AAA #30

Designed by: Lay Kai En, Ashley (21-O1)

Q1: I’m starting to drift from my close secondary school friends. Is this normal and how can I continue to keep  in contact with them?

Aunt Agatha hears you! This is a problem that many people face when transitioning into a new phase of life and are starting to feel the effects of meeting new people. Maybe you haven’t been chatting as much with your best friends, or you haven’t been able to coordinate times for a lunch date with your ex-classmates. Whatever it is, know that this is completely normal, and don’t stress too much about it!

This might seem very obvious to you, but sometimes we forget that not keeping in touch  with our friends can cause both parties to drift apart. This can happen when we feel overwhelmed by our hectic schedules, which is a very common occurrence in JC. Even if we promise to consistently check up on one another, this often becomes the least of our priorities when schoolwork and other commitments start to kick in. It often starts off unconsciously, making it difficult for us to notice the friendship drifting apart, until the rift  becomes a gaping hole. 

To make a friendship last, you need to invest in it. Set aside time in your planner to check up on your old friends, or give them a call. If your friendship is on rocky ground and you are apprehensive about breaking the ice that has formed over time, you could reply to your friend’s of recent social media  posts or stories instead and ease into a conversation. Hopefully, it’ll be less awkward then and you can arrange  video calls to catch up (stay safe during this pandemic!) or even arrange a meet-up for everyone to look forward to at the end of the year!

However, it is important to consider: do you  still want to stay in close contact with your friend, and does your friend still want to maintain this close bond with you? If so, are you both willing to invest the time into your shared friendship? Or are you okay with the growing distance between you and your friend, and are willing to let go of the friendship? We have to remember that friends come and go, and it is not necessarily a bad thing to drift away from each other. 

Aunt Agatha hopes that you will be able to make the right decision and be happy with it ; all the best and remember, Aunt Agatha is always here to help!

Q2: I am experiencing burnout from my studies and the Mid-Year examinations are approaching. How do I overcome this feeling of burnout in time?

We all know the importance of studying hard for examinations. However, when one’s day is packed with non-stop studying, one will inevitably experience burnout. Study burnout is a fairly common thing among students, so fret not, Aunt Agatha is here to help!

Study burnout is fairly easy to detect. When one is burnt out from studying, feelings of mental exhaustion and fatigue are very common, along with an inability to focus on the task at hand. The earlier one identifies these signs of burnout, the faster one can overcome them.

The biggest way to overcome study burnout is to take frequent breaks. Oftentimes, students experience burnout as they devote most, if not all of their time to studying, which can take a toll on their mental and physical health. Therefore, one way to overcome feeling burnt out  is to take frequent breaks to rest and relax. Engage in low-stress and leisurely activities, like exercising or other hobbies that one might enjoy.

In addition, to avoid study burnout altogether, one can create a practical schedule to help section and plan one’s time efficiently. This also encourages one to take regular breaks in between study sessions. Another way to avoid study burnout is to get adequate rest every night. Sleep is very important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and in this case, it can help one avoid study burnout by allowing one to feel more refreshed and motivated each day. A healthy diet can also help in maintaining this healthy lifestyle as it will not only benefit one’s body physically, but also mentally as it can increase one’s energy levels and improve one’s learning ability.

Lastly, Aunt Agatha would like to remind everyone that although one’s studies are important, one’s welfare and health is of even greater importance. Thus, do remember to take frequent breaks and practice self care during this stressful exam period! Always remember that your grades do not define you as a person. I hope these tips will help you in your exam revision and good luck for MYEs!

Q3: With the limitations in study areas  and libraries, I have nowhere to study! How do I stay focused at home? Please send help!

Don’t worry, Aunt Agatha’s here to help! We all know how challenging it is to be confined to our homes. It’s especially difficult when the lines between work, play and rest are blurred. That’s why the key to self-discipline is drawing boundaries. Contrary to popular belief, boundaries are not just used for our relationships with others, but they can also apply to our individual lives! By drawing boundaries between when and where we choose to work and play even within the four walls of our home, we can create a better environment for ourselves. Here are some ways in which we can do so:

Firstly, the way we start our day determines how the rest of the day will unfold. It may seem like a small and inconvenient task, but we can start the day right by making our beds. This act of tidying up immediately cordons off our beds. Not only is this a good habit which keeps  our bedrooms in order, but it also forces us to separate ourselves from our beds. If we challenge ourselves to make our beds every time we lie in it, we are less likely to return to it for slumber. 

