There has been a lot of talk on campus of such things as mental health, suicide awareness and self-esteem.

There are quite a large number of nerds on campus still mourning the death of our self-described (but self-diagnosed) bipolar sister Carrie Fisher. Many more members of the Cerritos College community are mourning the suicide of Fine Arts Communications Division Performing Arts Promotion Specialist, Renee Bloch — a friend, source of support and a lover of theater arts.

The Re-Entry Resource Program is hosting a Self-Esteem Workshop on Thursday, February 16.

In correlation with all of these happenings, I have complied several different ways to heal the mind that you could use (probably in addition to medication and therapy) in order to overcome the troubles in your life and live a better life:

• Reading is a way to collect knowledge and relax at the same time. Often times it’s hard to relate to real people because they’re stupid; naturally, introverts can relate much more to characters in novels. Besides that, research suggests that reading novels prevents Alzheimer’s and other diseases that attack the brain and develop (much needed) social skills.
• Steal things! Not big things like diamonds or people’s freedom of speech. Steal the nine dollar fudgsicle from the seven-eleven across the street (which, by the way is illegal, don’t do it). Break the pens at the banks off the chains. Steal someone’s man. Remember, according to former Arts & Entertainment editor David Jenkins, it’s not stealing if you don’t believe in personal property.
• Decluttering is another way of decreasing mental anguish. Throw out the old, useless things and do not replace them — give yourself more room to breathe. Donate those old clothes to charity. Clutter leads to anxiety, embarrassment and family stresses. Removing the trash and the memories that accompany it is a valid way of healing the mind.
• Harass capitalists like cookie selling girlscouts.
• Burn all the money. (This is also illegal, don’t).

• Ignoring people is useful when your immediate peers don’t know how to listen. Block out the noise by listening to the stand-up album of bipolar comedian Maria Bamford. Talk to your distant peers — your extended family members, your local barista or the person answering the phone of a suicide hotline.