Space Waste
Decluttering the mind’s debris.
by Shin-Yi Wang
Orbiting Earth are more than 100 million pieces of space junk — fragments of old satellites, rocket parts and forgotten debris drifting endlessly above us. None of it serves a purpose anymore, but it still clutters the sky, circling and threatening to collide with what’s still in use. Down here at NU, it’s not all that different. Between classes, emails and deadlines, our minds can start to feel like crowded orbits too, packed with junk we try to clean up.
Evelyn Alsop:
“At the start of each quarter, I get really bad about comparing myself to other people. I wonder how this person did on this quiz, or how I’m comparing to the average or if I did good enough, if I studied enough, things like that. [When I’m overwhelmed] I close all the tabs on my computer and I play games. I think you should find something that is brainless. Some people like watching TV shows that are just funny and don’t really require a lot of brain power. I watch Phineas and Ferb because you get to see what people channel their creativity into. It’s just something light and fun to watch, so I would say find something for you that is light and fun. No stress.”
Esha Chandra:
“I feel like it’s hard to shut everything off and feel like it’s time to go to sleep or relax. I usually call my family. I’ll FaceTime my friends. I’ll write in my journal. Or sometimes I distract myself with TV. [Get] into a routine of how to clear your mind. It can be meditation or just a practice that gets you into the mindset of clearing yourself away from academic stress.”
Aric Wang:
“Since it is midterm season, I’m thinking about all the work I have to do for all my classes and if I’m [going to] be able to pass my midterms. Honestly the biggest thing [is] changing your mindset. It doesn’t really matter how bad you do because at the end of the day, they’re just midterms and just grades. As long as you keep on trying, as long as you have a good mentality about it, I think you’ll do fine. Something that always helps me is just [doing] something fun to just get my mind off things and then when I feel less stressed, I get back to work.