JUST LET ME BE.

daily reminder that the boy you’re in love with at 16 probably won’t matter when you’re 25.

daily reminder that the math test you failed your freshman year of high school probably won’t matter when you’re graduating college.

daily reminder that the problems you’re facing today may seem like the worlds end, but they will not matter in a year.

daily reminder that you’re going to be okay.

everything is going to be okay.

“My heart’s not yours to hold. You hear me? Not. Yours.”

“I think you should consider it a miracle I’ve stuck around this long. It’s so creepy here.”

“Chasing the adventure is only half the fun. Look at all the friends we’ve made.”

“We might have to lower our expectations.”

“Fantastic, you’ve enchanted the bones to life. Dare I ask what’s next?”

“Dare I even try to ask for forgiveness? Do I deserve it?”

how to write KICK ASS essays!

let me know if it helps! :)

Here’s the guide. Link to doc here.

SAMPLE ESSAY WITH EDITS

new quarter/semester checklist

1. turn over a new leaf

not happy with how your first quarter went? now is a good time to change that. do what you wish you’d done differently before. changing things on the middle of quarters can be hard, so now is the time.

2. organize yourself

don’t throw your previous stuff away!! you will probably need your papers and such for midterms later in the year. instead of throwing everything away or keeping it in an unorganized fashion with your new assignments and notes, set aside a space for it in your house. keep it all organized so you know when it’s from. ask your teachers/professors what you should hang on to.

3. prepare yourself

are there any supplies, books, etc you need for the new semester/quarter but don’t have? now is the time to figure out what you have and what you need to get before you get too deep in the semester/quarter

4. check in with yourself

are the systems you’re using working for you? the apps? note taking strategies? the amount of sleep you’re getting? make sure things are working for you. if they aren’t, try something else that might work

5. don’t worry

yes, school is important. yes, it will help you in the future. but it doesn’t define you. it’ll be okay if you don’t ace everything. you aren’t a failure and you aren’t worthless. it’s okay.

good luck, you’re going to do amazing

you know, life doesn’t have to be competitive. you don’t have to get in the very best university; you don’t have to get the highest paying career there is. you don’t need to compare and compete with everyone else in the world. you need to do what’s right for you. you need to relax, take a breath, and say ‘what do i want, for myself, to live as i want to’. and, if that involves high ambitions, then that’s fine. because you chose those ambitions on what you desire as an individual, and not on what is expected in order to succeed. let’s be ourselves this year.

“If you were alone, feeling could overtake you and stick to you like a shadow.”

— Beloved, Toni Morrison

Rare study tips just in time for the new year Credit: Tips by @studybllog, poster by me

I’ve been asked a couple of times now what is my approach to self-study, and this is my messy attempt to answer that question. All of this is true for me, and might not work for someone else; still, I hope it may help somebody!

1. Getting acquainted with the language

When you’re learning a language with a different writing system than your own, that’s the first thing you have to tackle, of course; but I usually try to get some background information even when the alphabet used by my target language is the good old Latin one. One thing I pay extra careful attention to is phonology: you want to get the sounds right from the very beginning, before you develop any bad habits (also, learning IPA changed my life). Having an accent as close to a native’s as possible is not necessarily the goal (I do like to work on that, but to each their own), but being understood is! And incorrect pronunciation can sometimes hinder comprehension, in some languages more so than in others. So don’t obsess over it, but don’t overlook it completely either. Getting to know the sounds of a language right away can also help you understand what people are saying a little quicker, and figuring out how new words might have to be read. Wikipedia is usually not bad when it comes to phonology, and Omniglot is a good resource as well.

2. Finding a good textbook

I’m a free spirit so I often find myself not looking for a textbook right away, and just chaotically absorbing information from different sources (see immersion below). When I do set my mind to choosing, though, I try to stick to one well-made textbook that I like, which should possibly contain clear grammar explanations as well as exercises. The temptation to hoard resources is strong – and I’ve succumbed to it myself more than once haha –, but I usually try to steer clear from using more than one textbook at the same time (although I do have separate, more thorough grammars on the side more often than not). I’d rather use a physical book if I have the chance, but if that’s not your thing or you don’t have money to spend on that, that’s okay: you can find loads of perfectly good books or websites online!

3. Compulsive translation

Anyone who’s been following my blog for a while probably knows that I love translating virtually anything: from songs to poems to short stories. It’s something that has always been a part of my life, and I thoroughly enjoy doing. It’s also an awesome language learning technique, which will help you enrich your lexicon and teach you tons of new turns of phrase in your target language. It works both if you translate from your native into your target language and vice versa: find a good bilingual dictionary (I prefer paper dictionaries because they provide more examples of usage, but again, you do you) and look for equivalent expressions, don’t just translate word for word! It might work sometimes but not always. When it comes to translation, Reverso Context is a great resource for some languages, because it provides translation in context, taken from a massive corpus heavy on subtitles – which you shouldn’t trust all the time, but will help you as long as you put some critical thinking in.

4. Immersion (you don’t say)

What a surprise, right? I usually start listening to music / watching video content right away; I wasn’t that big on YouTube before but language learning has made me change my mind. You don’t have to get everything: even if you understand 3 words out of 20, this will help you grasp the rhythms and intonations of the language. This depends on how many similarities my new target language shares with the ones I already know, but as a general rule I use Italian (or English) subtitles in the very beginning, then move on to subtitles in the target language and finally get rid of them entirely. Some people will argue against subtitles of any shape or form, but I can only speak for myself and they’ve helped me quite a lot in the past. The way I see it, reading is also essential: if I don’t have time to leaf through novels, I usually check out at least an article a day in my target language and write down the words I don’t know, plus their Italian translation.

5. Routine – the good kind

In short words, I strive to make the new language a part of my life. There are a thousand things you can do: change your phone settings? Great! Check out the news? Even better! If you’re out of ideas, here are a few suggestions. And don’t worry if you struggle at first: in fact, the start of this process is a bit rocky for almost everyone. Consistency, however, is the key: once the early, most difficult days are over, all of this will start to come natural and stop feeling like a chore! The more you do it, the faster this process will be.

Study Break Ideas!

* go on a quick walk or run!

* there are good yoga videos on Youtube that are 5-30 minutes long, just enough time to give your mind a break! some of my favorites are 

Quick Stress Fix - 5 Minute Sequence (5 minutes)

Yoga For Focus & Productivity - 10 min practice (10 minutes)

12 Min Yoga For Brain Power | Yoga With Adriene (12 minutes)

Stress Melt - 26 Min Yoga Break | Yoga With Adriene (26 minutes)

* draw something! 

* watch youtube or a quick episode of the office (ONLY ONE EPISODE I KNOW IT’S HARD) 

* tidy up the space you’re working in! This can help you clear your mind and come back with more focus. 

* go get a snack and water—always make sure to stay hydrated! 

* call a relative or friend who you haven’t seen in a while (especially college people, talking to someone you love can be such a stress reliever, and you always have the excuse that you need to study in case the conversation goes on too long. you can also complain to them)

* dance party—my personal favorite. great stress reliever. 

* watch a cool TedTalk or numberphile video! 

How to build your confidence – and spark it in others | Brittany Packnett

Mindset is Everything | Cole Bennett | TEDxUIUC

The Magic of Not Giving a F*** | Sarah Knight | TEDxCoconutGrove

How to Get Your Brain to Focus | Chris Bailey | TEDxManchester

and the master playlist: The 20 Most-Watched TEDTalks

* when all else fails, BuzzFeed quizzes.