Finals Relief

You’ve been sitting in this chair for five and a half hours. Three trips to the bathroom, one to Pita Pit and two to the vending machine. Five different groups of lecture slides are open, sticky notes are everywhere and a combination of binders, calculators and textbooks are sprawled in every direction. You have just reached the point where you might be able to finish the entire review sheet if you skip dinner, turn it into four days without showering and make your friend (who has officially checked out and won’t stop talking) leave, please. On to the afternoon’s second cup of coffee and time to finish strong.

But wait. I have another solution. Instead of mad-dashing it until 3am, consider taking a few well-timed breaks in your studies. Turn off your phone, dim your computer screen to darkness, close your eyes and breathe easy. Put on the headphones and use these relaxing songs to ease your pain. A quick 3-minute break here and there can go a long way.

To start off, get a little funky. You need something to shake things up, staring at C-tools certainly isn’t the spice you’re looking for. Check out Lionbabe, a hot new group from NYC who brings the 1970s funk into modern house music. Watch the music video if you really need a distraction. https://soundcloud.com/lionbabe/treat-me-like-fire

Next, stay in the city and take a look at Brooklyn-based San Fermin. This group has been getting a ton of play on some popular music blogs, and are about to drop their new album in a month or so. San Fermin has tracks with musicians from the likes of Bon Iver and ACME. Let these stunning vocals and unique rhythm soothe your tension. https://soundcloud.com/teamclermont/san-fermin-sonsick

Now try an alternative to the traditional pump-up jam. This slight re-work of Edward Sharpe’s ‘Man On Fire’ will leave you energized, empowered and glowing. Make sure you close your eyes for this one- actually, go ahead, put your head down for a few minutes – the snaps will wash out all of the stress. https://soundcloud.com/edward-sharpe-mag-zeros/man-on-fire-little-daylight

Finally, open your eyes and enjoy this exceptional live performance. This is Hip Hop at its prime. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0HYp8d-RmE&