college student – Page 2

Posted on April 15, 2020March 13, 2021 by evhkiehn

Whatever the Weather (Cold Weather Care for Indoor Plants)

In continuing my theme of plant care, I have decided to write a post about how cold weather can affect indoor plants. Although it would be logical to assume that since the plants are indoors, they are unaffected by the changing of seasons, that is not 100% true! Even though they are kept inside, the seasonal changes that accompany cold weather are enough to necessitate a change in a plant’s care. Luckily, most of these changes are relatively simple and easy to implement into a normal plant care routine. If you want more plant care tips, feel free to check out my other blog post, “Be-leaf in yourself! ( and other tips on raising indoor plants)”.

Light

The short and dark days that can drag us down, can also affect plants. Sunlight is an essential part of a healthy plant’s diet, without which it can lose its luster and even die. To prevent this, it is a good idea to place all indoor plants in windows that receive the most of the day’s sunlight. Even for more light-averse plants, the weak rays of a south or west-facing window typically does more good than harm. Additionally, consider investing in a UV light lamp, which can boost the amount of growing light a plant receives. Either of these ways is an excellent step towards improving your plant’s growth during the winter.

Water

It may sound counter-intuitive, but indoor plants need less water in the cold weather. While it’s true that the colder air is typically drier, plants experience a slower rate of growth during the cold weather. Some even cease growing altogether. Less water is needed to keep them hydrated and overdoing it can lead to root rot. In this way, it is best to check with care instructions for the specific plant, to see how much to water at this time.

Humidity

Humidity is important for all plants, but especially the warmer climate varieties used as typical houseplants. Too much humidity and they can become moldy, too little, they can become brittle and prone to breaking. To ensure they stay hydrated, the humidity should be around 40-50%. One way to do this is to place houseplants in groups. Not only does this look terrific, but it also creates a pocket of humidity, as the moisture released from the plants collectively, benefits each other. You can increase the humidity even more by placing a dish of water in the center of the cluster. The evaporation allows for more humid air.

Temperature

Most plants, like people, are comfortable in daytime temperatures between roughly 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit, and nighttime temps above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. To provide that for your plants, keep them away from both cold drafts and sources of heat, like radiators, ovens, fireplaces, and electronic devices. Make sure that if plants are placed in windows, they are kept warm, and away from any drafts that may occur. Frequent fluctuations in temperature can kill houseplants just as easily as prolonged periods of heat or cold. For this reason, make sure to keep your plants just as comfortably situated as you would like to be!

Food

Since your houseplants are barely growing, they don’t need any fertilizer. Feeding them now will just upset their natural cycle, so hold off until spring. When you start to see signs of new growth, or the green of the existing leaves appears to perk up, resume giving your houseplants fertilizing, to give them a quick boost for the growing season.

Making these little shifts in the care of your plants is a great way to ensure that your indoor plants are happy and healthy. Houseplants and taking care of them are a great way to destress and brings a nice spot of color to the otherwise grey weather. Take care of your plants, and they will help take care of you!

Sources:

Admin. “15 Things You Are Doing Wrong That Are Killing Your Houseplants.” Balcony Garden Web, 9 Dec. 2019, balconygardenweb.com/indoor-plant-dying-houseplant-problems/.

“Caring for Indoor Plants During Winter.” Sunday Gardener, 7 Feb. 2019, www.sundaygardener.net/caring-for-indoor-plants-during-winter/.

Dyas, Brie. “6 Things Your Plant’s Leaves Are Trying to Tell You.” Good Housekeeping, Good Housekeeping, 21 Mar. 2018, www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/g2681/plant-leaves/.

Enbom, Staffan. “Icy_LingonBerry.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 3 Jan. 2005, www.flickr.com/photos/10449804@N00/2891327.

“Tips For Saving Cold Damaged Plants.” Gardening Know How, 1 Sept. 2019, www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/tips-for-saving-cold-damaged-plants.htm.

“Tips to Care for Indoor Plants in the Cold Winter.” Angie’s List | Join for FREE to See 10 Million Verified Reviews, 15 Oct. 2019, www.angieslist.com/articles/tips-care-indoor-plants-cold-winter.htm.

Posted on October 3, 2019March 12, 2021 by vuukat

Stress, Self-Care, and Balance in College

When in college, you may find it a challenge to take a break for yourself. Some students find it difficult to have an outlet because of the constant urge to work or complete important tasks. Balancing out responsibilities should not be a constant hassle for students; by planning ahead and being efficient with your time can make things easier to handle.

burnetts-staffing-time-management-tips-to-achieve-better-work-life-balance-01-1024x344 — Photo Found Here

My Personal Experience

In Freshman Year of college, I knew this was the perfect time to find out what I am passionate about; I was not stressed about time management, my work and class schedules were perfectly balanced, and I was able to rest during my long weekends. Everything went well, until I transitioned into Sophomore Year. I would never have imagined how much of a challenge time management would become for me.

