Ritual held by the Zuni and Hopi on the shortest day of the

Conor Breslin discusses what you can do to improve your mood during the winter break A s the Christmas period vastly approaches, the horrific recurring thoughts of spending money and wondering where did that year go, can lead into a season that can be a stressful time for many people, leaving us to wonder, is Andy Williams correct in saying this is the “most wonderful time of the year!” While the Christmas tunes roar, the bright lights beam and the heartfelt family movies play on repeat. Still, many people need inspiration and encouragement to help them through these lonely dark days at home without college friends who you won’t see until exam time in January.

Between getting the decorations ready, to meeting family members you only see once a year, to the shopping list, to the financial pressures, to over eating, to the miserable weather, to the feeling that you have too much to do and not enough time to do it in, December can be a truly overwhelming and difficult time of year. For some people Christmas is a period you want to end quickly and it’s not unusual for people to feel overwhelmed by the festivities.

Keeping this in mind, here are a few ways to keep your mood up and subside the isolation that appears at Christmas time.

Making lists of jobs that still need to be done over the next number of days and presents that actually need to be bought will help organise your thoughts. Being organized can boost your self-esteem. Leaving all your preparations for Christmas until the very last minute can cause unnecessary stress, so remember planning ahead can save you time and often can save you money. The unthinkable amount of days in the pub drinking with friends can be good fun, but is not for everybody and also very expensive. Drink can make you ease off, help you relax and get you out of the house, but remember, alcohol is a depressant and will ultimately lead to low mood especially at the end of the year when you will start to contemplate how fast the time is going and what did you accomplish in 2019. Get out and meet your friends, but take it easy, remember, you don’t have to drink.

Christmas can be boring for many people, which can lead to over eating, which can ultimately lead to gluttony. Therefore, exercise is one of the best things someone can do to elevate their mood. We all gain weight over the Christmas period which leads us to our never completing diet programs in January. Even if you’re not a sporty person, make the effort to commit yourself to a few hours outside every day.

There’s nothing worse than sitting around the house doing nothing for three weeks straight. It happens, it’s easy to make excuses for ourselves when the weather is so bad but getting out into the open air makes a world of difference to our mood, whether with a friend or a family pet.

Finally, whether you get on with them or not, Christmas is a time to be with your family and loved ones. Even if you can’t see them, picking up the phone to call a family member can go along way. Christmas only comes once a year and who knows what the future holds, so cherish the loving moments while you can. Exercise is one of the best things someone can do to elevate their mood “

Piercings can be these amazing little things if you want to start decorating your body, without the permanent commitment of a tattoo. Not only are there some gorgeous pieces of jewellery that you can buy to make your normal piercings look amazing, but you can also get some unique piercings that stand out by themselves.

Decorative piercings are a new trend that everyone seems to be hopping onto. From a normal lobe piercing on your ear, to a crazy dermal piercing on your cheek, the possibilities are endless. Some of the most popular ones recently are daiths (the crus of the helix), rooks (antihelix), smiley (lip web) and constellation piercings (a number of piercings on the ear in a row that create a pattern).

Dermal piercings are on the rise too. These are piercings that are embedded in, and sit inside, the dermis layer of the skin with an anchor keeping it in place. You can get these almost anywhere on your body that you can imagine; your wrist, your chest, face, neck, hips, back dimples, cheeks, throat, stomach, back of your neck, by your ears, on your dimples or even between your breast. Some people even get dermal piercings on their fingers in place of a wedding or engagement ring to show their commitment to the relationship.

Although men are getting into the trend, it is predominantly popular among women.Piercings, like tattoos, can become addictive. I personally have been getting piercings since I was 11, so I’ve been on the trend for a while and I am still not sick of it. Now eight years later, I have 16 piercings; two lobes, four upper lobes, a lower helix, an industrial, a helix, tragus, conch, a rook, a nose, a smiley and a nipple. Yes some of them hurt, but you get over the pain and are left with this cool decoration on your body which is completely worth it.

What is the appeal though? There are two main reasons this is a big new trend. The first is simply that piercings are pretty, and are a non-commitment way of decorating your body. It is a simple form of body modification that appeals to those who are not quite ready for a tattoo yet. The second reason is that if someone is going through a rough time in their lives, piercings are a way of counteracting that pain and giving it the middle finger.

If you’re looking for some inspiration for some decorative piercings of your own, Instagram and Pinterest are the best places to go. Also, please, whatever you do, do not go anywhere that uses piercing guns to get a piercing. Piercing guns are highly unsanitary, so toughen up and go into a tattoo parlour where they can do it properly for you (there is plenty spread around the City Centre). The last thing you want is to end up with an infected ear piercing or body piercing. Trust me, there is nothing worse than the pain of trying to sleep on an infected, swollen cartilage piercing.