University takes an incredible amount of time and effort. I remember when I realized in first-year the amount of work I would have to put in to succeed and made a conscious decision to work as hard as possible to make this happen.
While my long hours in the library payed off, by the end of second semester I felt burned out. I had spent the school year, as many students do, neglecting my personal interests outside of school in the pursuit of good grades.
Over the summer, I wanted to take the time to take care of myself and do things I enjoyed. I often cooked challenging recipes, painted and watched documentaries.
Here are other ways I let my brain turn off:
1. Listening to podcasts
Podcasts are one of the easiest ways to learn on busy schedule. I, like many students have a long commute to school, which has allowed me to discover endless interesting podcasts.
- Slow Burn: A podcast all about American political controversies. I listened to the season about the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal and found it really thought-provoking with great interviews from some of those involved.
- Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness: Anyone who likes the show Queer Eye or learning new things would love this Podcast. Jonathan interviews prominent people like athletes, reporters and doctors while being completely unapologetic with his questions.
- TIFF Long Take: As someone who is interested in film, finding this podcast really excited me. The hosts interview filmmakers and discuss current events in the film industry.
2. Netflix
I love watching Netflix sitcoms like Friends or How I Met your Mother, but there is also a wealth of interesting and short informative programs. Take a break from studying with these short shows:
- Patriot Act: A new weekly show hosted by Hasan Minhaj, in which he talks about different current events topics. This may sound like a boring news show, but Hasan brings his signature comedic lens to each topic. Each episode is under 30 minutes.
- Explained: At 20 minutes or less, each episode packs in information on random stuff not many people are aware of. It made me interested in topics I had never considered, such as eSports.
- Chef’s Table: Cooking can be so much more complex than I had considered. This show incorporates a different top-level chef every episode, discussing their personal story, inspirations and what affects the food they make.
3. Hobbies
Maybe the most time-consuming, but also the most gratifying. School can make you feel like everything you submit has to be perfect and it’s nice to have the freedom of trying a new hobby to know it’s okay to screw up.
- Knitting: Knitting is a surprisingly easy hobby to learn and the best part is wearing your own creations. There are plenty of YouTube videos. If you’re not an expert now, it’s a great way to de-stress and take a break from university mayhem.
- Coloring: Coloring is a great alternative to painting that requires less supplies and time. Pair it with watching Netflix or listening to a podcast, but either way, grabbing those coloring pencils and an adult coloring book will take you to another world.
With exams quickly approaching it is especially important to stay in a good head-space and doing a couple of these things will definitely help during the most stressful time of the year.