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Test Anxiety Tips

Walk through any college campus around midterms, and you can feel it - stress is in the air! For some of us, it isn’t the papers or studying that worries us the most. Instead, it is taking the test itself that causes us the most anxiety. If you are reading this and nodding, be assured that you are not alone. Test anxiety is common, and affects approximately 20% of students. Research on this topic has helped psychologists better understand the relationship between stress and test performance and develop specific strategies to help students manage this stress. What is an anxious student to do? Here are some tips for keeping test anxiety under control: Learn to study efficiently for each class . Utilize all study sessions or other academic supports offered by your school. Studying the material in an organized and proactive way will make you feel more prepared and relaxed in advance of the test. Use all academic supports to help you do this! Establish a consistent pre-test ro...
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Life Gets Better, But Not By Itself

TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains references to bullying, as well as references to suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. I remember them so well: the feelings, the sensations, and the thoughts running through my head as I tried so desperately to muster up the strength to just do it. I remember not caring how it would impact the ones who loved and cared about me, or how I would be robbing myself of the potential future that awaited me. I had been through enough in my then-seventeen years of life and I was done. Not angry, just done. It was a February night during my senior year of high school, and I was alone, trying to drown myself by filling up the sink in my parents’ bathroom with water and holding my head underneath for as long as I could. Repeatedly, I held my head under, but my natural reflexes jerked my head upward, as if my physical half and emotional half were at war. My heart and soul felt like they were dead, and they wanted my physical self to join them - but it ...
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Organization Spotlight; Chazkeinu

As an only girl in my family, I always wondered what it would be like to have a sister. Someone who could be a mentor and role model for me, and hopefully I could do the same for her. This past year for me has been one with many trials and tribulations. There were times I felt alone, and I needed someone who understood me, related to me, and could be a role model. I needed someone to show me that it was possible to succeed and rise above the stigmas and judgments that had been placed on me. Once I hit rock bottom, I was lost, and looked for any sort of comfort or community who understood my struggles in such a personal way. Then I learned about Chazkeinu. In March of 2016, a group of women, inspired by their own experiences with mental illnesses, founded Chazkeinu. They took it upon themselves to create an organization which promotes empathetic support and positive connection between Jewish women struggling with mental illness. Zahava List, one of the founders and the President of ...
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EDITORIAL: The Time Had Come to Stop Being Afraid

Welcome to a new year of The Breather! By this point in the semester, we are beginning to get into a rhythm. We no longer have to check our schedules every day to remember which rooms our classes are in, and we have pieced together some form of daily routine. But, on the other hand, we risk falling into a slump - the holiday break is over, and we are in for a long stretch. On top of it all, midterms and assignments come at us, piling up deadlines just as quickly as we can meet them.  It is important to remember to take a step back when everything feels overwhelming. Instead of seeing everything as a long, stressful stretch of time filled with work that must be done as soon as possible, take it one day at a time, and do not be afraid to take a break to gather yourself and your thoughts if you need to. Think big picture; it is better to have one “unproductive” hour than a whole day of anxiety and burnout. During the first week of classes this semester, a new student I remem...
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I Am Not In A Bad Mood - Shay Fishman

Oxford Dictionary says “mood” means a temporary state of mind or feeling.  Well this is no mood I feel, no mood my sister feels, no mood my brother feels. It’s more like we are running along a hamster wheel.  How many times I’ve said enough, I carry an umbrella handcuffed. All I know is I’ve felt unsuited, like the rotten apple buried beneath the big shiny red ones, worrying I’m contaminating them. People could say I’m too dark, too dour, or too bleak, but I’m just being real with chemicals that need a tweak. I can say it gets better and not have to lie, but getting there takes a few tries. Setbacks will come to try to disrupt your ability to tranquilize these feelings that you hope stay away like the brown bear trying to steal the honey off of your challah.  I know that everything is temporary, but the most permanent thing in our individual lives are the meaningful moments we collect that one day add up to a pretty good life.
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Breath Between Breaths (Beat in B-Minor) - Dassi Okin

You lie there in the dark The gentle dependable thuds keep you company Your heart composer  Your thoughts the score Ka-thump Ka-thump Ka-thump The cushioning  darkness amplifies all Sleeps keeps away different reasons each time yet the beat is steady  Even As your lids Begin To close And in the morning when the day banishes  the night's doubt The rhythm is lost  in the hustle and bustle But the heart goes on Ka-thump Ka-thump Ka-thump
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Tips and Tricks

Tips and tricks for the worried/stressed/anxiety ridden person, just like me. This article is written by a peer, who wants to give advice on how to deal with certain stressful scenarios. I am in no way a professional, and in no way have these “solutions” completely cured my anxiety/stress levels, but they often work for me! Therefore, please do take into account my thoughts and opinions in this article, as I hope they can help you, the reader, to relax in times of angst. But keep in mind, if you feel extremely overwhelmed, or even if you just need to talk, it is always best to seek out counseling.  Example 1:  Scenario: Your friend has been acting distant lately. You have absolutely no idea why. You go up to them and ask what’s going on, and they say nothing but still act distant. What goes through your head : “Why are they still being distant? I must’ve done something. Maybe I was rude when I first talked to them this morning? Maybe it’s their birthday and I forgo...
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