Ding Huang demonstrates the art of paper cutting
Laura Reynolds looks at the habits of exam-weary students
James Tompkinson discusses the benefits of using Facebook for revision
Laura Reynolds provides some tips to help you save
1. Chocolate
It tastes nice. Research even suggests its good for you. Dark chocolate contains a substance called epicatechin which is beneficial to human health. The Karolinska Institute in Stockholm explored that survivors of heart attacks who ate chocolate two or three times a week actually reduced the risk of death by up to three times compared to survivors that didn’t not. Another advantage, on a more down-to-earth note, is the endorphins which give you a feeling of “well being and happiness”. This makes it the perfect remedy for long hours spent staring at dusty books in the library.
Of course I’m not suggesting that chocolate is all good for you. “Everything in moderation” springs to mind. My close friend went on a ‘chocolate fast’ last year, trying to test the theory that if you abstained yourself from something long enough you would stop craving it. Apparently that is an outright lie. It goes without saying that unless you are endowed with an amazing metabolism, you will have to eat chocolate in moderation - treat yourself rather than binge.
2. Gaming
Having lots of friends that are male, it is very rare to turn around and not see an Xbox or Playstation whirring in the corner of their rooms. I scoffed at friends who played the ever-popular World of Warcraft, whole-heartedly believing that it was an utter waste of time. I was challenged to play for a month. They guaranteed that by the end of this month I would be locked into my own underlying gaming addiction. Inevitably, a month later I had my own World of Warcraft account, had began to call it ‘WoW’ and had a level 69 Draenei hunter named Kellen. I’m sure that will mean nothing to any of you sensible people. I was addicted.
When you are at university this is one of the worst addictions. Staring out of the window whilst playing WoW at five o’clock in the morning isn’t a good idea when you should really be doing essays due for the next day. You can play for hours at a time and WoW thinks of new brainwashing ways to keep you entertained. ‘Cold turkey’ from WoW is the only way to break the habit. After a couple of months of not playing it, I was sufficiently un-hooked. Though it took a lot of willpower to delete the entire game from my computer. Despite being good fun, it is also an inevitable waste of time. Real life is so much more interesting. Just don’t give me WoW and a gaming mouse ever again...
3. Going out
It is sociable to go out. It gives you time to get out of the house away from revision. Going out after you have spent the last week locked away in the library working is a definitely freeing. A couple of drinks with friends is one of the best remedies for any ailment (unless they have chocolate or Ben and Jerrys... or Chocolate Ben and Jerrys). There is nothing quite like dancing the night away at some cheesy club or bar to make you forget all your pre-exam worries.
Pace yourself. If you go out to often you will be two things: poor and hungover. Neither of which give you any incentive to want to do work. It also goes without saying to watch what you are drinking. Trust me, you do not want to take your friend to A&E at 3 o’clock in the morning and then struggle to make your 9.15 the next day.
Don’t forget to treat yourself with that sneaky bar of chocolate or take an hour out trying to learn how to play Rainbow Six with your housemate. Just remember; follow the simple rule of “everything in moderation” and you will have no problems.
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