Last week going to my happy place took on a whole new meaning. Last week was the week almost every student dreads- finals. It affects everyone differently. Some people can’t sleep, some can’t eat, and some just become Grumpy for a week. This week I become the eighth dwarf- Crazy. I don’t sleep well, have bizarre dreams, feel sick, and become a little paranoid. However last week I found a bunch of new ways to cope with finals week, and all of them involved Disney!
1. The first way I stumbled on completely by accident. After staring at my notes for a good twenty minutes I shut my notebook and shoved it away from me. Then I looked at it and saw something I hadn’t looked at for while- three tiny circles I had drawn months previously, arranged in the shape of everyone’s favorite mouse. A hidden Mickey! Then I imagined Mickey saying, “It’s ok, pal! You can do it!” That gave me huge boost and I went back to studying.
2. I always have to listen to music when I study, so I turned on some Disney tunes along with my other music! I listened to the Tangled soundtrack, The Sherman Brothers Songbook, and a lot of music from the parks. There are few things that calm me down more than listening to music from Critter Country in Disneyland, – which is my favorite place to relax on a vacation.
3. Disney vacation pictures are worth a thousand dole whips. When I couldn’t force myself to look at another apothem, I clicked through pictures of our last Disney vacation to WDW. I felt myself reliving all those wonderful times of sharing Walt Disney World with my grandparents, eating tasty food, and meeting friends from Twitter. I felt myself sitting up higher in my chair, smiling, and quietly chuckling to myself. It made me so happy and more pleasant to be around, I’m sure.
4. I wore my lucky Mickey watch to school! I just know that it helped me do better.
5. At random times during the week, I just closed my eyes and imagined myself in Critter Country in Disneyland, sitting on a bench in the shade, people watching and eating a churro. After doing that for a few minutes I found that I was able to concentrate much more easily.
As you can probably tell, I survived finals week. However it would have been a whole lot harder if I couldn’t escape to my Disney happy place. These techniques really helped me, and I hope that they will help you too!
Contributed by: Hannah N. (NDT#23) Hannah is the DDL Teens’ Viewpoint Blogger.
With only one year to her name, Hannah made her first trip to Disneyland with her family. She has loved Disney and being in Disney Parks ever since. As a little girl, her fascination primarily manifested as Cinderella and Aladdin movie-watching marathons. These days her obsession expresses itself more in the way of collecting Disney Pins and Vinylmation. So while her heart no longer pounds at the sight of her favorite childhood princess, Jasmine, her Disney obsession is still as strong (if not stronger).
As a teen, she avidly shares her love of Disney with others who always laugh when she explains her addiction.
Fond memories are what keeps Hannah’s Disney Spirit alive. She remembers walking down Disneyland Main Street and seeing Sleeping Beauty castle for the first time, and it is one of her favorite things to recall.
