{"id":29420,"date":"2016-10-20T14:21:21","date_gmt":"2016-10-20T18:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=29420"},"modified":"2016-10-20T18:42:34","modified_gmt":"2016-10-20T22:42:34","slug":"a-friendly-reminder-to-be-kind-to-youself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2016\/10\/20\/a-friendly-reminder-to-be-kind-to-youself\/","title":{"rendered":"A Friendly Reminder To Be Kind To Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"Hey guys, this week is Self-Care Week at UofT. By definition, self-care involves the things you do to take care of your physical and mental health.\u00a0This week is part of the University\u2019s HealthyU Month, which is an entire month dedicated towards celebrating mental and physical health.\r\n\r\nAlthough it may not be obvious at first, self-care is directly linked to academic success because reaching your goals becomes easier when you are healthy, physically and mentally.\u00a0In the spirit of self-care week,\u00a0here are some\u00a0common\u00a0self-care practices that can boost your academic potential.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\n<strong>Hygiene<\/strong>\r\n\r\nPersonal hygiene doesn't just\u00a0affect one's physical health, it also affects mental health. Sometimes, a nice hot shower is all it takes to de-stress and relax. Here are some recommended hygiene practices:\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>Brush your teeth two times a day (morning and night)<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Floss everyday<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Take a shower every 1-2 days<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Change your clothes daily<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Change your bed sheets and pillow cases every week<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIn addition to these, find hygiene practices that make you feel good. Personally, I love oil-pulling. Oil-pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic\u00a0practice where you let coconut or sesame oil sit in your mouth for about 20 minutes each morning. This is supposed to absorb toxins and improve overall oral health. I oil-pull as a self-care practice because it improves my physical health and it makes me feel good by adding\u00a0a sense of routine to my day.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Hydration<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe\u00a0human body requires about 2L of water on a daily basis. Set up a system to ensure that you get enough H2O throughout the day.\r\n\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_29474\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-29474\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/10\/l.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-29474 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/10\/l-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of my 2L pitcher of water\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/10\/l-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/10\/l.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-29474\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I ensure I drink 2L of water daily by tracking my water intake with this 2L pitcher, which I keep close to my study-space for convenience<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<strong>Nutrition<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe saying \"you are what you eat\" is quite accurate. Eating ramen for dinner for 4 days in a row\u00a0<em>seems<\/em> convenient, but after a while, it begins to take a toll on your physical and mental health (trust me, I know!). Be sure to incorporate enough dairy, protein, fruits and veggies into your daily meals.The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.healthycanadians.gc.ca\/eating-nutrition\/healthy-eating-saine-alimentation\/tips-conseils\/interactive-tools-outils-interactifs\/eat-well-bien-manger-eng.php\" target=\"_blank\">Canadian Food Guide<\/a> is an excellent resource that helps explain what a balanced meal looks like.\r\n\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_29475\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-29475\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-29475 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/10\/p-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of sliced apples next to a jar of peanut butter\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/10\/p-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/10\/p-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/10\/p-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/files\/2016\/10\/p.jpg 1334w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-29475\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My go-to snack consits of peanut butter and apples, so that I can incorporate some fiber and protein into my daily food intake.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Physical Exercise<\/strong>\r\n\r\nGetting enough physical exercise is crucial to maintaining your psychical and mental health. Being active not only keeps you in shape, but it\u00a0provides you with more energy and focus for when you study. Furthermore, being active doesn't necessarily mean that you have to hit the gym. That's just one of many ways of getting the required daily physical activity (30 minutes). As for me,\u00a0I am a busy student who hates leaving my\u00a0room. How do I get my daily dose of exercise? I turn up the music on my laptop and do 30 minutes of\u00a0intense\u00a0cardio dances.There's no room for excuses! Find what works for you, and do it.\r\n\r\n<strong>Getting Help<\/strong>\r\n\r\nSometimes, getting help can be the biggest step towards improving your physical and\/or mental health. For example, getting a personal trainer can help you reach your fitness goals. This may be expensive, but consulting your doctor or nutritionist can be free and they can help you understand your personal nutritional needs to help you eat better. Reaching out for help can greatly simplify the process of reaching your goals.\u00a0The university understands this, and has put in place many services to help you!\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/hwc\/services-offered\" target=\"_blank\">Health And Wellness Centre offers a variety of services <\/a>catered towards helping you improve your physical and mental health<\/li>\r\n\t<li><a href=\"http:\/\/harthouse.ca\/moveu\/\" target=\"_blank\">MoveU at Hart House<\/a> can help you incorporate physical activity into your daily life<\/li>\r\n\t<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/asc\" target=\"_blank\">Academic Success Centre<\/a> offers a variety of programs and services catered towards helping students develop strategies to improve their self-awareness and academic performance.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIn the spirit of this week, I have freed up my schedule for this Friday so I can make it in time for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/asc\/hours\" target=\"_blank\">Academic Success Centre's drop-in hours<\/a>. I have three midterms back-to-back next week and I really need help de-stressing and exam prepping. I will let you guys know how my meeting with the learning strategist goes.\r\n\r\nThat's it for this week! And remember, self-care week is about raising awareness of these self-care techniques. In reality, you should be practicing good self-care every week. I'd love to hear about your favourite self-care tips, so be sure to comment below!\r\n\r\nUntil next time,\r\nSlesha","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hey guys, this week is Self-Care Week at UofT. By definition, self-care involves the things you do to take care of your physical and mental health.\u00a0This week is part of the University\u2019s HealthyU Month, which is an entire month dedicated towards celebrating mental and physical health.\r\n\r\nAlthough it may not be obvious at first, self-care is directly linked to academic success because reaching your goals becomes easier when you are healthy, physically and mentally.\u00a0In the spirit of self-care week,\u00a0here are some\u00a0common\u00a0self-care practices that can boost your academic potential.\r\n\r\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2016\/10\/20\/a-friendly-reminder-to-be-kind-to-youself\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;A Friendly Reminder To Be Kind To Yourself&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":297,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7204,62,60,1,67],"tags":[23643,571,441],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29420"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/297"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29420"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29498,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29420\/revisions\/29498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}