It’s easy to wear yourself down over the semester and let it culminate over exams to a full-blown stress fest – leading to a weakened immune system, depleted energy levels and apathy. The winter break is an excellent time to pause and tap into what feels lacking, and take time to rejuvenate. Slowing down and acting mindfully shouldn’t be a luxury but a necessity. Try out one, two or none of these tips – whatever you need to rejuvenate yourself over the holidays to come back to McGill and Montreal with all your energy to share!
1. Cook or Bake with your Friends
Whether you live in residence or an apartment, cooking for yourself can be hard while in university. Time constraints, lacking cooking utensils or lacking motivation are all common afflictions – meaning that you treat coffee and a pastry as supper all too often. Take a break and explore recipes you’ve wanted to try for a while and share the goodies with your friends and family. Check out these pecan pie and brownie recipes, perfect for both indulgent and healthy cooking!
http://deliciouslyella.com/pecan-pie-gluten-free-dairy-free-vegan/
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2015/12/the-browniest-cookies/
2. Spend Time Buying or Making Meaningful Gifts for Your Friends and Family
Taking time to consider what your friends and family would really appreciate as gifts over the holidays is a great practice of mindfulness. Gifts are very tangible expressions of love which are imbued with even more meaning when they are thoughtfully chosen. Consider Ten Thousand Villages and Etsy – two online shops with inspiring social visions beyond their corporate statements.
https://www.tenthousandvillages.ca
3. Go to a Hot Yoga Class
During colder months, hot yoga simply feels fantastic. It’s beneficial to counterbalance feelings of sluggishness that accompany the winter by getting into a routine of stretching and strength building. Hot yoga also builds up your internal body temperature, allowing you to really sweat, which feels amazing and cleansing. Lastly, yoga has proven positive effects on mind-body connection, and is the perfect remedy for frazzled post-exam nerves. Check out the Moksha and Enso studios if you’re in Montreal.
4. Get into Nature
It’s easy to get numbed by the urban sprawl of Montreal and forget how awesome it feels to connect with nature. Winter-time nature can be positively magical – bare trees and barren landscapes, sharp lines of spruce trees, red berries and skiffs of snow. So take a break from the city (and commercial holiday madness) to venture somewhere natural for a bit of reflection and appreciation of simple beauty. If you’re still in Montreal, take a urban hike to Mont Royal, Parc Maisonneuve or Parc Agrignon. Also consider road-tripping to Mauricie, Mont Tremblant or Mont St Anne – all close to the city!
5. Really Slow Down
Like really, really unwind. Sleep in and sleep more than you usually do. Unplug for a little while from your gadgets. Read a novel just for fun. Take time to do absolutely nothing. Linger and see where that leads you. Hopefully when you’re ready, it will take you back to Montreal all ready to have a kick-ass semester!
Images obtained from:
Deliciously Ella