As we get to the half-way point of the semester and everyone’s work begins to ramp up, The Justice’s editorial board wishes to share all the ways we destress in the build-up to finals after a seemingly endless midterm season.

A common way to get away from the chaos of everyday life is to retreat into the wilderness and reconnect with the Earth. Luckily, there are quite a few spots near the Brandeis campus where one can spend time in nature. The Sachar woods behind the International Business School is a great place for wild animal sightings, and the Mount Feake cemetery is perfect for mushroom hunting. For views of the New England fall foliage, this board would recommend walking through Prospect Hill Park or by the Charles River, an entrance to which can be found by the Charles River Apartments. This board’s favorite parks to picnic and people-watch include Nipper Maher Park in Waltham and the Boston Common or Boston Public Garden for those willing to travel. If you’re too bogged down with homework to touch grass, and are instead looking for a study spot with the opportunity to gaze longingly at grass, we’d recommend the first floor of the Shapiro Science Center or the third floor of the Mandel Center for the Humanities. Furthermore, if you’d like to get work done off-campus, Common Good is an excellent cafe on Moody Street for your studying and lavender lemonade needs. 

Engaging in non-academic activities is vital for maintaining one’s sanity in the difficult times preceding finals. Some of this board’s favorite on-campus activities include going to the gym, doing pottery at Pottery Club’s instructor hours and playing the piano. You can find pianos on campus at the Slosberg Music Center, Charles River Apartments, Intercultural Center, Polaris Lounge, Shapiro Campus Center and the Village. Some non-academic activities to do from home include reading Vogue Magazine, watching hockey, curating a playlist, playing the New York Times games, coloring, rewatching shows and looking at pictures of your pets. Fun ways to bond with your friends could be to dance in the rain together or, for a less wholesome option, engaging in public discourse on the Sidechat app. Leaving Waltham and engaging in opportunities the greater Boston area has to offer, such as line dancing, provides a well-needed distance from Brandeis that’s helpful for resetting your mental state. 

Self-care should be prioritized in the activities one chooses to engage in. The activities we find healthiest for our state of mind include meditating on the large platforms by the Leo Gerstenzang Science Library, journaling, listening to music while riding the Boston-Cambridge shuttle, buying fresh flowers to decorate our living spaces and painting our nails. This board cannot understate the importance of having a good sleep schedule.

Finally, this board understands the importance of good food for one’s emotional well-being. For this reason, we would like to share the foods on or around campus that have brought us the most comfort during our time at Brandeis. Our on-campus options include: a Dunkin’ plain iced coffee, glazed chocolate donut, hot chocolate and mini everything bagels, gummies from the Hoot Market and hot chocolate from Einstein’s Bagels. For off-campus favorites, our orders include: Asia Wok’s boneless ribs, chicken teriyaki and crab rangoon; Pho & Spice’s tom yum noodle soup and drunken noodles; Absolutely Asia’s pork dumplings; Playa Bowls’ Dragonberry bowl with Nutella and gluten free granola; a Panera smoothie; In a Pickle’s french toast; Guanachapi’s Mexican and Latin Food’s birria tacos; and Taco Bell’s deluxe box, which we have learned takes an astounding two hours to arrive to campus. If you’re taking a study break to head to a convenience store, we’d recommend Ben & Jerry’s Dublin Mudslide, Granny Smith apples with Nutella, the ingredients for a grilled cheese sandwich and agave-based beverages.

The Justice Editorial Board urges you all to take care of yourselves as best you can and to make time for yourselves outside of your academic responsibilities. Remember that your grades are not the end-all-be-all of your academic career and that your well-being is infinitely more important in the long run. This board would also like to assert that the onus for students’ mental health is not only on the students themselves, but that professors and the University play a large part in the well-being of the student body. We urge professors to be considerate of their students and the struggles they will be facing in the remainder of this semester. For those struggling with their mental health, we urge you to talk to the counselors at the Brandeis Counseling Center or to check out resources from the Health and Wellness Promotion. We wish you luck with  the remainder of the semester and hope this guide inspires you to partake in self-care today.