Check the 'UofT Weather Survival Guide' because winter is still coming...
Meaningful Mindfulness
Hi there!
Last week I wrote about being ill, and I speculated that (in addition to cold weather and a nasty cough virus circulating in the air) my sickness was due to being out of touch with my body. It happens every once in a while when we get so busy that it can be a challenge to keep tabs on how we are (really) feeling and what our body (really) needs.
I mentioned to a friend in passing this week that I sometimes attend Mindful Moments sessions on campus to get better connected with my body. He giggled, and said that he imagines me sitting cross-legged with my eyes closed, deeply concentrating on foretelling the future. I think at some point my friend was misinformed—mindfulness, meditation, tai chi, or yoga are not activities done to prophesize about the future. Quite oppositely, the goal is to bring more awareness to the present moment, to the body, and the breath.
FOMO Revisited
Last weekend, I took a trip to St Andrews, a little town about an hour away from Edinburgh. I didn’t know much about the town, except that it’s the home of the University of St. Andrews, a school that sometimes gets mentioned in the same breath as schools like Oxford and Cambridge as one of the best (and most posh! ) schools in the UK. It’s also famous for being the meeting place of Kate Middleton and Prince William, so there’s that.
Joy at Hart House Gym!
Today marks the end of the #JoyAtUofT campaign. I decided to dedicate this post to one of my favourite places to work-out – HART HOUSE!
Currently, I hit Hart House’s Fitness Centre at least 3 or 4 times a week, but rewind back to first year you would never see me at the gym. It was only until second year that I thought I would try out the fitness centres on campus.
Alternative on-campus food options (or How to Avoid Subway)
Unpopular opinion: I am not a fan of Subway. Or perhaps it’s just that I’ve been there so many times while on campus that the prospect of having to eat one more chicken teriyaki sub makes my stomach curdle.
Did you know that aside from the usual Starbucks, Spring Rolls, and Subway (i.e. The Holy Trifecta), U of T actually has quite a number of alternative food options for the studious library-goer in search of their next meal? If you’re sick of buying from the same places all the time, consider some of these if you haven’t already:
It’s Still Reading Week…Right?
With the passing of reading week, somewhat begrudgingly, this past Monday marked the restart of classes. While the break definitely provided a much-needed period of rest, trying to get back into a school mindset the past couple of days has been quite the challenge. When we were in high school, spring break was the closest equivalent, but the difficulty levels of the courses puts the re-adjustment period on a level of its own.
It’s Not All Sunshine and Rainbows: How to Prevent and How to Care for Injuries
The human body is a remarkable construction. It’s strong, powerful, capable and — unless you’re me — resilient more often than not. With all this talk of being physically active and trying new things, I thought it was time for a post addressing risk, how to minimize it and what happens when despite your best efforts you find yourself injured.
While I’m not a doctor [insert moment of silence here], I feel I have sufficient experience to speak about this subject. I have the joints of someone far, far older than twenty paired with a “can’t stop won’t stop” approach to life. That combination isn’t particularly risk-reducing.
So, here are 4 tips to risk reduction in sport — coming from someone who needs all the reduction she can get.
Good Ol’ Joe
I have always thought of myself as a bit of an explorer, a daring wanderer, a seeker of new adventures... ...When it comes to cafés. I LOVE cafés. I love the smell of coffee grounds, the smooth jazz, the barista's…
Toronto To-Do List
Reading week is debatably the best part of February.
Some students ditch the books and jet-set off on worldly adventures (hopefully to warmer climates) and others end up spending their week relaxing at home, visiting parents or *gasp*, catching up on readings.
This year, my reading week was spent in Toronto at my apartment, which was a first for me because last year I spent my week off at home home (AKA: my childhood home) with my family. It was nice to have an entire week to be in Toronto with a much less hectic work/school schedule to enjoy the wonderful city I am lucky to live in. I may have not spent seven days lazing it up in tropical paradise but I did cross some sweet activites off my “Toronto To Do List”.
My Experience with IPE!
In Pharmacy and among the other professional faculties at U of T, there is a requirement to attend Interprofessional Education (IPE) activities throughout our studies. These activities provide exposure of what it’s like to work on an inter-disciplinary team, which is ultimately how it will be like in the workforce. Healthcare requires several people with a key set of skills that are important in providing care to patients. We have to take part in these activities and earn a certain number of IPE credits before we graduate. Recently, I completed my IPE credits and I found my last IPE experience quite eye-opening.