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What To Do When You're Completely Burned Out


There are times when we just feel absolutely exhausted. We have no motivation to do anything and we feel like crawling into a ball and sleeping until we die. Unfortunately, this is not an option for many of us. We still have stuff to do no matter how annoying it is. So what are some things that we can do when we're utterly burned out and exhausted?

Sleep

Sleep is the best medicine, they say. And it's true. When you're feeling burned out, rest your mind a bit. Give yourself some rest

Eat healthy

Believe it or not, but eating healthy can make even the laziest person in the world feel good. It's the same case for people who are burned out. Your head will feel lighter and you will feel happier after you start eating healthier.

Exercise

Exercising really clears the mind in my opinion. When I'm feeling a little burned out, I always go outside with my badminton racket and play a game with someone.

Say no

One reason people get burned out is that they have way too many things on their plate. So when someone asks a favor or tells you to do something and you KNOW that doing that certain thing will put a lot more baggage on your shoulders, say no.

Don't give up

Feeling burned out isn't the end of the world no matter how much it feels like it. Don't give in to lack of motivation and don't accept defeat. After all, this is a battle between you and your mind. In the wise words of Dory, "Just keep swimming."


-Barista Mia-

Image: Michael Dorokhov
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The Five Types of Jeans You Should Have



Skinny Jeans

Every girl needs a pair of skinny jeans in their closet. No girl can be complete without it. They go with literally every single thing! A lifesaver in fashion emergencies, for sure.

Print Jeans

You need to be extremely careful when you're picking out print jeans for you to wear. Make sure they fit you and your style and make sure they don't look like PJs on you. If you've got these tips under control, you'll have a fun pair of jeans to wear whenever you feel like going a little hyper with your style for the day.

Bootcut Jeans

They make your legs look long. End of story.

Color Jeans

I personally have electric blue jeans right now. Once, I had pink. Next, I think I want to go for mint green jeans. I really, really love colored jeans as you can see. They make a boring outfit look absolutely awesome.

High-Waisted Jeans

There. I said it. I know many people would want to burn these type of jeans, but I think there's a way to get them to work. First, make sure your butt fills in the back of your jeans. Second, work 'em.


-Barista Mia-

Image: Maria Morri
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Waitlisted? What Should You Do?


Our first college decisions have started to arrive! This is an exciting process. I mean, all that waiting is finally over! At least, that's what we thought. Some of us open our decisions, our hearts beating like crazy, and what'd'ya know... we've been placed on the waitlist. A deluge of emotions start to wash over us. Relief, disappointment, and lastly, disbelief. We have to wait another two to three months for our final results?! Oh, heck no. But alas, this is our fate. But then, what can we do about this bubble called the waitlist? Is there anything we can do about it?

Well, first...

Express your interest in the school

Send an email to your regional admissions officer of the school(s) you've been waitlisted at. Make it heartfelt, but don't go overboard. Write about why you want to go to said college, program, or whatever. Basically, write a "Why This School" essay and send it.

Then...

Send updates

Keep in contact with your admissions officer. Whenever you get an A in something, receive a type of award... it's time to send an email. Don't become a pest though. You don't want your admissions officer thinking you're annoying, which gives him/her a reason to reject you in the end.

And finally...

Pretend it's a rejection and move on

Truth be told, getting off the waitlist is... difficult. Don't be overly optimistic and think that you have a great chance of getting in. Focus on your other schools instead. If you eventually get rejected, oh well. You've already moved on, so it won't matter for you anymore. And if you get accepted. Whoop! An awesome surprise just for you!


-Barista Mia-

Image: Stuart Fannon
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How To Sleep Better


I'm probably one of the worst sleepers out there. I find it extremely difficult to fall asleep even though I am super tired. I just lie on my bed for hours, thinking about the meaning of life, my crush, and other weird stuff like that. Of course, to fix my dilemma, I tried so many different tricks and tips to fix my sleepless nights, and after three years of experimentation, I think I finally know which tricks and which tips work best in helping me to fall asleep.

Get cozy

Pretty straightforward, eh? But there's no better trick up there to help you fall asleep than to get cozy. It's pretty cold in my room, so I jump into my bed at night, crawl underneath my thick blanket, and make myself super comfortable in my bed.

Use up every inch of your energy

Sounds tiring? You bet! And that's the whole point. Go exercise, go run around on errands, go hang out with friends. Do everything that will make you exhausted by the end of the day so that you'll just collapse on your bed.

Set a wake up time and a bed time

Yeah, yeah. You're too old for that stuff, but guess what? Setting the time to go to bed and the time to get off the bed to start the day really help.

Don't be hungry

So I was on a diet a while back and I decided to eat absolutely nothing after six. Every night during that diet, I thought I would never be able to go to dreamland. All I could think about was how hungry I was and how many hours I had to wait til breakfast. In the end, I gave up on that particular diet. The lesson? Don't go to bed hungry.

Avoid drinking too much liquid in the evening

Do I really need to explain why?


-Barista Mia-

Image: martinak15
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How To Deal With The Green-Eyed Jealousy Monster


Jealousy is inevitable. I myself have felt it for two different reasons just this week. I'm not usually the type to get jealous as I have a pretty optimistic approach to life, but I just couldn't handle it this week. Sigh. First, one of my closest friends got accepted to a school that we both applied to, but I ended up getting waitlisted. I honestly was pretty happy about the waitlist as this is a top-tier school, but after hearing that my friend had gotten in... well, let's just say the green-eyed monster inside of me didn't really like it. Second... um... this is a more personal thing so I'll keep quiet about this one.

I hate feeling jealous. I really do. I feel nasty. I mean, why the heck am I jealous of my friend for getting in when I should be congratulating her from the bottom of my heart (I am happy that she got in, but the jealousy's messing up my emotions). Anyway, I looked for ways to kill the jealousy that is killing me inside and I came up with a list of tips. I feel heaps better now and hopefully, if you feel jealous about something right now, you will too.

Treat yourself

Go shopping, take a nice bath, whatever. Just make yourself happy so that you forget about who and what you're jealous of. There's one CON to this method, though: As soon as you're done treating yourself, there's a possibility that your jealousy might spew back out.

Count your blessings

A surefire way to stop your jealousy. Instead of focusing on what you DON'T have. Look at what you DO have.

Distract yourself

I distracted myself by reading a hundred different books. Okay. Not a hundred. But I did read three books so far.

Write, shout or sing it out

Believe it or not, but when you write, shout, or sing about how you're feeling and such, you're going to feel so much better.

Be nice to the person you are jealous of

*snort* Yeah, right. But seriously. When you're nice to the person you're jealous of, you're going to forget how jealous you are of him/her. Give that person a present, hang out with that person, strike a friendly conversation with that person. Make that person happy and you will be happy too as weird as that sounds.


-Barista Mia-

Image: MiraCosta Community College
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Alleviating Those Downer Days


No matter how hard we try to avoid them, life will slap us in the face for no apparent reason in the form of what I like to call a 'downer day'. I am referring to one of those days where you find yourself repeatedly asking the question- "what's the point?!". One of those sucky, unnaturally long days where the only thing you want to do is curl up and forget everything. It would be misleading to suggest that there are ways of avoiding these moments, but here are a few ways to cushion the blow...

1) Take your mind off things (If nothing in particular is bugging you)

If you feel the way you do for no particular reason, distract yourself. Maybe watch a movie or series, throw together a playlist which will lighten your mood. I often find that lighthearted conversation with friends is a brilliant solution to feeling glum. We all need a break from constantly thinking, sometimes.

2) Face whatever is on your mind

I recommend doing this when some unresolved problem is causing your mood to be this way. If this is the case, it's best to face whatever is bugging you. I'm sure you've guessed it, but talking it out really does help. Tell someone how you feel, rather than keeping everything bottled up inside. If you honestly don't know who to turn to, keeping a diary or even an anonymous blog can really help. You can always email or comment too, I'd be happy to help or even just listen! Just don't ignore the problem, if there is one. Unfortunately, I can only speak in general terms, but i'm sure this piece of advice stands true in most cases.

3) Remain optimistic!

It's easier said than done, I know but looking on the bright side really reduces the frequency of these bad days.

Hopefully your suckier (I know that's not a word) days won't suck as much now, and remember- they're just a part of life!


-Barista Ria-

Image: Lau_Lau Chan
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