okay. Atleastbyou tried and they say try and try until you reach your dream.

"If you don't fail atleast 90% of the time, you're not aiming high"

-Alan Kay

It's okay to fail , if you didn't fail you didn't leraned. Failure helps you to strive more and pursue what you wanted. Don't be ashame of your failure and don't ever say that you're a failure because the truth is a failure is when you didn't try everything to take a risk.

Don't listen to people's judgement instead listen to your hope, dreams, heart and most importantly to God.

"David also said to Solomon his son, 'Be strong and courageous and do the work. Do not be afraid or discourage, for the LORD God, my God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service if the temple of the LORD.'"

1 CHRONICLES 28:20

Stand up and say YOU'RE NOT A FAILURE. IT'S OKAY TO FAIL BECAUSE NO ONE IS PERFECT.

In every life it has its own story and history

Most of them are quite mystery

Experiencing gladness and misery

Making them brave not bitterly

We know life is a challenge

There's so much fun and pain you fought in silence

With mouth closed to avoid violence

You chose to have more patience

In this life, you can be a polaris

That will give light and draw a smile like an artist

You will shine, stand, guide people and become strongest

As one of the star they can look up to be more fearless.

"YOUR MIND AND BODY MATTERS"

-October 28, 2020

Have you ever check upon yourself? Especially your mind and body? And if so, when is the last time you did it? As of now that the worlds facing a pandemic it is important to monitor our mind and body not just on the month of celebration about mental health. Many news are coming out about their physical and mental health to their family and personal problems in life especially those students who are having difficulties on their online classes. There are lots of sayings that this is not good for them as you browse on different social links that is based from their experience and it is sad to say that most students felt depression and anxiety that they killed themselves because their minds are full of pressure about simultaneously deadlines/activities and felt sick beacuse of having a lack of sleep. This is one of the examples I have cited that I wanted to encourage my fellow students to ask themeselves right now this kind of questions, "How healthy is my mind and body?" & "Am I truly happy and enjoying what I am doing?". Because we can't deny somehow we feel lost and empty. That's why it is important to assess if we are still okay about our physical and mental health because both are interconnected as our thoughts affects our physical body.

According to Newport Academy (2019), "The mind and the body are not two separate entities—although they are often treated that way. Physical health and emotional health are intimately intertwined in what’s known as the mind-body connection.

Our chemistry and biology impact our mood and emotions, as well as thoughts and beliefs. With all of these factors combined, they play a major role in influencing our stress and physical health. If you’ve ever felt your stomach tighten up when you were anxious, you’ve experienced the mind-body connection."

If you are one of this kind of students who doesn't have healthy mind and body or who wanted to know how to maintain your mind and body strong and healthy, here are Eight Habits for you according to Valentine (2017).

1. Exercise using something you love

Physical exercise has been shown in countless studies to help reduce stress, increase energy, improve mood, and even help make us more creative.

Great right? However, advice on how to make exercise a habit is a bit lacking. That’s because exercise can be a really difficult habit to stick to. But if there’s one thing I’ve found really helps stick to physical exercise and make it a long-term habit it’s this:

Exercise in a way that allows you to enjoy something you love.

You have to really look forward to working out. Whatever it is that you do, whether it’s running, lifting weights, doing cardio, martial arts, Yoga, or something else, you need to pick an exercise method you really enjoy.

For example, I love martial arts. I’m a lot more likely to stick to my work out while doing that than running or lifting weights. On the flip side, if there’s no particular exercise-like activity you enjoy, maybe you really love music. Play all your favorite music during your workout and you’ll notice yourself far more likely to get up to exercise. Another option is listening to podcasts about your craft while running.

Either way, exercise is a big one, so find a way to make it work for you.

2. Meditation

Meditation is another huge one. However, meditation isn’t really what most people think it is.

If you don’t like the traditional idea of meditation, you can meditate while doing virtually anything if you use the right method (i.e. mindfulness meditation). Also, studies have shown that as little as five to ten minutes of meditation offers great benefits, so don’t think you need to sit for a half hour every day. You really don’t.

Similar to physical exercise, there are several different methods and forms of meditation, so do a little adventuring and experimentation to find a method and form that works for you. Everyone is different and different methods of meditation tend to work better for different people.