Secondly, find the perfect location. Who’s to say a room is the ideal study place? If the temptation to crawl back under the sheets is too great, you may want to consider moving to the living room or to the dining room instead. Sometimes being in the presence of a family member who is also working may help us better concentrate and act as accountability partners. It is also wise to limit these areas for work only so as to better distinguish areas of work, play and rest distinctly within our homes. 

Now that we’ve found the  perfect location, put away all distractions. I know, we tell ourselves that our phones would come in handy; and that we need to listen to music to concentrate. It’s the oldest trick in the book. But it really never helps. Lock it away or entrust it to a family member if you must. Take every precaution to ensure that nothing will allow our minds to wander. 

However, above all else, our minds are our greatest weapons. We can choose to use them to our advantage or they will be used against us. If we choose to dwell on the feeling of dread, we can never accomplish anything. On the other hand, if we choose to change our mindsets and find joy in studying at home, learning becomes much easier and more enjoyable. 

I hope these tips will help you ease into studying at home and remember, Aunt Agatha is always one question away!

Q4: I am always torn between the choice of chicken or fish. Which should I choose?

Hi there! This is a common dilemma, and it’s completely normal to encounter difficulties when trying to decide between the two options, especially when you’re unsure of what’s the healthier choice. Hopefully, some of the information provided here will be of use to you.

For some context, fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits while the chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), a subspecies of the red junglefowl, is a type of domesticated fowl originating from Southeast Asia. Both are common foods around the world, with chickens outnumbering humans 2:1 (Telkemp, n.d). while Europe, Japan and the United States of America together accounted for 47 percent of the world's total fish consumption in 1961 but only about 20 percent in 2015 (The Fish Site, 2018). These are some fun facts that you might want to know. 

To answer this question, we must consider the two options. Chicken is a form of white meat while fish can come in the form of white fish or oily fish. This makes both fish and chicken generally healthier than red meats like beef or mutton as they are leaner sources of protein with a lower fat content. Although oily fish like the Atlantic Herring contain more fatty acids, and have just as much fats as chicken, the omega 3 present in them is known to reduce blood pressure, thereby providing positive health benefits from the consumption of these species of fish. Hence, it is alright to consume oily fish in moderation. However we can take oily fish out of the equation as they are less served in our school’s canteen apart from the sardines that are occasionally sold in the Malay Rice store. Pardon me if I missed out on any oily fish, as I am no oily fish expert. 

Comparing white fish and chicken, white fish has a much lower fat content than chicken, while containing similar amounts of protein, basing upon the Alaskan Pollock (United States Department of Agriculture, 2011) and the Asian Sea Bass (Barramundi) that is more commonly found in Singapore (Seafood source, 2014). Both options however have different nutrients, with fish containing vitamin B-12 and omega 3 and chicken containing vitamin A and more minerals. 

In conclusion, my advice would be to strike a balance between chicken and fish. Both are definitely delicious but it would be best to consume both in adequate and balanced amounts. You can try a 3-2 diet (3 days of fish and 2 days of chicken), or a 2-2-1 diet (2 days each of chicken and fish and 1 day vegetarian. The combination does not have to be fixed, you could always add other meat options like beef, pork or duck and change it whenever you like. The key would be to strike a balance. Of course, for a healthier diet, there are other things you could do, like removing the skin from the chicken before consumption, or choosing non-fried or baked options. See you around!

Bibliography:

1. Barramundi. (2014, Jan 23). SeafoodSource. Retrieved May 22, 2021, from https://www.seafoodsource.com/seafood-handbook/finfish/barramundi

2. Ishak, R. (2016, Oct 14). 9 Signs You're Drifting Away From Your Friend. Bustle. Retrieved May 22, 2021, from https://www.bustle.com/articles/185560-9-signs-youre-drifting-away-from-your-friend-how-to-know-if-you-should-try

3. Mittal, S. (2020, Jan 31). What is Study Burnout and how to overcome it? Jargan Josh. Retrieved May 22, 2021, from https://www.jagranjosh.com/articles/what-is-study-burnout-and-how-to-overcome-it-1510653750-1

4. The Fish Site. (2018, July 10). FAO biannual report lauds aquaculture's role in meeting growing demand for fish. Retrieved May 22, 2021, from https://thefishsite.com/articles/fao-biannual-report-lauds-aquaculture-as-champion-in-meeting-growing-demand-for-fish#:~:text=Europe%2C%20Japan%20and%20The%20United,at%2024.0%20kg%20per%20capita