Mental health. Our well-being. These are things that we can easily forget about when we have our lives wreaking havoc in front of us. When twists and turns grapple for our attention, we often lose sight of what is really important, which is making sure that we are okay. My life was going pretty well until I headed into high school. I had to leave behind all of my childhood friends and establish who I was all over again, but the thing is, I didn’t know who I was anymore. For so long I had an image of myself, but as my life started straying from what I had once known, this image clouded up more and more every single day. For a long time, I didn't have to make an effort to make myself known because I always just, well, was. But in a new school, with new people, in a completely foreign environment, I felt invisible. I didn’t feel like I was important anymore. I didn’t feel like I was even there. Feeling Overwhelmed? We all have anxious thoughts. Not necessarily anxiety per se, but things that give us the jitters to a point where we do not feel in control anymore. For me, those anxious thoughts became more than I could handle. It started to become a heavy feeling weighing down on my whole body any time I stepped foot into this new world that did not feel like my own. On top of this, I found myself becoming very down. I started questioning my purpose. I started questioning if I was really important anymore, because I sure did not feel that way. I found myself crying silently every night because I felt so alone. My anxious thoughts combined with these feelings made me think things like “your old friends will forget about you now” or “you are not that much now are you?”. It hurt because it was not anybody else making me feel this way, it was just me. So, I lost sight of myself and let me beat myself down. I pretended everything was fine even though it was not, and I really wish I had not done this, because forgetting about ourselves can significantly harm our mental well-being. If we stop caring about ourselves and let what we are going through overcome the need to take care of ourselves, it can be hard to reach the destination of accepting who we are and move forward to become who we are meant to become. Why Is Self-Care Important? What I have realized over these last few years, is that in order to accept new people and new things into your life you have to accept yourself. Maybe you went through what I had to go through, or maybe you are just in a situation that makes you feel terrible inside. Before I began accepting myself, I would look into the mirror and wonder who that girl was. She did not care about herself, she cared about what others had made her think she was. The outgoing girl. The klutz. The one you could lean on and count on for a good laugh. The thing is, the only thing I made myself do was cry. I had focused so much on others, that when it came to me, I wanted people to just like an idea of me so that I could feel like I belonged. That mindset made me feel self-conscious, which can make your anxious thoughts spiral. It is hard to stray from that mindset, but self-acceptance is a beautiful thing. I hate that it took me so long to realize that, and I am hoping that I can help you understand this sooner than I did. You have to start doing stuff for you. You have to live for yourself rather than others who you think your life depends on. I focused so much on my old friends’ thoughts and the thoughts of the people around me in my new school, that I did not let myself venture off and get into things that would make me feel happy. I realized that I was not feeling sad because of other people, but because of what I let myself imagine other people thought of me. You can be your own worst enemy, and self-care is important because it helps you demolish the bully that you can be to yourself, so that you can finally stand up and say that you have won because you feel good about yourself. How Do I Live For Me? 1. Take every opportunity you get to live for yourself, because you will wish that you had put yourself out there in the long run. Joining a sports team practically saved me, because it prompted me to start working out, helped me feel good about myself, and allowed me to surround myself with people who had common interests with me and acted as a second family that made me feel welcome and happy. 2. Do not have regrets. This may sound kind of silly, but it is a statement that I have learned to live by. You have to live in the moment, not the past or the future. The unknown is out of your hands, and all that you have control over is right now. So, live in the now and do not look back or think about what could have been, because right now you are who you are supposed to be. 3. Have chill days. Whether it is on the weekend or after you get out of school or work, let yourself take a breather. Take a second to soak up everything that you have experienced and just be one with yourself. Meditation can help with this, because not only does it have physiological health benefits, it also helps to ease stress and anxiety. Take a mental health break so that you can recharge. You do not have to be around people all the time, you can breathe and live in your own company for some time before you exert yourself again. Remember that you are HUMAN and that you need to prioritize your well-being. 4. Start a journal. We often need an outlet to help us relieve stress. Writing down your thoughts or the things that have happened during your day in a notebook or on your phone can help to ease your stress so that it does not become overwhelming. You do not have to read over your notes if they are too much to handle, your notes are for you and you can decide what you would like to do with them. Journaling gives you an opportunity to self-reflect and can be a safe place for you to share your emotions, which is perfectly okay. Try journaling to help you let your stress go by releasing it onto paper. Remember not to let these thoughts pile up to a point where they become too much to handle. 5. Listen to music. Music can be a great stress reliever because it can evoke certain emotions that we have hidden. Considering that holding on to negative emotions is unhealthy, try listening to songs that ease your soul or make you cry to help you release negative emotions, or try listening to upbeat and positive songs to make you smile and encourage you. Takeaway I hope that the takeaway from what I have shared with you is that you learn to love yourself. It is great to have others like you, but what about the person that you live with every hour of every day? You need to be happy with who you are. Life is not a breeze. It can be really rough at times. Our mental health is at risk every day because of the unexpected twists and turns that hit us out of nowhere, but every day we get the opportunity to work to improve our mental health. The better we care for ourselves, the better we will be able to handle ourselves through the obstacles that we will face. You are beautiful, you are strong, you are amazing, and no matter what you are going through or how you feel about yourself at this moment, please know that you are loved and that there is so much more that this world has in store for you.

