Why Exercise Can Make You Happier: What Happens in Your Brain by Nandita Kamalakannan

 Why Exercise Can Make You Happier: What Happens in Your Brain 

by Nandita Kamalakannan

Have you ever gone for a run or finished a workout when you didn't really feel like exercising,

only to feel better afterward?

That feeling isn't just in your imagination.

Exercise doesn't only change what happens to your muscles and heart. It also changes what

happens inside your brain.

When we exercise, our heart rate increases and our body needs more oxygen. This causes greater

blood flow throughout the body, including the brain. But the interesting part is what happens

inside the brain as a result.

One of the best-known effects of exercise involves neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are

chemical messengers that allow nerve cells to communicate with each other.

Exercise can influence several neurotransmitter systems involved in mood, motivation, attention,

and stress.

One of them is dopamine.

Dopamine is involved in motivation, reward, attention, and learning. When you accomplish

something difficult during exercise—finishing a run, lifting a certain weight, or beating your

previous time—your brain's reward system can become involved.

That can make completing a challenging workout feel satisfying.

Another neurotransmitter involved in mood is serotonin. Exercise can affect serotonin signaling,

which is one reason physical activity is being studied for its effects on mood and emotional well-

being.

And then there are endorphins.

You may have heard people say that exercise releases endorphins. Endorphins are chemicals

produced by the body that can help reduce the perception of pain and contribute to positive

feelings during or after exercise.

But the story doesn't end there.

Exercise can also affect a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF.

BDNF helps support the growth, survival, and function of neurons. It is involved in processes

related to learning and memory. Physical activity can increase BDNF signaling, which is one

reason researchers are interested in the connection between exercise, brain health, and cognitive

function.

Exercise also interacts with the body's stress system.

When you're stressed, your body activates systems involving hormones such as cortisol. Exercise

itself is a physical stressor, but regular physical activity can help the body adapt to stress and

may influence how the stress-response system reacts over time.

This may help explain why going for a run after a stressful day can sometimes make your

problems feel a little more manageable.

There is another connection between exercise and the brain that teenagers should probably care

about: sleep.

Regular physical activity is associated with better sleep for many people. And sleep is extremely

important for the brain because it supports memory, learning, emotional regulation, and recovery.

So exercise can potentially create a cycle:

You exercise.

Your body and brain respond.

You sleep better.

Your brain gets time to recover and process information.

You may feel better the next day.

And then you're more prepared to be active again.

Of course, exercise isn't a magic solution for every emotional problem. Feeling sad, stressed, or

anxious is a normal part of life, and serious or persistent mental-health concerns deserve support

from trusted adults and health professionals.

But there is something pretty amazing about the fact that moving our bodies can affect our

brains.

We often think of exercise as something we do to become stronger, faster, or healthier physically.

Maybe we should also think of it as something we do for our brains.

The next time you put on your running shoes, go for a walk, ride a bike, or play a sport,

remember that you're not just training your muscles.

You're giving your brain a workout too.

Works Cited

"Benefits of Physical Activity." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Dec. 2025,

www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/benefits/ .

"Neurotransmitters: What They Are, Functions & Types." Cleveland Clinic, 14 Mar. 2022,

my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22513-neurotransmitters .

"The Ultimate Brain Booster: Exercise and Mental Health." Stanford Lifestyle Medicine, 1 May

2024, lifestylemedicine.stanford.edu/the-ultimate-brain-booster-exercise-and-mental-health/ .

The Importance of Self-Esteem by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

 The Importance of Self-Esteem by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

Self-esteem is the way a person thinks, feels, and views themselves. It can affect many parts of

everyday life, including how people handle challenges, make decisions, communicate with

others, and respond to failure. Having healthy self-esteem does not mean thinking you are

perfect or better than everyone else. Instead, it means recognizing your strengths, accepting

your weaknesses, and understanding that you have value even when things do not go as

planned.

One of the most important parts of self-esteem is learning to accept yourself. People often

compare themselves to their friends, classmates, athletes, celebrities, or people they see online.

These comparisons can sometimes make people feel like they are not good enough. However,

everyone has different talents, experiences, personalities, and challenges. What may look easy

for one person could be difficult for another. Rather than constantly comparing yourself to

others, it is healthier to focus on your own progress and the things you can improve.

