Edited by Ann Marie Elpa
University life can be so busy and stressful that it often seems impossible to find a balance between studying and rest. We all hear about those people who study until the morning hours and have to drink countless cups of coffee in order to get them through the day. And I get it- UofT gives us an insane amount of work and sometimes if you’re behind on the readings, it just takes until two a.m. to finish all of it. However, if you’re neglecting self-care and only studying 24/7, it’s most likely that you’ll start to feel sad, depressed, tired, and stressed all the time. There’s a quote I really like and it says: “You cannot pour from an empty cup. You must fill your cup first”. Self-care means taking care of our mental, physical, and emotional health. It fills us up with energy and is proven to boost our moods to make us happier on a day-to-day basis. Without rest, you won’t have the energy to study productively. Now, lets make it clear that studying for hours on end doesn’t actually mean you’re studying productively. In order to have time to practice self-care, you have to make time for it. That means learning to study productively and to stop procrastinating. Turn your phone off when you’re studying so you won’t be distracted by the notifications. Study in a space where you can focus. Start on your readings and assignments right when you get them. By following these strategies of being more productive with studying, I’ve been getting two hours of free time where I can practice self-care every single night before bed. I try to not study more than one hour on Sundays, which I’ll talk about more later. It’s because of the amount of rest I get and self-care I practice during that time that I’m able to be happy, relaxed, and not stressed regardless of the amount of work I get.
So here are some ways that you can practice self-care in university:
✰1✰ Clean your dorm
Clean space = clear mind. I try to take a few minutes each day to tidy my dorm. Start your mornings off with making your bed- you’ll feel so much more put together and ready to take on the day. It’s such a little thing, but if you see that your dorm is organized, you’ll feel like your life is too. It will really give you more motivation to be more productive during the day. Plus, it’s always nicer to relax in a clean dorm.
✰2✰ Make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, coffee, or tea
For coffee, I usually boil water and pour in my instant coffee mix from Nescafe. It’s the Mocha Cappuccino flavour and is so convenient and delicious! If I don’t have time to boil water in the morning, I’ll fill up a to-go cup with coffee from the dining hall. I always love listening to calming music or a podcast while drinking coffee on my way to class. Otherwise, if it’s night time, I’ll snuggle up in bed to watch FRIENDS with with a warm cup of mint or Japanese Brown Rice tea (which has been my new fav!).
✰3✰ Diffuse Essential Oils Ok, so recently, I’ve been really getting into diffusing essential oils. I bought a really nice dark wood oil diffuser from Nature’s Emporium and have been using it non-stop. I love the NOW Essential Oils – they sell really nice oil blends such as “focus”, “smiles for miles”, and “clear the air”. The Whole Foods in Yorkville also sell a wide variety of essential oils – however their selection of oil diffusers is unfortunately very limited.
✰4✰ Mindfulness Moments
UofT also offers something called Mindfulness Moments, which is organized by the Health and Wellness Centre. It hosts drop-in yoga and meditation activities every day of the week in different locations. So find the location that is closest to you and practice some mindfulness! Here is a link to their drop in schedule: https://www.studentlife.utoronto.ca/hwc/mindful-moments. Also, see if your college offers any other mindfulness activities you might be interested in. I know that my college organizes activities such as planting succulents, painting, and cookie decorating in the mindfulness room – so take advantage of this!
✰5✰ Listen to a podcast
On my way to classes, when I’m cleaning my room, or when I’m running errands, I love listening to podcasts as they always provide me with new inspiration. One of my favourite podcasts is Gals on the Go by Danielle Carolan and Brooke Miccio. They have episodes ranging from topics such as self-care, time management, college life, and their fall favourites. Listening to their podcasts always puts me in a good mood and gives me motivation to be more productive. Another great podcast is The Life Coach School Podcast by Brooke Castillo. She gives practical advice and insight into topics we all deal with such as unconscious negativity, confidence, self-pity, and toxic people. So if you want to listen to something that will really get you thinking about improving yourself and changing your mindset, I suggest listening to her for inspiration.
