Posted on 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.

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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!

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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:

  1. 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
  2. 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.
  3. Make time for the things you enjoy doing, whether it be hobbies or passions!
  4. 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!
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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!
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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 by vuukat

Morning Struggles: We’ve All Been There

We tend to encounter different problems when running out of the house for work or for class. This includes oversleeping, skipping breakfast, or even forgetting your wallet. Sometimes, we’re unsure or unable to figure out how to resolve these problems. But not to worry, because the following problems will include my personal ideas or suggestions that may help you!

  1.  Oversleeping
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GIF Credit: Giphy
  • Put multiple alarms in the span of every 10 minutes
  • Put your phone or your clock on the opposite side of your bedroom, away from your bed. This way, when your alarm goes off, you would have to get up, walk to your alarm, and turn it off
  • Try to set a consistent wake-up time
  • If you don’t work with alarms well, train your body to wake up without an alarm. As surprising as it sounds, your body is able to wake up during a specific time span if you sleep at a set time

2. Lack of sleep

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GIF Credit: Giphy

How to avoid staying up at night

  • Avoid consuming any caffeinated drinks in the evening
  • Plan in advance! Prior to the following day, think of all of the tasks that you must finish before you go to sleep, and estimate how long each task takes for you to complete
    • Create a to-do list using a note pad or a planner
  • Think of what kind of setting you would want to sleep in. Consider factors such as temperature, noise, or lighting

How to strive forward throughout the day

  • In the morning, do not overdo the caffeine. It makes your energy levels above and beyond high or it can shut you down
  • Try not to eat large meals during the day; you will most likely encounter possible energy dips or food comas afterwards
  • Move around instead of sitting in one spot for a long time; consider walking outside and enjoy the fresh air

3. Skipping breakfast OR rushing to make breakfast

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  • If time is a problem, wake up 15 minutes earlier than when you usually wake up
  • Consider creating a meal plan schedule for every morning of the week
  • If preparing a meal is too much for you, put out any utensils, bowls, or plates on the table the night before for simple breakfast meals, such as cereal and milk
  • Make or prep your food ahead of time if possible
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  • Take your food out the door with you! Eat on the go by grabbing a ziplock bag or a disposable bowl/plate with your food
    • Napkins are an essential if you plan to eat on the go

4. Not packing anything for lunch

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  • Meal prepping is a good way to grab your food and go
    • At the beginning of every week, you prep and plan what meals to eat. During the process, you gather all food material and either portion and store them into containers, or you prepare and portion them into containers.
    • After the preparation process, you are able to grab it in the fridge the next morning and eat it how it is or simply microwave it
  • Pack non-perishable packaged snacks in your bag or in your car beforehand
  • Keep some spare change in case you find a vending machine

5. Forgetting something important at home

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  • Give yourself 10 minutes before leaving your home to store everything in your car or in your backpack
  • Make a list of things that you need the day before
  • Repeat or replay what you need in your memory and visualize them. This is a method where you remember them in a matter of time

6. Not knowing what to wear and end up wearing the first clothing items you see in your closet

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  • Plan your outfit the night before
  • Find simple outfits that “fit the season”. For example, if it is summer, it is assumed that it will be hot so a pair of shorts and a t-shirt should be considered.
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  • Check the weather in advance to see what you could wear on that particular day
  • If you think weather issues might occur (such as random rainstorms or heavy wind) throughout the day, bring a small bag of “emergency clothes” and either put it in your backpack or in your car
Posted on by libraryvoices · 4 Comments

My experience fasting during Ramadan

This is my first time fasting during Ramadan, as a non Muslim it has been a very interesting and rewarding experience. I first decided to start fasting to show support toward my Muslim friends, my friends told me the purpose behind the fasting was to build restraint and to work on your individual spirituality. Since my spirituality was something I had not paid too much attention to over the years, I thought that Ramadan might offer me the opportunity to work on that.

There were a few things that I needed to learn about fasting before I could commit to it, the first was that complete fasting also included not drinking any water. Usually most people think fasting is the act of not eating anything but drinking water is okay (like when you go to the doctor to get blood glucose levels checked), but complete fasting is not ingesting *anything*. The second thing I learned was that Muslims fast from sunrise until sun down. The meal that breaks you fast is called Iftar, and is usually celebrated with friends and family as a very large feast every night. The last meal before the fasting commences is called Suhoor. The actual times of Iftar and Suhoor vary depending on the day, so it was important for me to be woken up by my friends (typically around 2:30 AM) so I could get some water in me.

