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STUDENTELEWE
How to prevent burnout
DOMINIQUE VERSTER
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ith exam season looming ahead, the average student tends to regress into a state of neglect: one that includes copious amounts of coffee and long, sleepless nights. This is, however, a foolproof recipe for creating a batch of burned out Maties students, and burnout is something that none of us need this close to the holidays. Yet, there is no need to fear. Your neglectful behaviour need not be transformed completely, only managed in order to survive the exam season. This article will serve as an aid to the struggling student in regulating their bad lifestyle habits, so sit tight. That being said, this is not an unrealistic instruction guide on how to become an entirely different person overnight. Even though the average student should be getting around eight hours of sleep per night, especially during the exams, we all know that this is not realistic. Instead, you can focus on the many ways to guide and even utilise the consequential drowsiness caused by a long night behind the books. Research shows that drowsiness and fatigue can actually be beneficial to the study process, especially when paired with exercise. According to a chronobiology study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, your brain retains higher concentrations of information and skills if you study in your most tired state and then go to bed directly after. This means that instead of pulling that all-nighter, call it quits at 3am to let your brain process the information. Exercising beforehand will also maximise your studying capacity as the exercised body will
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KAMPUS QUOTES “Ek kan nie wag om my man se geld te gebruik nie.” – BA-student “Academically I’m the failed middle aged singer performing in the Neelsie.” – Struggling student “I’m a 32 waist with a 36 ass.” – Gymbul complaining about his glutes “English girls in Stellies are cooked, and they know it.” – English girl in Stellies “Honey, you can’t date me if you’re a vegetarian. I’m such a piece of meat.” – Well-done student
MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS Don’t just keep your grades in check, your mental health is equally as important. Photo: Kesia Abrahams pump oxygen and nutrients to the brain. According to Dr. Douglas B. McKeag, exercising before that six-hour bib session can make you more alert, open, and able to learn new information. Even though moderate amounts of coffee have also proven to enhance study performance, an adult should be limited to one strong cup a day as not to overly stress the body. Consistent exposure to caffeine can in actuality contribute to burnout symptoms and should thus be avoided. When you find yourself dozing off after a night of insufficient sleep, one can again stress the importance of steering away from the My Brew coffee stand. Rather do some light exercise to stimulate the spread of oxygen to the brain or take a cold shower to activate your adrenals,
as suggested by journalist Patrick Allan. These methods are far more sustainable and less taxing on the body than the regular dose of caffeine. Drinking water regularly can also go a long way in distributing oxygen throughout the body and thus heighten alertness, so also keep a 2l water bottle on hand. The last thing you want to do when you feel overcome with drowsiness during the day is to take a nap. This will leave you feeling even groggier afterwards and further disrupt your sleep cycle. According to various studies, if you should find yourself falling asleep during the day, limit the nap to 30 minutes or less. By limiting daytime naps, you allow yourself to sleep far deeper the next evening, and easily fall
back into the rhythm of your regular sleep cycle. It also aids in establishing a routine, which can help your body anticipate the amount of sleep you will get daily and adjust accordingly. Steering more towards organisational habits, a simple and effective tip to manage stress would be to plan your workload every morning. Your planning doesn’t have to be in depth or detailed, it should just consist of a plotted list of goals that need to be completed. This can keep your brain clear of clutter and help you track your study progress. It can also act as a motivating agent, as checking items off a list releases a dose of serotonin (the hormone that regulates motivation) according to psychology journalist Lauren Marchese.
“Ah shit, ek het sesuur reserve vir my depressie-sessie.” – Student wat ‘n geleentheid vermy “Socially, I am on the beach. Academically, I’m wearing stilettos.” – Concerned student “Fuck all these 20/20 vision people, out there seeing for free.” – Frustrated four-eyed student “The only apple I use is for nutrition.” – Android user “You never know what you are going to get when you walk up those stairs.” – Student using the stairs by Tamaties
As dit broekskeur gaan PULP REVIEW MARYNA ADSHADE
’n NUWE lid, Custom Alterations, het onlangs by die Neelsie-familie aangesluit. Hierdie versteekte juweel kan op die onderste vloer van die Neelsie, om die draai langs Hutmakers, gevind word. Dit is nie moeilik om te sien hoekom so min mense van hierdie winkel weet nie. Custom Alterations is behoorlik weggesteek en meeste studente sal met die eerste oogopslag maklik verby die winkel loop. Dié van ons wat nie 20/20-visie het nie of sommer net onoplettend is, sal dit ook maklik miskyk, maar vir die wat die kans waag om in te loer, wag daar ’n aangename verrassing. Agter die toonbank sal die eienaar van die winkel, Arshad Muhammad, jou met ’n vriendelike glimlag groet. Volgens Muhammad is dit maklik om die winkel mis te kyk en daarom is dit geen verrassing dat min mense al ’n draai kom maak het nie. “Dit was eers iemand anders se besigheid. Ek het dit eers verlede week oorgekoop by die vorige eienaar en juis daarom is die winkel
The Game Changers Director: Louie Psihoyos Starring: James Wilks Rating: 3/4 Stars ARMIN PRINSLOO
DIE VERSTEEKTE JUWEEL In die Neelsie is ‘n weggesteekte klein winkeltjie wat jou drome sal bewaarheid. Foto: James Smith nog nie lank hier nie,” sê Muhammad. Muhammad verduidelik dat hy veranderinge aan klere kan aanbring, soos om some korter of langer te maak. Sy vaardighede is egter nie beperk tot net veranderinge aanbring nie. Hy kan ook rokke maak. Hy sê dat dit moeilik is om voorbeelde van pryse vir sy dienste te gee, aangesien die prys afhang van presies wat alles gedoen
word. Gereelde Neelsie-besoekers moet dus nie net verby Custom Alterations loop nie, maar kan ’n draai kom maak. Kledingstukke wat ’n rapsie te groot is of somerklere wat net-net te klein is, as gevolg van die wintervetjies, is nie meer ’n probleem nie. Dié winkel is die ideale plek om daardie lastighede na te neem en sal verseker dat jou gunstelingdenim weer perfek sit.
IF you thought that athletes need to eat meat in order to perform at the highest level, then, like me, you would be proven wrong. The Game Changers, spearheaded by MMA champion James Wilks, is the bold documentary that is currently shaking the world of sports nutrition to its core. The film tells the stories of a number of world-class athletes who, after their switch to veganism, saw vast improvements in their athletic performance. Initially, I was sceptical of the film and of these unknown faces appearing on screen, presenting their information as gospel. However, as soon as Arnold Schwarzenegger popped up, bolstering
the film’s credibility tenfold, I knew that this was the real deal. Aside from Arnie’s cameo, the highlight of the film is the story of vegan strongman, Patrik Baboumia, and his attempt to break the world record for heaviest weight ever carried by a human being. There are some documentaries that stand out above the rest, that transcend the medium to tell a story. These films are personal stories that possess a touch of humanness that sometimes exceeds imagination and fiction. The film succeeds greatly in being a persuasive video essay, but it falls short of being a great piece of cinema that will be loved and remembered for years to come.
