Hello DV students – thank you for submitting to the Wildcat Tribune’s advice column! We’ve tried our best to answer your questions for this week.

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Week 1

Q: My friend, who is a fallen star made flesh, and I (17M) currently have a gang of witches chasing us intent on eating her heart and regaining their lost youth. What do we do? 

-Tristwalked Thorn

A: Hey Tristwalked Thorn! 

This is definitely a precarious situation, but I think there are a couple ways to go about this. I’m assuming the witches want to eat the soul from the heart, as I’m not quite sure that a literal heart would be too youthful. You could go down the Voldemort path: use some residual star power to split up your friend’s soul and lead the witches on a wild goose chase so they’d leave you alone (although, if you chose to go down this path, I’d recommend putting the soul in a hard-to-find place, like a rock or some grass so that it’s harder to trace). You could always go to one of the Galaxy Mages and ask for a poison that will kill the witches, but beware the price (the Council of Mages has a list of suggestions of gifts, from fluffy cats to lemon peels. I’m sure you can find something). I suppose you could try to pick up some weapons from near you and try to physically fight the witches, but I’d make a solid escape plan and distraction and then get the heck out of here. I hope your friend’s heart remains un-eaten!

-Mahika

Q: I have a major crisis. I have to declare my major soon and I’m still undecided on what I should concentrate on. I still don’t know what I want to do with life. Got any advice?

-An Alumni fan who’s still a fan

A: Hello An Alumni fan who’s a fan!

For starters, I think I speak for all of us at the Tribune when I say, we’re flattered you’re still a fan even after graduating. Now, I haven’t gone through that myself (I’m still waiting to hear back from colleges). But what I do have is experience with finding life passions and interests. My advice is to find the things that truly make you happy. What activities are you drawn to when you’re in a good mood? Or when you lack motivation, doing that one thing makes you happy? Which things do you do unapologetically? Or, what do you catch yourself thinking about at 3 A.M.? For me, it’s writing, journalism, social justice, and other related things. My advice would be to major in something that challenges you but not to the point of impossibility, while continuing to do things that excite you. Your major doesn’t have to exactly align with a certain job or interest. Try making a list, reflecting, journaling, etc. You got this.

-Dani

Q: I always feel burned out and stressed. I honestly love school and learning but junior year is stressful! With trying to do well in AP classes, extracurricular, and SAT studying. How can I find a balance to keep myself sane? Especially when everything is online I feel socially it’s difficult to maintain friendships while trying to do well in school. How can I manage all of it?

-Stressed Out

A: Hi Stressed Out! 

I’m dealing with the same exact thing, and I totally agree that junior year especially during covid is really stressful. For me, I find that starting assignments that are due in a couple days on the day it’s assigned or the day after helps, even if it’s just writing down a sentence or reading and understanding/planning what exactly I need to do for it. I also think that writing down what you need to do each day with checkboxes next to them is helpful, because it’s really satisfying to cross off your tasks once you’re done. I use notion, which is a really nice website to use to organize everything from tasks to places you want to go, and it’s also very visually pleasing to look at. Another big thing I would suggest is to set aside 25-30 min to do something that makes you feel productive while de-stressing at the same time. I’ve been exercising with my friend, and it’s nice to not think about school and just focus on something else for a few minutes. This could also help you reconnect with someone if you are both willing to set aside time to work on something together to destress. Another idea is to call a friend specifically to study together and take breaks to talk in between, so you can keep each other on track while still working and spending time together. I hope this helps, and feel free to reach out to me anytime for more ideas!

-Amrita

Q: I’m losing friends over quarantine, [we’re] not hanging out, [in the] same classes or texting. What do I do?

-Anonymous

A: Hi! 

I have had the same exact problem happen to me, and I can say it has happened to almost everyone during these unprecedented times. I want to start off by saying that this whole Pandemic is not easy on us! So you need to give yourself some air to breathe and know that you are doing enough right now! When we are at school, we used to see people during passing periods, the lunch lines, and in class. We did not need to make much of an effort in order to communicate with them since they were in our life without us asking. Now that school is online, the only way we can really communicate with someone would have to be through texting, facetime or making an effort to meet outside of school- that can be challenging! What I started to do is, making an effort on my end to reach out to people I haven’t in a while- this makes them feel good and it rekindles the friendship. Soon eventually they will start doing the same to you, and it will feel somewhat like the good old days.

-Shereen

Q: How do I find the balance between work and mental stability?

-Anonymous

A: Hi! I’ve definitely had the same issue and being a major procrastinator hasn’t helped, but taking breaks in between has worked. Take five minutes off for yourself when it turns too stressful, and go do something away from the screen at that time. Listening to music has been shown to lower stress and blood pressure. Personally, I listen to R&B music when I’m too stressed, but everyone has their own tastes. Setting up a schedule can also help to manage your priorities. And most importantly, find the time to talk to people. It may be hard during the pandemic, but having scheduled calls can give you something to look forward to and motivate you to complete your work sooner so that it doesn’t eat away from the time you have to talk. Hope this helped!

-Boomika

Q: My boyfriend (42M) only says he loves me in spanish. Help, what do I do? 

-Castolomew 

A: Hi Castolomew, 

I’m not exactly a relationship expert but hopefully this helps with your dilemma 🙂 Assuming that you want him to communicate his love for you in a different language, I would suggest talking about it with him and telling him how you feel! In my opinion, one of the keys to a successful relationship is honest and open communication where both sides are heard and understood. Practicing a healthy communication style can strengthen the connection between you and your partner and might even make it easier to deal with any future conflicts. I hope your conversation goes well! 

-Ariel