Setting goals is another great way to build self-esteem. When people choose a goal and work

toward it, they can see how their effort leads to improvement. Goals do not always have to be

huge accomplishments. Something as simple as improving a grade, learning a new skill,

becoming better at a sport, or speaking up more in class can create a sense of accomplishment.

Reaching small goals can build confidence and motivate people to take on bigger challenges.

The way people talk to themselves can also have a major effect on self-esteem. Everyone

makes mistakes, but it can be easy to become overly critical when something goes wrong.

Instead of thinking, “I am terrible at this,” a person can think, “I am still learning, and I can

improve with practice.” Changing negative thoughts into more realistic and encouraging ones

does not mean ignoring problems. It means recognizing that one mistake or failure does not

define an entire person.

The people around us can also influence our self-esteem. Supportive friends, family members,

teachers, and coaches can encourage us when we are struggling and remind us of what we are

capable of doing. Positive relationships can make people feel respected and valued. At the

same time, it is important to remember that other people's opinions do not determine a person's

worth. Someone may criticize you or doubt your abilities, but that does not automatically make

their opinion true.

Failure is also an important part of developing self-esteem. Nobody succeeds at everything on

the first try. In fact, failure can teach valuable lessons that success sometimes cannot. When

someone makes a mistake, they can think about what went wrong, learn from it, and try again.

Each time a person gets back up after a setback, they can become more confident in their

ability to handle difficult situations.

Self-esteem can also affect how people treat others. When someone feels secure in

themselves, they may be less likely to feel the need to put other people down to feel better.

Healthy self-esteem allows people to celebrate their own accomplishments while also being

happy for the success of others. It can help create stronger friendships and healthier

relationships because people are more comfortable being themselves.

Ultimately, self-esteem is about understanding that your value is not based on being perfect,

winning every competition, getting the highest grade, or receiving approval from everyone

around you. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures, and good days

and bad days. Building healthy self-esteem takes time, but accepting yourself, setting realistic

goals, learning from mistakes, focusing on personal growth, and surrounding yourself with

supportive people can make a big difference.

Having self-esteem does not mean believing that you can do everything. It means believing that

you are capable of learning, improving, overcoming challenges, and continuing forward when

things become difficult. When people learn to recognize their own value, they can approach life

with greater confidence and a healthier attitude toward themselves and others.

Psychology Today. (2019). Self-esteem | psychology today. Psychology Today.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/self-esteem

Trust by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

Trust by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

 Trust is one of the most important parts of any relationship. Whether it is between friends, family

members, teammates, or teachers and students, trust helps people feel safe and comfortable

with one another. Without trust, relationships can become filled with doubt and

misunderstanding. Building trust takes time, but it can make relationships much stronger.

Trust begins with being honest. When people tell the truth, others know that they can depend on

what they say. Even when the truth is difficult to share, being honest is usually better than hiding

something or making up a story. Once someone discovers that they have been lied to, it can

become much harder for them to believe that person in the future.

Keeping promises is another important part of trust. If you tell someone that you will do

something, you should make a real effort to follow through. This could be something as simple

as completing your part of a group project or helping a friend when they need you. When you

consistently keep your word, people learn that they can depend on you.

Trust is especially important in teamwork. In a sport, for example, teammates have to trust each

other to do their jobs. A basketball player needs to trust a teammate to make a pass, and a

relay runner needs to trust the next runner to be ready. When teammates trust each other, they

can communicate better and work toward the same goal.

However, trust does not always come easily. Sometimes people make mistakes or break

promises. When this happens, rebuilding trust can take time. The person who made the mistake

needs to take responsibility, apologize when appropriate, and show through their actions that

they are willing to change. Simply saying “trust me” is not enough; trust is built through

consistent actions.

Trust is also something we should give to ourselves. We can learn to trust our own abilities,

decisions, and preparation. This does not mean believing that we will always be perfect. It

means knowing that even when something goes wrong, we can learn from it and keep moving

forward.

Ultimately, trust is built through honesty, reliability, respect, and time. It cannot be forced or

created instantly. When people trust one another, they can communicate openly, work together,

and support each other. Trust may be invisible, but it is one of the strongest foundations for any

successful relationship.