Many of us face endless demands on a regular basis. Demands, and the pressure to meet these demands, can come from various sources including your family, workplace, school, and you. These demands can cause negative emotions and often leave many of us wishing for more hours in the day. While it is important to cope with the negative emotions that endless demands can cause, effectively managing your time can help reduce negative emotions and empower you to be productive. What is Time Management and What Can It Do for You? Even though it seems straightforward, time management is a multifaceted skill. Time management is the process of allocating your time to optimize your productivity. This skill can be applied to tasks for school, work, around the house, or your daily to-do list. Managing your time not only enables you to be more productive across the different domains of your life that you apply it to, but can also create extra time for you to enjoy hobbies or unwind and reduce negative emotions, such as stress and anxiety, that feeling overwhelmed by tasks can cause. Additionally, managing your time can empower you by building your sense of capability, responsibility, and self-sufficiency. How to Improve Your Time Management The process outlined in the following six steps can be used to help you improve your time management capability. 1. Assess your tasks 2. Set realistic goals 3. Prioritize your tasks 4. Create a schedule 5. Organize your environment 6. Work To effectively manage your time and increase your productivity, start by assessing your tasks. Determine what tasks you have to complete during your designated work time, which can be your workday, your day off, or the hour that you have during your morning commute. Next, set realistic goals for the completion time of each task. To do this, determine how long it will take you to complete each task. Although you are estimating the completion time of each task, it is important to anticipate a realistic estimation so that you remain able to set realistic goals and effectively manage your time. Your goals should include the completion time for each task and some extra time that you can use in case you underestimate a task’s completion time or an unforeseen issue arises. Now, prioritize your tasks. Take a moment to consider which tasks are time-sensitive, important to you, or able to be deferred, and then list your tasks in order from highest to lowest priority. Next, use the list that you have just made to create a work schedule. This schedule should indicate which tasks you will be completing during your designated work time and the amount of time that you have allotted to each task, including the extra time. Additionally, try to schedule breaks throughout your work period to ensure that you remain focused and energized throughout it. Once you have finalized your schedule, organize your work environment by minimizing or eliminating distractions. For example, you can limit or turn off the notifications that you get on your phone. After you have organized an appropriate workspace, you can start working on tasks. Tips to Help You Manage Your Time 1. Be prepared While assessing your tasks, try to understand what each one requires you to do to make sure that you are fully prepared to complete them. 2. Stay focused We all face a lot of distractions. Even though you may do your best to minimize or eliminate distractions, it can be easy for you to get distracted or for your mind to wander. Whether you find yourself thinking about your next task or the show that you have been binging recently, try to stay focused on the task at hand so that you have enough time to effectively and efficiently complete all of the tasks on your to-do list. 3. Know your limits Completing your tasks can become challenging if you work continuously for an extended period of time. It is important to be honest with yourself and remain aware of your mindset while you are working. Even when it feels like you are running out of time, remember to take breaks to eat, hydrate, sleep, re-energize, and re-focus. Working continuously without breaks can compromise the quality of the work that you are doing and your health. 4. Time your breaks Although taking breaks while you are working is important and can benefit both your work and your health, it is important to stick to your schedule. Try timing your breaks for the length of an episode of your favourite show or setting an alarm to remind you that it is time to get back to work. Effectively managing your time can improve all domains of your life that you apply this skill to. Whether you are managing your study time, work time, or downtime, being able to manage your time can help reduce negative emotions and empower you to be productive. What's your go-to time management tip? Let us know in the comments below! 💬👇🏼

