It’s Wednesday, it’s lunchtime, and I bet you’re either getting back from a hellish morning of classes or trying to come up with a good excuse why not to go to your 2:20 lecture. Either way, College Candy firmly believes you should take a minute and de-stress before your afternoon push.

What better way to do that than cute animals?!

Here’s hoping that the next 5 minutes and 10 seconds will give you a much needed boost you need to get through your day!

Happy Hump Day!

Sometimes I look at this world and I shake my head.

Other times, I laugh.

When it comes to this story, I’m not sure which I should do.

Nakazawa Foods, A Tokyo-based company, is preparing to launch its new line of “Adult Milk”, products targeting people “who live in a stressful society”.

These new products, including actual cartons of milk, will be extremely rare and special because they include liquid “taken from cows once a week at the break of dawn as they discharge a lot of a stress-relieving hormone called melatonin during the night”.

Yup. Milk that helps fight stress. Read More »

Summer — a time for barbeques, trips to the beach, and some serious drinking. So where the hell does waking up at the crack of dawn fit in?

Not long ago, 1 p.m. was an acceptable hour for me to drag myself out of bed. My roommate would often upstage my extreme sleeping habits by dozing into the late afternoon. We would shudder collectively at the thought of waking up at the extreme early morning hour of 10 a.m.

However, as soon as the summer began and I moved back to a land free of all nighters in the study lounge, loud parties across the hall, and most importantly, the incessant overbearing stress of school, I began to wake up at 7 a.m. on a daily basis for my internship and job.

I’m not going to pretend it was easy. The first few days the morning sun burned my eyes and I had to physically throw myself out of bed. I cursed myself for having responsibilities and stumbled around my house like a wounded animal. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

Despite this rocky start, it wasn’t long before I began to recognize the many benefits of rising at a decent hour:

Breakfast: Let’s get real. Breakfast food is some of the best stuff out there. Bagels, pancakes, cereal, fruit- it doesn’t get much better than that. Having time to actually eat it is a precious opportunity. Not only is breakfast food delicious, it’s part of a nutritionally balanced diet. Read More »

Still stressed?

I can understand. These last couple weeks of the school year often stretch the best of us past our snapping point. Why, just the other day, I realized I had consumed two giant cans of Enviga in a span of only three hours, thus speeding my heart rate up to a weirdly uncomfortable tempo and causing me to scream out my answers in class at a strangely loud decibel.

For this forth installment of my Spring Semester Freak-Out Remedies, I’m going to focus on a few ‘quick fixes’. And by quick fixes, I don’t mean the too – good – to – be – true – lose – tons – of – weight – by – eating – PIZZA! variety. I mean tried and true, simple yet effective ways to calm yourself down during the worst of times.

• Are You a Stressball? Go for a Walk – I know, the last thing you have right now is time, but believe me, just 10-15 minutes outside (especially now that you don’t have to put on eight shirts just to stay comfortable) can really help your mind refocus during mind-numbing tension. Read More »

The world isn’t getting any easier. Judging by the recent headlines, there’s more to be shook up about than ever. Add a little end of semester jitters and it’s quite possible that a third installment of Spring Semester Freak-Out Remedies might be in order.

This time, I thought I’d give away a few evening rituals that I’ve learned over the years. I’m a hopeless case when it comes to sleep. If I’ve got a lot on my mind, you can kiss a restful night goodbye. I’m a champion Clock Gazer, watching the little red numbers tick by, getting more and more anxious the closer morning gets, practically ready to run a marathon by 4 AM.

I’ve always envied those people who pass out the minute their heads hit the pillow. I don’t understand what they do with their minds, but someday I hope to learn. Until then, this is what I do to calm down.

Two Hours before Bedtime: I turn my music down, and shut off the “Kelly Clarkson/Ozzy Ozborn” Playlist. Loud music helps me write—or dance around when I’m about to crack from stress—but it also revs up my body. I’ve found switching to a soft folk or classical station actually slows my heartbeat, and calms me without my head really noticing. I’ve also had a lot less complaints from downstairs neighbors. Read More »

Still squinting at your computer into the wee hours of the night, eating pretzels and knocking back that new disgusting pink Tab? (Seriously. Who thought women wanted a drink that tastes like chemically enhanced bubblegum?) Still trying to memorize all those weirdly named body parts for anatomy while your bed calls seductively to you from across the room?

Well, maybe my second installment of Spring Semester Freak-Out Remedies will help ease the pain. In this episode, we will be discussing meditation. The easy kind. None of that lotus-position hour long advanced yogi stuff. Let’s be real, almost none of us has time—or the back strength—for that.

Meditation, even in its simplest form, can bring your body and mind back from crazy land. It’s a centering practice, an easy way to feel rested in only a few minutes. And best of all? You can do it lying down!

Step 1. Make sure you have at least 15 minutes of quiet time. 15 minutes where you know the roommate won’t be around, when no one’s going to be knocking on your door, and there’s no rush to get down to the dining hall. If you have more time, awesome, but 15 minutes is a good place to start.

Step 2. Shut off all your lights. Close your curtains. You don’t need to be in pitch dark, but the atmosphere should be calming and quiet. Read More »

Spring semester is not the time of year for freedom. It’s a perfect time for stress, final papers, graduation headaches, post-job searches, and general panic…but not for relaxation, meditation, and health.

Most of us are so busy thinking eight steps ahead that we forget to see what’s right in front of us. We’re exhausted, strung out, anxious…basically Lindsay Lohan’s body after a two day bender.

How’s a girl supposed to find some clarity during such a vague time? One way that’s guaranteed not to work is the old drugs and alcohol trick. They may help for the moment, but next thing you know you’re shaving your own head and getting random tattoos and showing up to parties without undies.

As much as I love action and adventure, I’m a big fan of spiritual, mental, and bodily health. I freely admit to being a Type A kind of girl, and that’s why I have to work every day to make sure I’m not running myself ragged. It’s taken a nice long while, but I think I’m finally finding my solid ground. Read More »