Waking up in the middle of the night to drink water and eat an egg or two did mess up my sleeping schedule a bit. Since the majority of Ramadan landed during finals season, I fasted leading up to finals, but decided to not fast the actual week of finals. I ultimately think this was the best decision for me personally because I pulled a couple “all nighters” and ended studying for a total of about 80 hours. My body while fasting was not performing the best, and I often felt a lot colder than I normally would, but I think this is because I dove straight into it without “half days” as some young Muslim children might go through. My friends told me that as kids their parents would have them fast for only half the day and maybe add an hour each day  so that they could get used to it. I would suggest that if you are thinking of fasting (whether it’s for health or religious reasons), start off with a few half days to get into the rhythm of it.

In Islam there are a few people who have exceptions from fasting. These people include: young children, pregnant women, people with blood sugar problems (like diabetes), elderly folks, and people who may need to take medication at certain times of the day that requires them to eat. Fasting is not meant to worsen your health, it’s supposed to make a person stronger mentally and spiritually, so those who are in the categories mentioned above should avoid fasting or talk to a doctor before they decide to.

Overall fasting has made me realize that I am a lot stronger than I thought I was, and I have a much bigger respect for the Muslims in my life who practice this every Ramadan. It has also made me realize how dominated my life is by food, how much I look forward to meals throughout the day, and how fortunate I am to be able to afford food.

If you are fasting, or if you choose to fast in the future; I have composed a list of things that can help you from thinking of hunger. Here are a few things you could do to distract yourself from the emptiness in your belly:

  • Read – a book, an article, a friend’s admission’s essay, anything! Suggestions: The Spirit Catches You When You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas, any of the Harry Potter books.
  • Watch a YouTube video – catch up on your favorite vlogs that you’ve fallen behind on watching, or see what’s trending today (tip: avoid food videos).
  • Binge a TV series or watch a movie – Suggestions: Handmaid’s Tale, any Marvel movie, The Office, Silver Lining’s Playbook, Avatar: The Last Airbender
  • Hang out with your friends
  • Clean up your room/bathroom/kitchen
  • Draw/paint
  • Read up on local politics
  • Call your mom/dad/someone who means a lot to you, and catch up with them
  • Make an album on your phone of your favorite memes for quick access during group chat conversations
  • Do your homework
  • Set achievable goals for yourself
  • Do some light stretches that won’t tire you out or make you pass out
  • Write some poetry
  • Make a playlist of your favorite music from when you were younger and then listen to it
  • Organize your desk space
  • Go gift shopping for the next event you’re going to – graduation, wedding, birthday, etc.
  • Call/text/facetime/or see your significant other
  • Take your dog on a nice steady walk that won’t tire you out
  • Take a nap until Iftar
  • Paint your nails or chip the nail polish off your nails and repaint them
  • See what you sibling(s) or friends are up to and go distract them
  • Write a blog post
  • Talk to a coworker about their gardening (or your own gardening)
  • Plan out a vacation for the summer (or winter or fall or spring…)
  • Set up a good budgeting system for yourself and stick to it
  • Learn how to use Excel like a pro
  • Make an Excel sheet of the med/dent/law/grad schools you want to go to and their admissions requirements/GPA/admissions test score averages
  • Study for your classes even though you have nothing coming up… study harder if you do have something coming up
  • Learn a new language (my favorites/easier ones: ASL, Spanish, and French)
  • Brush your dog or cat’s fur if needed then clean up the mess afterwards
  • Make an obscenely long list of things
  • Think about your thinking
  • Fill your online shopping cart up with things and then delete it because you can’t afford anything
  • Actually buy something you need – a pair of running shoes, a notebook, socks, etc.
  • Fix your posture and keep it that way
  • Learn how to code
  • Listen to a new genre of music that you haven’t given a shot at before
  • Make food for when you can eat
  • Reflect on why you are fasting
  • Read up on Ramadan

I hope this helps you keep from thinking about food every 3 seconds and brings you closer to when you can break your fast! Happy fasting, and Ramadan Kareem!