Getting Cheered Up

It is, unfortunately, exam season.  Every moment not spent at one of my various jobs, scrimping and saving for our holiday, is spent studying, or more to the point, feeling guilty about not studying.  Spring suits Brisbane ever so well, but the beautiful purple Jacardas blooming everywhere only serve as a cruel reminder of my impending doom.   Therefore, I have been seeking ways in which to cheer myself up.  These are my findings, rated in terms of success.


Retail therapy.  Especially in the form of markets, as they often take ages to get to and meander through, thus also serving as an excellent procrastination tool.  I found a super cute crocheted soap holder thingy at the Little Market on Wednesday, and also popped over to the West End Markets on Saturday.  A $1 cheese stick certainly improved my mood, as did some cute Christmas cards, holding my boyfriend's hand and a number of secret Christmas gift related purchases.
Financial burden: High for the exxy Christmas cards (I got carried away supporting local artists) but low for the culinary delights!
Cheer up factor: High.


Appreciate the little things. For example, in the spirit of Cheer Up Solution #1, I bought some cheapie shirts today, and they have the neatest tags!
Financial burden: Low.  You can appreciate little free things.
Cheer up factor: Medium.

Go see a film.  Simple, yet brilliant, right?  It's dark and cool, and there is ice cream and sometimes even cuddles.  I recommend The Social Network, which we saw on Saturday.  Not just for it's clever and original slogan...
Financial burden: Low if you are a UQ student at the Indooroopilly movies. :)
Cheer up factor: High!

Read my blog.  ...It cheers me up!  I mean, me reading it.  And you reading it.  That's nice also.
Financial burden: None whatsoever!  I won't even try to sell you anything by filling your screen with mindless advertising.
Cheer up factor: Medium.  I'm being modest of course.

Sherbet cone with a Flake from Wendy's.  These are my current vice, because they are delicious and can be eaten in a 15-minute break from work.  I ask for mine in a cup, so I can enjoy the sherbet-y goodness for the entirety of my ice cream eating experience, rather than eating all the sherbet at the start then having to finish a boring ice cream in a boring cone.  Because that's not cheerful!  Also, they're not terribly life-ruining-ly bad for you (like evil McFlurrys).
Financial burden: Low.  $3.60 to be precise. :)
Cheer up factor: Medium.  Which is pretty good for a 15 minute break!

Just do the flippin' study.  I'm sorry. But it does need to be done at some point. In all its mind-numbing-what-does-this-even-have-to-do-with-psychology-I-just-want-to-help-people glory.
Financial burden: None, except for the snacks.  French onion dip and Sakatas is my preference.
Cheer up factor: Negative in short term, medium-high in the long term.

Best of luck!  Keep calm and carry on, just like Pooh would do.