Confessions of a University Student

What the heck happened to her? So I'm sure some of you have been wondering what happened to me over the last little while and before y'all panic (at the disco), I'll clue you in. So for the last two weeks I have had exams. Every year at this time, I wish I was a student at Hogwarts (Dumbledore be cancelling exams left, right and centre) but unfortunately that is not the case. Guess I'll just have to suck it up until I graduate. That being said, I wrote for two weeks. Exhausting as it was, it's not yet over as I am waiting for the marks. I had planned a post before the exams just to let you guys know about it, but I didn't have the time to post it. Due to exam pressure, I also wasn't able to answer any mail for my 'Sipping the Tea with Amberly' segment.  Speaking of my advice segment, I know the title seems suspicious but I really couldn't think of anything else that rhymed with my name when it was announced. That being said, if you

I’m sure that you’ve probably taken a stab or two at what this post is about. Over the past weekend, I suffered from a bout of stomach flu. Anyone who’s ever had it can just about understand how horrible I felt. That being said, I haven’t actually done any exercise this week. I’m still getting back into the swing of things, don’t judge me too heavily. After suffering from stomach flu, one gets this ‘lethargic’ phase (or at least I do) where I’m just too tired to anything, I even struggled to go to class this week and I’ve been coming home and sleeping in a furious attempt to grasp my energy pre-ailment. Like I explained last week Tuesday in my Motivational Tuesday post, having setbacks (in this case being sick) are often quite frustrating. But here’s the thing, have you ever thought the reason that you’re too sick is that you have over-exerted yourself and your body is struggling to cope? With the stomach flu, you catch it from someone and when you live in a house with 9 other student

Exactly how I feel at the moment Motivation is a fickle thing, it comes and goes in waves. Have you ever taken on a task, only to find that you just don't have the energy to finish it?  Well after months of tests and and studying, I woke up this morning with a revelation: enough is enough. My exams come up in two weeks and I know that I need to start studying, but I just can't find the will. And as the weather changes so too does my need to study. See here's the thing: success is not linear. There will be ups and downs, but you'll get there. Even if it's no as quickly as  So what would I recommend for the moment. For me, I'm just going to have to force myself to study, because no one else will force me to do it.  How do you find motivation to study at the end of the year? Image credits: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5d/46/5a/5d465a5e54958784509087e06d9d4ff7.jpg https://www.quotemaster.org/images/1f/1f331d8954f081f65

Hi guys, so today I'm going to get really serious with you. Recently I experienced a really bad setback. Experiencing a set back really really sucks. You work really hard to get something, yet you miss it. And it sucks, it just sucks. So how do I deal with setbacks? Before I even start figuring out how I am going to get through it, I have a plethora of negative thoughts, which unfortunately is part of my nature, which I'm trying to work on. Unfortunately being a first year, everything is kind of thrown at you all at once. And when you face a setback as a first year, it all seems worse. Well I sit and cry for about an hour, then I snack on any junk food I can find and take a nap for at least an hour. Then I wake up and I feel slightly better, but I still have that sucky feeling. Ya know what I'm saying. S I get up, take a breath and workout, to try and blow off some steam. Take a shower, surround myself with people who love me and support me, then begin

SO it's Friday once again, but for us its Monday. Sigh two Monday's in one week really screws with my head... For one, not entirely excited that EVERY time there is a public holiday, my university chucks the Monday timetable onto a Friday and thus my favourite day of the week becomes one hellish ominshambles. Okay, mini rant over, time for another Fitness Friday.   I'd like to acknowledge that: No one is perfect, you'll make mistakes. Deprivation leads to cravings and over indulging. At the beginning of my journey I cut out all the good foods and I will not lie cravings got way to much. Suddenly I was eating a whole Rolo chocolate bar and  . I came across the 80/20 rule about two weeks ago. Essentially, 80% of the time eat healthy, nutritious food and 20% of the time eat whatever you want (in moderation) without feeling. So 20% of the time you can eat drink and be merry.  That being said, I knew that following this meant that I'd have to work on controlling my

No I'm not running out of ideas. Yes I did promise you recipes, but I'm still in the process of identifying the edible ones as I don't to be the blame for death. They are on their way, I promise but I'm still experimenting and I also am incredibly busy with university. But for now, I thought I'd have a quick Q and A about my fitness journey. Q: When did you actually start your fitness journey? A: Subconsciously, I guess when I started to walk to campus, and although it doesn't seem like a lot,      walking 1,8 km to campus and back almost everyday at the beginning was no small feat. Q: What kind of physical activities do you do? A: Apart from walking to campus, I use a gym app and then run at least 2-3 times a week. Q: What are your fitness goals? A: In the long run I'd like to run the two oceans marathon, But at the moment I'm trying to be      healthier and more athletic. Q: If your past self met the new you, what do you think s

Ok, so I got to witness something really special today. I got to open up the chest cavity of a frog and watch it's heart beat, for a Biology practical. It's important for me to note that the frog was dead, frogs exhibit a phenomenon where the heart controls its own heartbeat  And as I was sitting there staring at this heart beat, I realized how fragile life actually is. So for personal reasons I'm not going to upload a video of the heartbeat, but if you are curious as to what it looks like I'll be posting a few videos on Instagram later on today. If you'd like to see that, it's @amberlyo. Back to the point of the matter, strip everything away and life is just a heartbeat, fragile. It's important to use it wisely, I know that seems cliché but it's true. There it is, simple, yet heavy Motivational Tuesday... Hope you guys enjoy the rest of the week, see you on Friday! 😊

