It can be so hard to keep up a good work-life balance as a student. Often, it can be the case that we flip between being hyper-productive and getting nothing done, because we burn ourselves out. The key to preventing that burnout is BALANCE, which can be difficult to justify sometimes, but it will undoubtedly improve your life and will also make you a better student!
Enjoying a few of my favourite things
I hope the term is beginning well! I'm new to the team this year and I'll be in Surrey, U.K. for fall and maybe winter too. I study mechanical engineering, and last season I lived on campus in St. Mike's…
Creative personal projects: making the most of time away from school
I am often lost when deciding how I should be spending my time during my summer academic break. I work part-time, or even full-time, but this quickly starts to feel monotonous and unfulfilling. Last summer, I began approaching time off…
Why not?
One of my favourite things about university is having the opportunity to try out new things, pick up another hobby, and explore different parts of your identity for the first time. Of course, I am referring to how I’ve started…
Communing Together Through Writing
I have brought up drop-in programs a couple of times in past blogs. From discussion groups to fitness classes, there are a lot of offerings on campus that allow you to get involved with something without requiring you to make…
Lessons in Objects
It’s tough to feel confident when you’ve had setbacks. Very few of us can immediately bounce back after some kind of a failure without feeling burned for a little while.
For me, returning to school after a few years away proved to be a bigger challenge than I had thought it would be. I bit off more than I can chew in an attempt to make up for lost time and ended up paying the price for it—academically, mentally, physically.
But what good is it wallowing in past failures? Starting this school year as a full-time student again, I try to keep in mind the things that I learned from my disappointments and the mindset and new habits I want to try to stick to going forward. Here, I present some of the “tokens” of my learned lessons.
Braving Times Square: The Introvert Gets Involved
A whorl of chaotic colours, blacks and indigos, fluorescent yellows and oranges, pulsating at the edges of your eyes. A cacophony of shouts and honks drowning out the sound of your own breathing. The smell of greasy hotdogs, sunscreen, and cologne suffocating you. Arms and elbows and hands tangled with others as people nudge past you to get to one of the many fast food restaurants, shops, or stores stretching along either side.
Times Square, a force with which to be reckoned in all its sights, scents, sounds, and touch. While some people can handle the hustle and bustle of this chaotic mass, others are overwhelmed by the amount of people, scents, and sounds crushing them and have to leave the vicinity from time to time to catch their breath.
Similarly, after socializing with other people for a period of time, introverts need some “alone time” to recharge because they get drained from the activity. Some get drained after a couple of hours, others after several hours.
But, what is an introvert?
Treat Yo’ Self
If you know me personally, then you know that I have an intense love for all things “trashy.” (Note: please imagine me making air quotes) Still, I don’t get it. Why does it have to be “trashy?” Why can’t I…
Why I Might Pretend to Embroider Kanye West Quotes at Parties
The other week at a party, a stranger asked what I did. I told them I was a student at U of T. But then they said, “No, what’s your thing? You know, for fun." So I just paused and…
Little Joys at U of T
There's always Joy at U of T, and like the Book of Awesome, I've compiled a list of the small joys; the little victories and successes that help us get through the day(s): On Friends When they get into ________…