Category: BICvice with Zephyr Straus

Fellow BICers,

These past couple of weeks have been long ones for lots of us as there are exams and papers and speeches. I know that for myself, it is getting to be overwhelming. So I have decided to write this week’s column on ways to motivate yourself while trying to do all this work.

When I was in Kindergarten, my teacher would always tell us once we were done with hard work, to kiss our brain. While I thought this was the weirdest and most disgusting thing at the time, I now understand what she meant. Doing something good for yourself after completing large amounts of work can help to support your brain when schoolwork gets hectic.

We are all familiar with the feeling of just wanting to cry because you are so overwhelmed. Taking a break may seem like the worst idea in the world at the time, but it is well worth it. Do not watch Netflix, but instead, go to the Student Life Center (SLC) and work out a little. It could just be walking around the track on the third floor, but getting your blood moving and getting away from the work will help you process what you have been studying. Exercise also releases endorphins into your brain. The endorphins help relax you and put you in a better mood.

One of my favorite things to do when I am extremely stressed and need a break is to go on a bike ride around campus at night. At night, it is not as hot as it can be during the day and there are not very many people wandering around. I have seen fireflies by the Brazos and often go and check in with Lady and Joy.

One of the biggest things that I find to help getting through rough assignments is a reward system. As soon as I finish a paper, assignment, reading, or anything else, I treat myself to something I crave. Even if that means getting Sic ‘Em delivery to bring me a slushy from Sonic, I make sure to utilize the time to focus on homework. While this can get to be very expensive, I usually only do this as a last resort when I am under a lot of pressure.

Now that all of the stress of last week has passed, I am able to relax a little bit. I am caught up on sleep and have the ability to now enjoy my readings. I took my own advice and ate a popsicle every time I made a big accomplishment. I am proud to say that I have survived and have given my brain a huge kiss for helping me get through the past week.

Zephyr Straus is a freshman BIC student majoring in social work. 

Family Weekend is finally upon us and many people’s families are teeming around campus, making traffic awful and the dining hall food terrific. I received an email a couple days ago that said, “I’m worried that when my parents leave, I’m going to get homesick again. I just finished getting over it from move-in day, so what do I do?”

I feel that you are vocalizing what everyone is worried about. I know for me, I felt as if family weekend was a little early. I knew that it was going to be hard to leave my mom and dad at the end of the weekend.

On that note, your parents are always there for you and at least a phone call away. If you have an iPhone, you could Face Time with them or if you don’t, there is always Skype. I have found that it helps to talk to them on the phone and be able to see their faces at the same time. Whenever I Face Time with my parents, I always ask to see my dog. Though I miss my parents immensely, my dog, Jax, is a very important part of my life. Also, my older brother is in college in Vermont, so he is further away from my parents than I am. Even though he and I used to not get along, I still miss him. Ever since he went away to college, he and I have gotten closer and now he calls me at least once a week to catch up on what my life is like. Though the Face Time and Skype calls don’t compare to being able to talk to my family in person, it is a decent substitute.

If you are a creative and visual person like I am, pictures help a ton. My grandma and I used to scrapbook together, so I have found that hanging up pictures of my friends and family help whenever I need a quick fix and they aren’t available to talk at that moment. Also, scrapbooking can be a nice break from homework and gives your brain a chance to process the information you are studying. So in a way, there are two benefits in one!

If this still does not help, going to the counseling center in the Student Life Center (the SLC) will give you some amazing resources on how to get over this slump. The counselors there are able to help students with stress and other similar problems. Also, talk with your roommates because chances are, they are feeling a similar way to you and you guys can help each other out. You can call them at (254)-710-2467. They also allow walk-ins and will be able to help you very quickly after filling a basic information sheet. Also, no insurance or insurance card is needed.

I know that there is some bad PR behind seeing a counselor, but many more people seek help than you realize. There is nothing wrong with seeing a counselor. It is their job to help you and be able to provide some solutions that are specific to your situation.

Another solution could be going home on the weekends if you don’t live too far away. I know this won’t be possible for some people, but there are three-day weekends in which you can travel to see your family.

While the first semester of college life at Baylor is going to be difficult, there are so many people and resources out in the community that are willing to help in any way they can. Have a great week!

Zephyr Straus is a freshman BIC student majoring in social work. 

Hello BICers! My name is Zephyr Straus and I am a freshman social work major here at Baylor. I’ve lived in a lot of different places including Boston, Austin, and the San Francisco Bay area. As a social work major, I truly enjoy helping people! This has led me to introduce my new column, “BICvice.” This will be an advice column where you can anonymously submit any question you have to me at quickbicadvicecolumn@gmail.com. I will publish a few of the emails I get per week and will change names, places, etc. as needed. I am excited to assist you as we all progress through the BIC together! Share your story with me every Wednesday this fall!