✰6✰ Sunday Self-Care Day
So here’s where I talk about the “not doing work on Sundays” thing I mentioned earlier. I specifically designate Sundays as my self-care day. I’ve actually coined it “Sunday Self-Care Day”- which is really cheesy but it makes it official. I finish next week’s readings and assignments by Saturday so I can have all of Sunday free. Sunday is the best time to prepare and rest for the busy week ahead. This is the day where I usually go grocery shopping for the next week, do my laundry, de-clutter my room, and plan out my calendar. Every Sunday, I also go to church in the morning with a group of my friends and then we’ll go someplace cozy for brunch. Some of my favourite places to go for brunch are Cafe Cancan, La Société, WISH, and Harvest Kitchen. Other than going to church, going to brunch with the girls, and running errands, I also have a major chat session on Sunday night with one of my closest friends. After dinner, my friend and I bring some snacks and find a quiet place to pour out all our feelings regarding what has happened in the past week. We spend hours talking about our problems, giving advice, and encouraging each other. At the end of it all, we both feel so much lighter and ready to take on the upcoming. It’s so important to not bottle up your feelings so find someone, whether it be your family, your friend, or a guidance counselor on campus, that will be willing to talk about whatever is on your mind.
✰7✰ Go to bed earlier
This one’s pretty simple. If you’re always tired and want more energy, just go to bed earlier! Go to bed when you’re tired and stop trying to stay up because it just messes up your schedule. You’ll end up being sleepy in the daytime and full of energy in the night, lowering your productivity. To adjust your sleeping schedule, take melatonin and use Sleep Cycle (which wakes you up when you’re sleeping the lightest so you won’t feel as tired). Recently, I’ve had problems trying to fall asleep and I was introduced to something on my iPhone and Mac called Night Shift. Basically, the blue light emitted from your screen hinders your production of melatonin, keeping you more awake. By switching your phone to that every evening, your screen turns to a orange colour and somehow, it helps you to fall asleep faster!
✰8✰ Give yourself extra time in the morning
Once you’re going to bed earlier, you’ll be able to wake up earlier. Intentionally wake up earlier so you can get ready at a slower pace and actually enjoy your mornings. Take that time to stretch, open up the windows, take a hot shower, put on an outfit you love and that will make you feel put together, make your bed, and finally, make yourself a cup of coffee. Speaking of coffee- I am obsessed with collecting cute coffee mugs. I have a mug associated with every mood I’m in. I recommend checking our HomeSense or Anthropologie for some mugs because I’ve found some of my favourites there! Another habit that I’ve been loving is jade rolling. What a jade roller does, is it increases circulation in your face and de-puffs. It’s also super relaxing because the jade is cooling to the skin- If you want it to cool your face even more, just pop it in the fridge overnight!
Getting back to the topic of mornings, try to avoid looking at your phone in the morning. Once you start looking through Instagram, you tend to get stuck in bed scrolling through your feed. Focus on the present and don’t let yourself get distracted so that you can get the most out of your mornings. Once you’ve enjoyed your morning, you’ll feel so much happier, calm, and ready to take on the day!
✰9✰ Treat yourself to something you’re craving once a week
Usually on Fridays, I treat myself to something that I’ve been craving throughout the week. I don’t have the time to go out of my way and buy whatever it is, but on Fridays, I’ll go out and buy it after class. It kind of feels like a reward for getting through all those long weekdays of lectures and studying- and it gives me something to look forward to throughout the week!
✰10✰ Some Youtubers that give me inspiration of self-care
Watching Youtube videos about self-care also relaxes me. My all time favourite Youtuber is Danielle Carolan. She does tons of videos on college life, productivity, how to enjoy your mornings, and pamper routines. Her videos never fail to inspire me to be more productive and have a balanced lifestyle! Some other Youtubers I love are Antonnette, Michelle Reed, and Rachel Talbott. In fact, here is a link of a playlist I made of some of my favourite videos that they made on self-care and everything that relates to it.
So there you are, a list of ten practical ways that you can practice self-care in university! I hope you’ve gained some inspiration on how you can start balancing your life and enjoying your down time. Remember to always make time for taking care of well-being because it’s only when you have energy and strength that you will be able to accomplish those things you want to do. Good luck!