Many students have either just started or are about to start their summer break, and are thinking about how to spend it. Are you wondering whether to focus on “you time,” continue learning, volunteer, get a summer job, or work on advancing towards your chosen career? Your options may seem endless, but with a little balance, planning, organization, and prioritization, you can get exactly what you want out of your summer break. Focus On “You-Time” What is “you time”? Is it a movie marathon, going for a walk, volunteering, reading, or scrolling through social media? Maybe it is when you are in the middle of a television binge, or when you are talking to your friends, working out, spending hours in the depths of YouTube, listening to music, or creating art. “You time” is the time that you spend investing in your physical, psychological, and social well-being, and ensuring that your needs are met. Spending time prioritizing your well-being and needs, can help you optimize all aspects of your health and manage the demands that you may face from your job or classes when school starts again. “You time” can consist of any activity that helps you meet your needs and promotes well-being, which is why “you time” activities vary from person to person. “You time” is something that you should always make time for, but summer break gives you a little extra time to practice and explore it. You probably know the different activities that your “you time” consists of, but your break is an opportune time to discover new activities that you may enjoy and that help you prioritize you. Continue Learning If you want to stay in top academic shape, there are several ways that you can continue learning throughout your summer break. You can enroll in summer classes, get a head start on the readings for your classes in the fall, stay up to date on current events related to your classes, or speak to a student mentor who has already taken the classes that you will be taking so that you know what to expect. Many local organizations, such as businesses, museums, and non-profits, offer summer programs for students. These programs may take the form of a class, an internship, or a volunteering opportunity, and they offer students practical learning experiences. There are also programs that allow you to spend your summer abroad taking classes that you can earn credits for. Learning coursework in a foreign country can be an incredible learning and life-enriching experience. Remember that learning does not only take place in a classroom. The world is your classroom and there are lessons that you can learn from all of your experiences. Volunteer Volunteering is a way for you to make a positive difference in the world, and can be a great opportunity for you to meet new people and learn more about yourself, your values, your community, and a cause. You can volunteer in various capacities in almost any setting. Donating your time to an individual can involve helping neighbours with tasks that they are unable to do on their own, or socially supporting individuals without a support system. At the organizational level, you can check for volunteer openings on an organization’s website or directly contact them to indicate your desire to volunteer and offer your services. Remember that you can volunteer your time to help others year-round. Get a Summer Job It may not be your dream job, or be in the same field as the career that you want to build, but a summer job can be helpful in various ways. A summer job will help you earn money that you can save or spend. Working can also help you expand your professional network, which can help you get jobs in the future, supply strong references for academic and job applications, and further expand your network by connecting you to other professionals in their network. A summer job can also help you learn and practice transferrable skills, such as work ethic, organization, leadership, and communication skills, that can help you in life and as you continue in your academic and professional career. The experience that you acquire through a summer job can benefit you immediately and in the long run. Advance Towards Your Chosen Career As a student, the career that you want can feel like it is a thousand miles away, but there are steps that you can take during your summer break to bring this goal within reach. One option is to gain experience in the field that you are aiming to work in, which you can do by working or volunteering in your chosen field, or by shadowing an accomplished professional. Staying up to date on advances and trends in your chosen field, by reading research, following the news, and staying connected with professionals in your field, can also help you advance towards your chosen career. What Should You Do? All of these options may seem overwhelming, but you can make the most of your summer break by taking the time to decide what you want to get out of your break and implementing strategies to help you achieve these goals. Remember that there is not one right way that you should be spending your summer break. Deciding how you should spend your break should involve you reflecting on your needs and goals. If current conditions are impeding your summer plans, try adopting a versatile mindset to help you strategize and find new ways to gain experience in different contexts and conditions. Get creative and remember that you have the ability to make the most of your summer break. Every experience can be a learning experience and a chance to help you develop and master new skills. How are you planning on spending your summer break? Let us know in the comments below! 💬👇🏼

