This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNH chapter.
In honor of these April showers, I feel like it’s fitting to share with everyone a few of the things that have been making my days brighter recently. I compiled a list of songs, snacks, skin care products, and a few other things. Hopefully, this can help someone out there have a better time with their finals week or whatever other stress they may have in their life…
SONGS
- Basically every song off of Billie Eilish’s new album, “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” Don’t ask me why she made the title of the song in capitals, she’s just a very angsty little girl. If you don’t have time to listen to the entire album through, I would specifically suggest “wish you were gay”, “listen before I go”, and “I love you.”
- “I And Love And You” // The Avett Brothers
- “Meet Me in the Hallway” // Harry Styles
- “Hard Sun” // Eddie Vedder
- “Bring It On Home To Me” // The Animals
- “When I Fall” // Lizz Wright
- “Lava” // Still Woozy (released this month!)
- “Gloria” // The Lumineers (released earlier this month!)
- “Sweet Emotion” // Aerosmith
- “Caledonia, My Love” // Hiss Golden Messenger
SNACKS
- Clementines – perfect go-to snack, rich in Calcium and Vitamin D. I must eat 5 of these a day and I’ve yet to find any negative health effects.
- Cereal Bars – while a bit more sugary, cereal bars are so easy to just grab on your way out the eat or pull out in class.
- Berries! – As the weather warms up, the berries will be becoming more popular. This snack is packed full of antioxidants and are such a sweet treat for breakfast. Highly recommended!
SKIN CARE
- Aloe!! – Aloe is a great alternative to lotion if you feel like switching it up. During the later months of winter, my skin was just dying for hydration, so I turned to aloe. The one tip I would give for someone who wants to use aloe is just to make sure it is fully rubbed into your skin. If left on your skin without being rubbed in, the aloe can sort of dry onto your skin and leave it with a greenish tint. This will cause you to have to wash it off your skin, drying it right back out.
- Tea tree oil – Used directly in moderation or diluted more often, tea tree oil has had great effects on my skin. Because of this cold New Hampshire weather, my skin breaks out badly in the winter. To counteract this, I moisturize every chance I get, as well as treat my blemishes with tea tree oil. I apply it directly to problem spots or dilute it heavily with coconut oil and rub it into my entire face. I recommend doing research on this first to see exactly how and where you should use this.
- Gold Bond Rough & Bumpy Skin – Take it from someone who has Keratosis Pilaris (KP) and eczema, this works wonders on flaky or bumpy skin. I’ve been applying this to the backs of my arms, legs, and bottom, and my skin has never been smoother! I find it especially works best right after a hot shower & shave.
SPRING HABITS
- Keep yourself functioning – I’m sure every single girl reading this needs to hear this: just because it is the end of the semester does not mean you should stop taking care of yourself! Stop studying for finals and do things for you: go to the gym, eat food that makes you feel good, or relax with a face mask. You cannot overwork yourself! If you do, your skin, organs, and mental health will pay the price!
- Clean your room – For God’s sake, the number of rooms I’ve been in this past month that have just been a complete disaster is crazy! The mind only works as orderly as its environment. No one can write an A paper when they have half a pepperoni pizza rotting in their garbage can or three weeks’ worth of clean laundry sitting on their dresser. Put on some music (see above) and spend 10-20 minutes just focusing on cleaning and organizing the space around you. Pro: it’ll give you an excuse to stop studying for that Econ exam you have in 2 weeks.
Incorporating just a few of these things can greatly improve your last few weeks at school. It’s unfortunate that this rain is keeping everyone indoors, but spend this time wisely before it’s summer break and you have to go back to bagging groceries for 8 hours a day.