Soon the semester will be ending which means the workload will be getting a little heavier. With all the extra work comes double the stress and it’ll be harder to concentrate. This may seem like the time to throw in the towel and it is- only for a short while. When this happens the best thing to do is take a break and reevaluate, but most importantly find something calming yet constructive to relax yourself. One of the best kept (therapeutic) secrets is painting your nails. “The only girly thing I do. I like the different colors [I can choose]. It [looks] professional,” says University of Baltimore’s Ceporah Womack-Norris.
Painting your nails can affect your mood and make you feel better about yourself. The action will begin to decrease stress levels because it’ll take your mind off of homework or classes and it’ll give you time for yourself. Painting your nails makes you feel good because you are doing something to increase your aesthetics, which will make you happy. Nails also can brighten your mood depending on the color you choose. Kendra McFadden, a junior at Morgan State University says, “Well I feel better when my nails are done. When they are a bright interesting color it makes me happy. And more confident showing them off. But mostly I just like looking at them. Blues have so many shades. Electric blues and Caribbean blues are so bright and exciting. Teals are pretty neutral for me. Then there’s royal blue. I find that one kinda enigmatic. Navy is safe and mature… but sexy.”
According to the Leslie Harrington, executive director of The Color Association, “We react on multiple levels of association with colors — there are social or culture levels as well as personal relationships with particular colors. You also have an innate reaction to color. For example, when you look at red, it does increase your heart rate. It is a stimulating color. This goes back to caveman days of fire and danger and alarm.” Choose wisely when choosing a color for your nails. There are the standard colors: red, green, blue, yellow, orange, black, and white. These colors have other shades that were created from them or in the same family as them.
Painting your nails can be therapeutic and calming due to the colors you choose or the just taking time out to care for yourself. The most important thing is doing something that makes you feel good to relive the stress of the end of the semester.
Click Below to find the meaning of the colors.