3. Mindful walking

This is easily one of my favorite activities on this entire list, but it’s also the most obscure. Mindful walking, also known as walking meditation, is meditation in motion. It can be done formally as a dedicated practice and informally by paying attention to your steps and what is going on around you as you move.

This is great for many of the reasons formal meditation is (albeit less concentrated), however, there’s another big reason to do mindful walking: it helps you tune in to the body.

Sometimes, things occur in the body that we don’t notice. Oftentimes, chronic issues and illness begin to creep up in ways often unseen. However, by learning to tune in to the body with mindful walking, we can notice these things arise before they become more of an issue.

It’s a hard thing to explain, but it’s been infinitely useful to me. In many ways, this one exercise gives us a way to check in with both the mind and body on a regular basis and in an incredibly convenient way while going about our daily activities, so its place on this list is well-earned.

4. Rise early

Rising early is something I took years to develop. However, it was so worth it.

There are positives to staying up late, particularly if you find that you’re more productive or creative during late night hours. However, in general, I’ve found that the majority of people are most productive in the early morning hours.

In addition, though, waking up early and adopting a morning routine that prepares you for the day helps you start each day off with the optimal state of mind to tackle problems and make decisions, something incredibly useful for everyone no matter what your profession.

So, if you’re not already, see what waking up a little earlier does for you.

5. Adopt a nighttime routine

On the flip side of that, adopting an effective night time routine that puts your mind in the right state before bed and helps maximize the quality of your sleep is also incredibly beneficial.

Unfortunately, most of us in the West just don’t value sleep enough. We tend to place work above well-being and prefer to leave sleep for when we die. However, two decades of scientific research now says this isn’t just a bad idea health-wise – it’s unproductive.

Take some time to craft a simple but effective nighttime routine and I promise – you won’t regret it.

6. Remove sugar, add water, get your food from the source

This is the basic recipe I follow when it comes to nutrition advice.

Over the years, I’ve learned a lot and tried so many different things with regards to nutrition. At this point, my ideology on nutrition is pretty relaxed. And it’s never worked out better.

There’s a ton of advice out there and, rightfully, it can be pretty confusing. So, I’ve chosen to follow a pretty simple mantra that offers me roughly eighty percent of the benefit of any particular diet while doing about twenty percent of the work to get that benefit. It’s this:

Remove sugar: Sugar is bad. Really bad. Occasional sugar is just fine, even daily, as long as you try to keep it under 50g at an absolute a maximum (30g even better).

Add water: Buy a dedicated flask just for water and you’ll have a one thousand times higher likelihood of sticking to the habit of drinking water daily. About eight to ten cups is fine, but you should look into what your specific amount is based on your body weight.

Get your food from the source: Do you have a farm where you live? Or a farmer’s market? Awesome. Section of your grocery store with local farm foods? Pretty good too. Also, this refers to what food you eat as well. Put a little more whole foods into your diet or get a juicer.

Keep it simple and use this method to get most of the benefit of altering your diet while saving you time to focus on what’s most important to you.

7. Find friends who identify with your challenges

We’re social creatures. No matter what you do, you can’t escape this.

And so, by virtue of this, the more social we are, the healthier we tend to be.

However, there’s something very specific about relationships that helps us more than anything else: having people around us who identify and sympathize with our challenges and who we communicate with often about those challenges. The lack thereof is often the reason for suicide in those who suffer from depression or bullying.

When we have people around us who listen and understand what we’re going through, something magical happens: we get through it (what it is for you). It’s a very simple thing that we often overlook but is so critical to our mental and even physical health.

8. Find a passion project or creative outlet

If you’ve been pursuing something you love for some time now, I don’t have to tell you how great it makes you feel.

The energy we get while pursuing our passions is limitless and gives us a sense of vitality that is hard (if impossible) to acquire any other way.

Using our brain regularly keeps our mind strong and moving helps keep us physically healthy, so if you haven’t yet taken the time to find what you’re passionate about and to start pursuing that with every fiber of your being, start now (before it’s too late).

There's no harm in trying, our mind and physical gives us energy. A person who can change his/her mind can change his/her lives. Always remember health is our wealth. Keep on checking and doing the things you love.

Sources:

Newport Academy, (2019). Understang the Mind-Body Connection. https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/understanding-the-mind-body-connection/