First year is a big transition for all of us. Whether you’re coming to Queen’s from halfway across the globe or you’re just a town or two away, most students will agree that our lives undergo drastic changes in first year, with our minds and personalities following suit. Though first year is an exciting time to be alive, it’s easy to get bogged down by deadlines and assignments, and it’s even easier to burn yourself out by focusing on school work and absolutely nothing else. You might wake up one day and feel utterly lost among a sea of your fellow Queen’s students who seem to be doing so much better at this thing than you are. Honestly, they’re probably just as lost; everybody gets overwhelmed sometimes, but they look fabulous while doing it so you’d never be able to tell. However, there are plenty of things you can do to dig yourself out of that suffocating first year rut. I would know; I literally just got out. I’ve compiled a handy list of tips from upper year friends that will (hopefully) help you out of your rut the way they helped me out of mine. Please put your pagers on vibrate because here comes some cool information.
1. Find something you like to do. Then DO IT. ALL THE TIME.
I was that kid at the Welcome Rally during Frosh Week who rolled her eyes every time she heard somebody say the words, “Find something you love! Join a club! Get out of your comfort zone!” “Psh. Yeah right,” I thought to myself. As if I’ll have time for clubs. Also, my comfort zone is pretty darn comfy. Fast forward a month, and I totally stand by this advice.
If you aren’t doing anything besides coursework, you really ought to find something you love doing and then spend as much time as you can doing it. Whether it be volunteering with an animal shelter or something weirdly cool like plate smashing, it’ll relieve some stress and allow you to focus on something other than school. I’ve recently started a Dungeons and Dragons group with a couple of my friends, and hey, it might be nerdy, but it saved my poor little brain from exhausting itself. Plus, it’s a great way to spend Sunday nights. Though, I still really like my comfort zone. I’m working on that one.
2. IT’S FALL. Get yourself some pumpkin spice-everything, go down to the lake, and enjoy the view.
Seriously. It’s therapeutic and you’ll thank yourself for it.
3. Take it easy and don’t be too hard on yourself.
University differs from high school in plenty ways, but the most apparent difference to me thus far has been the change in my grades. I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I did well in high school. I’ll always try hard to be extremely good at everything I do, but I’ll expect too much of myself and end up getting disappointed when the outcome is bad. One of the most common pieces of advice I’ve received from upper years is to set the bar low. Expect a change in pace of learning the course material. Understand that learning is now partly your responsibility and not just your teacher’s. Expect for your grades to go from As to Bs or Cs, at least in the beginning. That’s not to say you shouldn’t try to do well; just don’t hate yourself if you get a subpar mark on an assignment that you worked really hard on. It happens to everyone, and there’s no use throwing in the towel over a silly mark. Just pursue a goal to learn from it so that you’ll do better next time.
4. Treat yo’self.
Light some smelly candles and give yourself a bubble bath. Eat an entire roll of cookie dough and then promptly snuggle your animal of choice (stuffed or otherwise) while binge watching “Scream Queens” on Netflix. Get your online shop on. Indulge yourself every now and then. Rewards make for great incentives when motivating yourself to finish something.
5. Remember to dedicate time for your wellbeing and have fun.
Your body and mind fuel each other. If one of them is off balance the other one will be, too. But oh, how fantastic it feels when they’re in perfect harmony! Remember to feed your body the good stuff as much as you can and allow it to rest between hectic days. (Coffee is not a replacement for sleep, guys. Trust me on this one.) On the flip side, keep yourself from going crazy by taking frequent breaks from school. Go downtown and discover all the little pockets of joy Kingston has to offer. Aim to make healthy food choices, but indulge in some soul food every now and then, because Kingston restaurants will always have something unique to serve you. Having fun is imperative to making your time at Queen’s worthwhile.