It’s getting, it’s getting, it’s getting kind of hectic. We all bow beneath the pressures of academia, extracurricular activities on which our futures hinge, and emotionally stressful relationships. Let’s face it: our lives are exhausting. Sometimes we just need to get out of our own heads. In our culture, entire corporations are built to cater to the escapist in all of us.

We know you can’t escape all the time. But scene (motto: your guide to arts and whatever) exists to make you smile. Smiling burns more calories than frowning, and it’s our job to make your lives as calorie-free as possible.

Tonight is the Safety Dance, tomorrow Casino Night. You are more than welcome to party the evenings away (dancing is also a good calorie burner), but don’t forget Yale is rich with other ways to unwind. One could take in a showing of indie extraordinaire “The Station Agent,” chill to “Coma,” Calhoun junior Michal Towber’s new CD, or check out Darien Laman’s stellar operatic adaptation of “The Turn of the Screw.” The entertainment industry, the party scene and the art world are all good underused therapists. Arts appreciation can be a way to de-stress, to creatively sooth one’s anxieties, and to find your inner Repin.

On Monday, Grace Mozes brought her documentary about youth club culture in Israel to campus. The film centered on the Israeli teen party scene as a response to perpetual terrorism and fear among Israeli youths. Though here in America, post-Sept. 11, 2001 fears of attack on American soil have largely subsided, we can still empathize. No matter what we’re freaking out over, we must choose positive outlets for our nerves. Express yourself in art. We encourage everyone, even Group IV majors, to break out their paint brushes, tubas, tap shoes or literary devices. You come to college to find yourselves. What you get is a flood of sense-data demanding to be converted. It’s up to you, but trust us. Nothing soothes a troubled soul like a little creative musing.

So in sum: next time life is getting you down, make art, not war. We’ll be waiting.