Time Management by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

Time Management by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan 

Time is one of the most valuable things people have. Everyone gets the same 24 hours in a

day, but people use those hours in very different ways. Time management is the skill of

organizing your time so that you can complete your responsibilities while still having time for

yourself. Learning how to manage time can help students, athletes, workers, and almost anyone

else become more organized and less stressed.

One of the first steps to better time management is figuring out what needs to be done. Making

a list of assignments, chores, practices, activities, and other responsibilities can help you

understand how much you have to accomplish. Once you have a list, you can decide which

tasks are the most important or have the closest deadlines. This prevents you from forgetting

something important.

Another helpful strategy is breaking large tasks into smaller pieces. For example, if you have a

big project due in two weeks, completing the entire project in one night could be extremely

stressful. Instead, you could spend the first few days researching, then organize your

information, write a draft, and finally revise your work. Smaller steps make large responsibilities

feel much easier to handle.

Avoiding distractions is another major part of time management. Phones, video games,

television, and social media can quickly take up a large amount of time. Sometimes a person

may plan to spend only ten minutes on their phone but end up spending an hour. Setting

specific times for entertainment can help you stay focused when you need to work.

Time management also means understanding when you need a break. Working for hours

without stopping can make it harder to concentrate. Short breaks can give your brain time to

rest and help you return to your work with more focus. Getting enough sleep is especially

important because being tired can make it harder to learn, concentrate, and make good

decisions.

Another useful habit is planning ahead. Looking at your schedule the night before can help you

know what you need to accomplish the next day. You can prepare your backpack, organize your

materials, and decide when you will work on assignments. This can make mornings and busy

days much less chaotic.

Good time management does not mean filling every minute with work. It means making

thoughtful choices about how you spend your time. There should still be room for friends, family,

hobbies, exercise, and relaxation.

Learning to manage time takes practice. Nobody becomes perfectly organized immediately.

However, by making lists, setting priorities, breaking large tasks into smaller steps, avoiding

distractions, and planning ahead, anyone can improve. Time management is a skill that can

help people succeed not only in school but also in their future careers and everyday lives.

Sportsmanship by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

Sportsmanship by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan 

Sports are not only about winning. They are also about learning how to work with others, handle

challenges, and respect the people around you. One of the most important qualities an athlete

can have is sportsmanship. Sportsmanship means showing respect, fairness, and a positive

attitude before, during, and after a competition. Whether you win or lose, good sportsmanship

shows what kind of person you are.

One important part of sportsmanship is respecting your opponents. Even though you are

competing against another team or player, they are working hard just like you are. Cheering for

your teammates is important, but making fun of an opponent or celebrating in a disrespectful

way can take away from the spirit of the game. A good athlete can be competitive while still

treating everyone with respect.

Sportsmanship is also about how you handle losing. Losing can be frustrating, especially when

you have practiced hard and expected to win. It is natural to feel disappointed, but blaming

referees, teammates, or opponents does not solve anything. Instead, athletes can learn from

their mistakes, congratulate the other team, and use the experience to improve. A loss can

teach you just as much as a victory.

Winning also requires good sportsmanship. It can be exciting to win, but athletes should avoid

making others feel bad about losing. A simple handshake, high-five, or “good game” can show

respect. The best athletes understand that their success does not make them better than

everyone else.

Sportsmanship also matters outside of sports. The lessons athletes learn—respect, teamwork,

patience, responsibility, and handling pressure—can help them at school and in everyday life.

Being a good sport means doing the right thing even when nobody is forcing you to.

In the end, the scoreboard only shows who won the game. Sportsmanship shows something

much more important: how you treated others and how you handled yourself. Winning is great,

but being respectful, hardworking, and supportive makes someone a true athlete.

Learning from Mistakes by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

 Learning from Mistakes by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

Everyone makes mistakes. A student might get an answer wrong on a test, an athlete might

make an error during a competition, or someone might make a poor decision. Mistakes can be

frustrating or embarrassing, but they can also provide valuable opportunities to learn. Instead of

viewing every mistake as a failure, people can use mistakes as information that helps them

improve.

The first step is accepting that mistakes are a normal part of learning. Nobody knows how to do

everything perfectly the first time. Imagine trying to learn a new sport, instrument, language, or

subject without ever making a mistake. It would be almost impossible. Mistakes show us which

areas we need to understand better.