Sophomore Year became a personal struggle, considering I had full class schedules, weekly work shifts, and an officer position in Vietnamese Student Association (VSA). I truly thought I was someone who was capable to balance everything on a plate. Turns out I was the opposite; I became exhausted after days of work and no break. Because it was difficult for me to balance everything on my shoulders, I gave up my personal time just to get my tasks completed, including time in my sleep schedule and in my social life. Different things in my agenda would stack up and I was unable to take some time to even sit down and rest.

By accepting the reality of having a difficult time balancing my schedule, I was able to learn and grow from this experience and test out different methods of stress relieving and schedule planning. One hobby that I found fun and helpful was bullet journaling. I like to think of it as a DIY planner where you get to decide what format or design to have. The reason why I enjoy bullet journaling is because it allows me to make use of my passion in drawing while prioritizing my schedule every week. For more information, here is a helpful guide on how to start your own bullet journal! By incorporating your passions with schedule organization, you are able to not only enjoy what you do but also have fun with planning out your days!

Tips!

Here are some things to consider or to try when you are stressed or when you think you are unable to find time for yourself:

Do not think that you have no time to rest. Your mind might tell you that, but your body might say otherwise so remember to listen to your body
Set aside time for free time with your friends, your family, or even yourself. Don’t let your responsibilities be the only things you’d be doing every week.
Make time for the things you enjoy doing, whether it be hobbies or passions!
Seek out opportunities that enable yourself to go outside and enjoy the fresh air. Staying inside can create a lack of motivation or even increase your levels of fatigue, so having some time just to go outside can help reduce stress and wake you up!
Use a planner or schedule organizer! I find it easier to balance my time out by writing out what priorities must be completed within the week.
If your schedule restrain you from resting, try to rearrange your agenda or even communicate with your team or your supervisors in request for time off.
If you are on campus, there are always different events and activities that can help you de-stress and enjoy so keep an eye out on promotions (especially towards the end of the quarter!)
- An example of an activity you can do during Finals Week is de-stressing with coloring in the library!

Don’t force yourself to constantly go on a workflow. Although some people may seem to think that they can handle the amount of work given, everyone deserves a break at some point. I learned that despite my motivation to continuously stand up and do something, it isn’t bad to stop and find time to rest. Of course, everyone does have different experiences with stress or time management so make sure to test out what methods are helpful for you and take time for your well-being!

Posted on July 26, 2019January 5, 2021 by libraryvoices

From ATP to College: Transitioning and my thoughts

When I graduated out of high school back in 2017, I truly thought that would be the last I ever saw of school. I would just go attend the Adult Transition Program (ATP), get a job in the work force and then just live a relatively boring life until retirement, never having to worry about college or any school ever again. But after attending that program for one year, I began to ask myself if I really wanted to live this life that I had planned on leading. By the end of the year, I changed my mind and began planning on attending college.

The Adult Transition Program, or ATP for short was a three-year program where you intern at three job sites a year. It can help build up your resume to an impressive degree. You also learn about various things to expect in the adult life and how to handle them properly, so to speak. While students are normally meant to stay in this program for three years, I ended up graduating on my first year, for reasons I will talk about below.

Why did I start wanting to attend college despite not wanting to do anymore with school a year before? It was primarily for two reasons. One reason was when I first interned here at the UWB/CC Campus Library. Not only was I amazed by the campus and especially the library and how massive it was (at least compared to the libraries I’d seen prior), but the general atmosphere was also very welcoming. I also recognized various people from high school I used to know while walking across campus, which was another big motivator.

The other, more important reason I began wanting to attend college was that during my time at ATP, I quickly began to grow a sour opinion of the program. While I won’t go into too much detail, essentially I did not feel the program was fit for me. By December, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to explore different opportunities. So with the help of my job coach and advisor, I started applying to Cascadia and the rest was history.

Starting college was an interesting experience. The one thing I can say for certain was that it was very different from high school or even ATP. I never really completely adjusted to my schedule either; I ended failing one class on my first semester due to unpreparedness. However, it wasn’t all bad. It was actually a lot of fun for me. I ended up making some new friends and met up with some old ones.

I think both ATP and college both taught me valuable lessons in setting my goals and how much they’ll actually stick. Even now, I’m still not sure where I want to go in my life; I guess I’ll learn more about myself and my goals the more time I spend in college.

-Ian C.

Library Voices

Tag: college student