Confessions of a University Student

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...