FISH Philosophy in College
One of the most interesting and wonderful life lessons I learned earlier this year is the FISH! Philosophy. It describes four easy mottoes that can be applied to each day of your life any situation you might come across.
Play
Life is not fun when it is monotonous. We seem to unconsciously assign a dullness and sobriety to ‘work’ and differentiate it form ‘play’. The former is something we have to do while the latter is more of an unproductive use of time, is how we commonly perceive these activities. Truth is, it need not be that way. Work can be fun and interesting too, if you choose to view it that way. Add a fun twist to a dull routine and instantly, it’s not so dull anymore! Being serious all the time does not increase efficiency or productivity in any way. In fact, livening things up, be it with music, talking to yourself, turning physics homework into a superhero story, cheering yourself up for every calculus problem solved, whatever works for you, helps you enjoy what you are doing and accomplish more while achieving better results.
Make their day
It is easier said than done, but the easiest and most effective way to forget your worries and come out of your shell of depression is to go out and make someone else feel better. Forgetting your own worries and trying hard to cheer someone else up does make you happier too. For one thing, there’s the unparalleled satisfaction of having made someone feel better. Secondly, there’s an immensely positive physiological reaction when you smile when you feel like you absolutely cannot. It lifts your spirits and you don’t feel so bad anymore. So next time you’re down in the dumps, smile and make someone else smile, you’ll keep smiling.
Be there
College is not easy, and every time you think you have gotten it all together, a new challenge crops up and you feel like you are back at square one. This happens to everyone; it is a part of learning. Yet, we all need emotional support to reaffirm our belief in our own selves. Especially in college, where we all are far away from our families, it is essential that we motivate each other. It could be anything, from a simple cheerful Hi! to lending a patient and sympathetic ear to someone. More often than not, we only need someone to listen to all that we have to say, they need not even come up with solutions. Just knowing that someone is there for us is reassuring in itself. 
Choose your attitude
Worrying does not solve problems. It only makes them worse. On the other hand, telling yourself that you can handle it, surprisingly, does decrease the intensity with which they haunt you. Smile, accept the situation, look for a reasonable solution, tell yourself you can do it and you shall!
Life is hard, but it has its beautiful moments too, and our difficulties should not prevent us from enjoying the little things in life and living life. As I was thinking about all this, I remembered a poem by Ruskin Bond, which sums it up nicely:
