Sometimes school can get overwhelming, especially with end of the year projects and finals coming around the corner. One method that I use to help me decompress is meditation.

After a long day of school and homework, it’s time to unwind and go to sleep. You’d think that after a day of looking at our laptops, we’d want to unwind and read a book or journal – but no. In fact, about 90% of 18-29 year olds sleep with their phones near them, while 95% of people use their phone just before going to bed. I used to be one of those people.

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

Most goals cannot be achieved overnight. While I may go to bed early one night, creating consistency and not falling back on my old habits is hard. I’m trying to implement this goal by setting a routine or schedule for myself, and being okay with not perfectly meeting my goals all the time.

By: Sydney Fioerentino ‘24

I used to be an insomniac. I couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard I tried, and I would stay awake until 3-5 a.m. each night. My body felt tired, but my mind was lit up worrying about school. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I knew something had to give.

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

I struggled with this, especially with friendships. I’m more of a selfless type of person, and last semester, every time I was invited to someone’s house or to go out to a party, I would say yes. In my head, this was my chance to make friends and have an exciting college experience, but internally, I felt socially exhausted and just wanted to stay home sometimes.

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

I can’t stress enough that self care can be anything—as long as you're working towards improving your mental or physical health in big or small ways, you can quantify it as self care.

By: Sydney Fiorentino ’24

Candles are just a block of wax in a container and costs over $10. And when the wick is short, you throw the whole candle away. Such a simple creation can do so much for your mental and physical health. Here are a list of things that candles do for you!

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

As midterm and final bear around the corner, it’s time to study and get assignments done! If you are tired of studying at home and want to get on campus, here are my top 10 places to work!

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘ 24

We are all trying our best to not catch COVID-19, but cases have gone up because of Omicron and the holidays; unfortunately, I caught the virus myself. Let me say, you do not want to get it. But on the off chance that you do, here is a small survival guide that’ll help make your 10-day quarantine and recovery better:

By: Sydney Fiorentino ‘24

The semester is almost over, and if you are like me, your social battery may need some recharging. I would say I’m an outgoing person and partially extroverted, but there are definitely times where I would love to stay home and watch Netflix by myself. I’ve noticed USC is a pretty social school, and I get to see my friends every single day and night. However, I do get tired of partying or going out every weekend, and sometimes I just want to sleep and be left alone. Now that winter break is coming up, this is the perfect time for me and anyone else to recharge their social battery. Here are some things I am going to do to help myself relax:

By: Sydney Fiorentino’24

As we are nearing the end of the semester, some of us just want to go home. For me, it has been a constant push for me to finish finals before wanting to jump on a plane. I have not been home since school started, but I have been lucky enough to see my family when they came down to Los Angeles for Thanksgiving. However, I know some of my friends have not gotten the chance to go home yet. While some of us may feel more homesick than others, it is hard to do things when you miss your old room or comfy bed or even family members.

By: Sydney Fiorentino’24

USC is filled with students who do everything: work part-time, hold an E-board position on multiple clubs, perform research, all while being a full-time student. Some students are even able to party hard on a weekday, and wake up early the next morning to take a test and get an A. The habits of other USC students may feel like you are not accomplishing or doing enough to match others’ level of success. However, should you let what others are doing impact how you feel about yourself or if you belong in a certain environment?