Self-Care Queen at U of T

It's only a month into school and midterms are hitting us already. In my agenda, there is this backlog of assignments and all the due dates happen to fall within the same week. It happens every year and I'm always looking for more tips on how to stay positive during this time.

I remember, in my third year, I was in Robarts the day before my midterm to get the last of my readings done, I thought I would be done by midnight or so. Little did I know, that I needed to understand and analyse readings deeply to be able to do well on the test. The day before the test is also when the Facebook group blows up and people ask questions that you hadn’t even thought to be a part of the curriculum. Alas, I ended up staying at Robarts the entire night and the test was at noon the next day. I didn’t budget my time well enough to fit meals in, let alone take care of my appearance. Perhaps, if I had taken that break to take care of myself, I would have approached the test with a fresher mind. You can be a self-care queen but when it's crunch time, all that advice you received from seniors or your parents just go out the window and doing well on that test means everything. I've been there over and over! With five classes at a time, it gets easier to put one course on the backburner and let it simmer. October is usually the time when I just can’t be bothered to be my regular flawless self. I end up having to choose between 20 extra minutes of sleep in the morning or making myself presentable. I evaluate each morning as it comes and sometimes, the extra 20 minutes of sleep will be what keeps me going throughout the day.

I know that usually whenever I’ve taken this time to clean up a bit, I’ve felt like I’m more ready for the day and I’ve spoken up in class more. I’m not saying my appearance is everything, but it definitely boosts my confidence and prepares me for a day on campus. It’s obvious that if I immediately wake up and go to class, I won’t give myself enough time to be completely alert. Thinking about something other than the test during the morning of while performing my daily routine of picking outfits and playing with my hair tricks me into thinking that this is just a normal day. It also means that I’m waking up earlier so I’m SURE THAT I WON’T BE LATE (I’ve been a student for 4 years and still am rushing to exams at the last minutes). As people go through undergrad, they figure out what is it for them that takes their day from okay to great.  For me, dressing up can be that personal self-care technique which makes me feel ready to tackle a test. For my roommate, it was beating the next level on her video game that gave her a refresher and a confidence boost; she said that playing this game the morning of a test made her feel like this was just a normal day and stressing out won't help her at this point.

I would love to know if you have mottoes that give you the extra boost all students need, as midterms approach!