Ever been able to give great advice, but not take it? It is a lot easier to help other people than it is to help yourself. I’m a victim of doing this all the time. My friends always come to me for help and say I give the best advice, so I figured I might as well share it with all of you. I created an open question forum – https://forms.gle/HdKf6wyuAJyU4TfE7 (which you can still ask questions on) and sent it to all my friends. Some of the results are below,
What are some ways to destress in college?
This one is hard for everyone. I make sure to take 30 minutes a day for just myself. My phone and laptop get turned off and I do a mindless activity to unwind. Sometimes I color, sometimes I meditate, and other times I just do a facemask and read a book. You could also exercise, journal, or listen to music. I make sure to take this time even if I am really busy. It is important to check in with yourself and your feelings every day. If you need more help with de-stressing, I recommend joining the Active Minds Club which is a mental health awareness organization on campus, or checking out the Counseling Center.
How to have fun during COVID?
The million dollar question. A lot of us are experiencing COVID fatigue but it is important to stay vigilant so you can keep you and your loved ones safe. An easy way to do this is to meet with friends over Zoom or FaceTime instead of in person. Only meet in person in small groups, and make sure to mask, be socially distanced, and sanitize common touch surfaces and your hands often. The fire pit by the Bucknell Farm is a great place to meet with friends in a COVID safe way since it is outside and you can make s’mores and stay warm! 7th Street Studio and Makerspace also provides to-go crafts and the CAP Center offers lots of virtual activities like bingo and trivia.
How to date during COVID?
Dating during a pandemic is really hard. If you chose to, I recommend only doing socially distanced and masked activities, especially if you are meeting someone you don’t already know (however it is best to keep things in the Bucknell bubble). But, it is probably wise to only date virtually for the moment. You could do a Netflix watch party, crafts, cooking, and so much more virtually. This may seem unfortunate, but use it as valuable time to really get to know someone and see if there is a connection without any pressure.
What are some ways to make Bucknell food interesting?
The Bison can get really repetitive if you get the same things over and over again. You have to be careful to constantly vary and switch up your orders. Sometimes at Bada Basil, I’ll get two pasta sauces (pesto and pomodoro are my favorites) instead of just one. I’ve also asked for just sauteed veggies from bada (with no pasta) and put it on one of the to-go salads to make my meal more interesting. I also recommend getting feta and chickpeas from the salad bar and putting them on top of a burger with avocado from the grill for a mediterranean-type burger (you could even grab some pico de gallo to make it even tastier)! Lastly, I know it’s tempting to just quickly pick up a premade wrap from the refrigerator area but try to wait in line at the actual wrap station. The station changes their options all the time so by nature your wrap will change every week!
Maybe I should take my own advice. Part II coming sometime in the future!