After making a mistake, it is useful to figure out why it happened. For example, if you miss a

question on a math test, simply seeing that the answer was wrong may not teach you much.

Instead, look at the steps you used to solve the problem. Maybe you used the wrong formula,

made a calculation error, or misunderstood the question. Once you understand the reason, you

can work on preventing the same mistake in the future.

Mistakes can also help people discover what they need to practice. An athlete who struggles

with a particular skill can spend more time working on it. A student who has difficulty with a

certain topic can review that material or ask a teacher for help. In this way, mistakes can show

people exactly where their effort should go.

It is also important not to compare your progress with someone else's. Some people learn

quickly, while others need more practice. Seeing someone else succeed does not mean that

you are failing. Everyone has different experiences, strengths, and areas that they are still

developing.

Another important lesson is that improvement takes time. People often see successful athletes,

musicians, scientists, or students and only notice their accomplishments. They may not see the

hours of practice, unsuccessful attempts, and mistakes that happened before those

accomplishments.

However, learning from mistakes does not mean ignoring the consequences of poor decisions.

Sometimes mistakes can hurt others or create problems that need to be fixed. Taking

responsibility is part of learning. A person can admit what happened, make things right when

possible, and think about how to make a better decision next time.

Most importantly, one mistake should not define a person. Getting something wrong does not

mean you are incapable of learning. It simply means that something did not work that time.

When people learn to treat mistakes as opportunities to gather information and improve, they

can become more confident and willing to try difficult things. Mistakes may not always feel good,

but they can become powerful teachers when people take responsibility, understand what went

wrong, and use the experience to do better next time.

Why Rewatching Shows Are Better Than Starting New Ones by Aaliyah Sharma

 

Wed, Sep 16, 10:23 AM (1 day ago)

Why Rewatching Shows Are Better Than Starting New Ones by Aaliyah Sharma

        There is an unspoken pressure in modern culture to constantly consume the next big thing. Streaming platforms drop entire seasons of new shows overnight, social media explodes with endless commentary, and you are immediately expected to keep up or risk falling out of the loop. Yet, after a long day of navigating high school, homework, and social obligations, the most appealing option is rarely whatever is trending at the top of a recommended list. Instead, it is clicking on a show you have already finished three times before. While critics might call this a waste of time, revisiting familiar stories offers a distinct psychological comfort that constantly chasing new content simply cannot match.

        The core appeal of rewatching a favorite show lies in the total absence of cognitive stress. When you start a brand-new series, your brain is forced to do heavy lifting: learning complex character names, tracking intricate plotlines, and anticipating sudden narrative twists. It requires active focus and emotional investment. A rewatch, by contrast, asks nothing of you. You already know who survives, which jokes are coming, and exactly how the season finishes. In a world where so much of daily life feels unpredictable and demanding, stepping into a story where the outcome is entirely guaranteed provides a rare, low-stakes environment to actually unwind.

         Beyond convenience, there is a deep sense of nostalgia woven into familiar television. Shows often become time capsules of specific periods in our lives. Putting on an episode you loved during middle school or early high school instantly bridges the gap to who you were back then, bringing back comfortable, easy memories. The characters feel less like fictional entities on a screen and more like old friends whose personalities and dynamics you have completely memorized. Returning to their world feels less like seeking entertainment and more like coming home after a long trip.

        Ironically, rewatching a series can actually deepen your appreciation for it in ways a first view never allows. On your initial run through a story, you are so focused on finding out what happens next that you inevitably miss the subtle details. Knowing the ending frees you up to pay attention to background acting, subtle foreshadowing, pacing, and dialogue framing. You notice small character moments and thematic patterns that were invisible when you were just waiting for the next major plot twist.

        Ultimately, while exploring new media has its place, there is no shame in sticking to a proven routine. Consuming art isn't an efficiency race, and you don't owe your free time to whatever algorithm is currently pushing the newest release. Choosing a familiar comfort show is an intentional act of resetting your brain. In an environment that constantly demands our full attention and adaptability, leaning into the predictable charm of a story you already love is the ultimate form of low-key relaxation.

Aaliyah Sharma