Aloha, yes it is once again Tuesday and the second day of what I like to call "Semester 2, Take 2". What's in store this time: tests frustration, anxiety. Exams. Four words I'm sure most people who are still going through some kind of schooling can identify with.  Exams are not the greatest of things, but as the seasons begin to change and the weather gets more bipolar, the realization dawns on me that 2017 is almost over, without any (touch wood) major mishaps. I'm a fully integrated university student with less problems than I thought I would have. My grades are good, I have new friends and it's great being me at the moment. So instead of sharing a motivation Tuesday post with my readers, I thought I'd share some of my exams from a personal point of view. When it comes to exams my brain an accurate depiction of my brain is:  Followed by: And there's no in between. (BTW, I just love Inside Out and if you ha

In the first post for this segment I mentioned that I have poor body positivity.  I know that this is something that I have to work on and something that I struggle with. Believing and loving yourself is actually very important to achieve your goals. I was scrolling through Instagram the other day and I found a very positive message about body positivity that I thought I'd share with you. As I was reading through the post, I thought maybe I should try this out and incorporate developing a positive body image into my goal of attaining a healthy lifestyle. After all, to be healthy, one must have a healthy body and a healthy life. I've never been outright negative towards myself, but there have been times when I try on every single item in my closet, thinking that the problem is me. And, although I don't like admitting it, at the moment there are quite a lot of things that I would like to change about myself. I do also often compare myself to other women. I hate t

Finally! Yes; in three and a half days I get a week long vacation. Yay?  Believe me, I can't wait to see my family again and have a chance to relax, but when I go back I get hit with tests and exams. So I ask you: is it really a vacation or a studycation? Do I really get the break that I so rightfully deserve? The answer is yes, definitely.  The question is, what do I do with my week long break from student life? I plan to relax and curl up under some blankets with a nice large mug of tea and a good book, and actually relax without stress about the upcoming weeks. But how on earth can I relax with all the work that I am supposed to do? Simple. On my walk to campus today a truck drove past me with an interesting answer to my problems, as on the side it said "The best day to plant a tree is today," . Don't put of until tomorrow what you can do today. Be productive in the now, so you can relax in the later. Study when you have the chance, instead of

Nobody is perfect... That being said, everyone makes mistakes once in a while. I know I have. So I thought I share the more valuable lessons I've learned by making the mistakes I have.  Look at this picture... What is wrong with it? No, it's not that one woman is skinny and her diet only consists of fruits and vegetables, whilst the other  is over There's a reason why I hate the word diet. Google defines diet aweight and only eats junk food. Here's what's wrong: Why not BOTH? s " a special course of food to which a person restricts themselves, either to lose weight or for medical reasons". I don't know if this will make sense, but I feel that it's not fair to force yourself to give up the food you love. I have a loving relationship with food and I don't believe in forcing yourself to give up what you love as it's not the route to happiness. Moderation is key to incorporating these foods into your diet (btw, I'm

In the upcoming weeks I am going to be writing about my journey towards a healthier life in the hopes of inspiring others who want to start their own journey. This segment will include recipes that I love and cook for lunches, my snacking regime and what I learned about fitness. Healthy body, healthy mind. Happy life. At the moment I'm working on the former, because I plan on taking the time in the holidays after all the stress of my first year is over to work on my mind and my spirit.  But for now I'm working on my body.  Throughout high school I wanted to gym, go running and eat healthily. To be honest, the latter had always been an afterthought. I just didn't eat the fruit and vegetables. Ask my friends and family, I was an extremely fussy eater. Anything I'd never tried, I would try not to turn my nose up. Healthy eating makes for a healthier person. I still don't eat everything from the fruit/veggie food group, but I do eat mor

Lately I've been struggling, feeling like I'm trying to push a boulder up a hill. So this week's quote is really me grasping at a lifeline for change. I made a promise at the beginning of second semester:  No matter how tired you are, or how boring the lecture is, show up to all your classes. On time. You don't have an excuse not to.   Although it's only the fourth or fifth weeks of the semester, I am absolutely knackered. It's really not as easy as it seems to be a university student. My motivation just seems to have disappeared and I am really struggling to be productive. Unfortunately that means that the work will eventually pile up. And by the time I get to it it may already be exams... NO! Although I'm experiencing a slump in my work ethic, the doesn't mean I should give up. Thus this week's quote: If you ask anyone in my life, I have a can do never give up spirit.  In my 19 years I have been through some seriously diffi

Once again it's a rainy day on campus. Not that I'm complaining. I love the rain. Rainy weather, or better yet, stormy weather, is the best weather. Why? If you don't have classes to attend, or feel like skipping them, curling up under a mountain of blankets with a novel and a warm beverage. For today it's hot chocolate and listening to relaxed lofi hip hop while I tackle leftover assignments. Although, I wish I had a huge bay window because I would just sit there and stare out into the rain, touch the glass and watch the droplets cascading down.But you can't always get what you want. Anyway, I'm just glad it's raining. Rain is the perfect way to end a week on campus. In a way, it feels like a deep cleanse, both mentally and spiritually. Rain has the power to wash away all your worries and your fears, for a little while. Metaphorically it delivers an extremely powerful message: Although you may go through times when you feel down and everything

Motivational Tuesdays... Although the dreaded Monday dawns upon us at the end of every weekend, I find that I feel the post weekend blues on a Tuesday instead. So every week I find a motivational quote to live by for the week. This weeks quote is: "Be gentle with yourself, you're doing the best you can." As a perfectionist, I aim for perfection in my everyday life. Unfortunately this comes with a lot of stress. I struggle to acknowledge that what I am doing is the best that I can do. I am not ashamed to say that I struggle with this, but I am trying. This week, however, with all the project and deadlines looming, I need to work on doing my best and not getting upset if it's not perfect. After all, there may not be such a thing as perfect, but there is such a thing as doing your best and that could very well come close to being perfect. What motivates you to get through the week? Photo credit: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d5/7f/cd/d57fcdfb5