For me, a lot of my symptoms revolve around unnecessary fear and discomfort. As an example, I randomly and suddenly feel incredibly on-edge when there are sudden loud noises in places, or if I feel trapped when I am on…
PMS as a student
It's a common experience, but it's also a taboo: pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) and it is important to talk about it. PMS symptoms and degree differ between girls. For myself, I become irritable and stressed. I also experience insomnia, loneliness, an…
Slowing Down and Self Care, Part Two
As everyone bustles by, I sit and will the room to stop spinning- to stop filling my brain with useless fog, and to stop the sleep from stealing my days away from me. Time is what everyone wants, but I…
YOU’VE GOT TO LISTEN TO THIS!
Aaniin! As a student in a program that requires always having your nose in a book, I’ve found it personally challenging to make time for leisure reading. Don’t get me wrong—I love reading, but it almost feels like a chore.…
Community Engagement and Mental Health: Striking a Balance
I've been having a bit of a rough couple of weeks and I wanted to reflect on how I can potentially balance my mental and physical health, academics, extracurriculars, and community engagement activities moving forward. The first step is understanding…
My Trip to the Grocery Store: Healthy Eating on a Student Budget
Does anyone else find grocery shopping challenging? Now that I live off-campus, I’m fully responsible for grocery shopping and making all my meals. At first it was really overwhelming— I didn’t know how often to shop, what to buy, and…
The Power of a Growth Mindset
Things you might hear after a first year midterm: “That didn't go as planned.” “I failed.” “How will this impact by GPA?” "I'm not cut out for this." U of T grading rubrics can be unforgiving. After the first tests…
Taking Care of Yourself During Midterms
It’s that time of year where it seems as if I am catching up with my classes right before a midterm, while falling behind in others. This constant loop of work can be stressful and draining. Whether you have midterms,…
Lowering Stress: Journaling & Gratitude
I hope everyone had a relaxing long weekend! Now that midterm season is upon us I thought it would a good time to share my experience with keeping a journal, as well as a gratitude journal (a week after Thanksgiving…
Balancing school, family, and friends: Family visits from far
Whenever my family asks me if I want to hang out with them, I immediately say yes. When my family visits me all the way from South America, and only stays for a week, I have to be careful when…