BeBe Reaves

Change your clothes. Even if you’re already wearing something comfortable, change into something else that’s still casual and comfy.

Eat your favorite food. A bowl of rice, ice cream, pasta, make a sandwich, anything that makes you happy.

Eat some fruit. A banana, apple, peach, pear, some berries, fruit is always a good option.

Eat some protein. Cheese, meat, eggs, rice and beans, ect. Something to give you energy.

Drink lots of water. Fill up a water bottle and keep it with you, but remember to actually drink it.

Find as many pillows and blankets as you can around the house and pile them on your bed. THE MESSIER, THE BETTER!

Bring your acquired snacks into your room. Even if you don’t make a habit of eating in your room, make an exception this time.

Bring a couple of your favorite stuffed animals to share your nest with.

If you have cats, invite them as well.

Watch an episode or two of your favorite show GUILT FREE. Nothing sad! Watch something that will make you smile and laugh a lot. And ENJOY IT. Give yourself this time to decompress without stressing over a million other things. I know it can be hard, but YOU CAN DO IT

Hang a sign outside your door, letting family members/roommates know that you are currently unavailable. Be polite, courteous, and take their needs into consideration if they need something from you, but it’s okay to have a little chunk of time all to yourself when you’re having a tough day. We’ve all been there.

Turn off your phone. Just for a little while so you can completely relax. Stay off social media too - you don’t need any drama right now.

Once you’ve finished your show and eaten a healthy amount of food, do something productive. Even if it’s just one or two little chores - sweep, do the dishes, tidy up your room, dust, reorganize the bookshelf, whatever. Do something that will make you feel like you’ve accomplished something. Even if it’s little, be proud of yourself for each task!

Listen to music while you’re working. iPod, record player, radio, etc. Make it something up beat with a nice and lively tempo.

Dance and sing. I don’t care if you dance like a fish out of water and sing like a dog whose tail was stepped on, you are a beautiful contribution to this world so don’t be afraid to shine!

Alternate in doing tasks throughout the day with doing things you enjoy. Paperwork and then a walk (fresh air always helps!), mop the floors than read that book you’ve been wanting to explore.

Talk to a friend if you need to. If you don’t think you have anyone to talk to, let me be the first to tell you, YOU DO! There are thousands of kindhearted people on here who would love to get to know you and want to help you and hear about your day if you are feeling under the weather.

It turns us into monsters.

Today in class the professor had us partner up with someone else and discuss an issue with each other. One person would write and the other would read it out loud to the class.

A very quiet Iraqi lady came up to me and asked to be my partner. I am normally a very talkative student so I thought this was the perfect opportunity for me to lay low and let someone else take the stage. I asked her if she would like to be the presenter and she said, “I can’t. I have an accent and no one can understand what I am saying.” So I said, “I can understand you.” She said, “Thanks but my children make fun of me. They say ‘mom be quiet, no one can even understand what you’re saying’.”

This made me realize what a shitty human being I am because I used to say the exact same thing to my parents back when I tried to hard to please my racist classmates and before I realized how amazing it was that my parents were fluent in more languages than most of them would learn in their entire lifetime.

The fact is, people with thick non-anglo accents are perfectly aware of how the world sees them. That’s why my classmate, a brilliant woman, hasn’t said a single word out loud in class. That’s why my aunt, tired of being mocked for her accent, asks my sister to make all her important phone calls for her. That’s why sometimes even I use smaller words when I am talking because I can’t pronounce all the words I can write.

McGill University recently fired a professor because he had an accent. One of my other classmates, who is fluent in English, is fighting for his right to not be forced to write the TOEFL, which is usually waived for students with his educational background. And finally, last but not least, I know my accent is the biggest reason why I walked out of the American embassy in Saudi Arabia with a visa stamped on my passport moments after I arrived while all the other applicants were thoroughly questioned and, in some cases, rejected.