People often tell me things like “don’t forget to stop and smell the roses” or “don’t let life pass you by,” and I hear them so often that I never really acknowledge or try to follow them. From my perspective, both of these phrases mean the same thing. They are reminders not to rush through life and to acknowledge and appreciate all the things that life has to offer. Although this sounds like a positive sentiment, it can feel impossible at times. What is Autopilot? I have a typical student schedule. I have deadlines for school and work, and I try to maintain a social life, all while trying to figure out my future. However, sometimes I feel like I fall into a mindless routine where I am still able to meet my deadlines and follow through on my commitments. It is like I am running on autopilot. In this context, autopilot is a mode of consciousness that allows people to remain productive without actively thinking or making decisions. Basically, this state of mind allows our mind to wander while remaining functional. When your daily routine becomes habitual, it is easy to complete your day while making the same decisions that you made the day before. When these decisions do not change, your day becomes predictable and decision-making becomes habitual to the point where you can make decisions without actively thinking about them. For example, every morning I eat a breakfast that consists of a cup of tea, a fruit, and a bowl of cereal. I keep my tea bags, fruits, and cereal boxes in specific places, and each morning I prepare my breakfast in the same way. I do not always have the same type of cereal, and the types of tea and fruit that I have depend on the season. By the end of the day, I know that I have eaten breakfast, but I am often unable to recall what I had. This example shows that an over-reliance on routines and habits prevent me from actively making decisions. Without having to consciously decide what to have for breakfast in the mornings, my mind becomes free to wander and think about the things that I have to do during the day while I make and eat my breakfast. I am running on autopilot. Is Autopilot a Good or Bad Thing? Autopilot is a good thing in some cases. If we had to put high levels of thought into every single thing that we do in a day, from remembering to brush our teeth in the morning to climbing stairs, we would be drained. Imagine having to make a decision about every movement that our hands and feet make while climbing stairs. Thinking about all of the intricate movements that go into climbing stairs would probably triple the amount of time that it takes us to climb stairs, and could offset our balance and cause us to fall. When it comes to these habitual tasks, running on autopilot is beneficial. On the other hand, I worry that running on autopilot can be detrimental to different aspects of my well-being. After I have recognized that I have been running on autopilot for a significant amount of time, I try to take a look back at the things that I unknowingly bypassed. Sometimes I realize that I have missed out on spending quality time with my family, or that I have made it through an entire semester with good grades but that I cannot recall some of my coursework or even the titles of my courses. Do you ever feel like you're running on autopilot? Let us know what you think in the comments below! 💬👇🏼

Individuals can understand and react to situations in various ways. A person can understand and react to a situation in one way, but can have a different experience if the same situation presents itself again. On the other hand, a person can understand and react to a situation the same way if it happens multiple times. Different people can also share an understanding and reaction to a situation, or have contrasting experiences. This phenomenon occurs for numerous reasons, one of which is the mindset that individuals have developed. An individual’s mindset is the perspective that they habitually apply to life situations to help them understand and react to the different situations that they may face. One’s mindset can change throughout their life course, because it is shaped by dynamic factors such as an individual’s life experiences, beliefs, personality, and education. A versatile mindset is an adaptive tool that can help individuals address life situations in a way that promotes mental wellness and productivity. During challenging or uncertain times, it is common for people to remind others to “be positive” or “look on the bright side” to comfort them. While this tactic aims to remind people that there is an upside to every downside, it can be maladaptive. Finding the upside in a negative situation involves an individual subjectively identifying the negative aspects of a situation, and either reframing it to be positive or analyzing it to see its upside. With this tactic, an individual has to appraise and label a situation as negative before they can look at its upside, which can cause them to feel negative emotions, such as sadness, stress, helplessness, or anxiety. This process can lead to a negative experience that individuals must then analyze and overcome to find its silver lining. The process of finding the silver lining can be an exhaustive and unnecessary step to feeling positive emotions. Another approach to maintaining one’s mental health can be to develop and maintain a versatile mindset, which can help individuals move on from situations that others would identify as negative while evoking fewer negative emotions and experiences. What is a Versatile Mindset? A versatile mindset is a dynamic and adaptive way of thinking that can help individuals successfully address the different situations that life throws at them, by preventing them from labelling these situations as good or bad and helping them adapt to these situations. A versatile mindset involves the recognition of a situation that others would appraise as negative as a neutral development in your plans that must be addressed. Having a versatile mindset does not mean that you ignore the feelings that you experience during different situations, but that you prevent them from driving future decisions and negatively impacting your mental health and productivity. How to Apply a Versatile Mindset The process outlined in the following five steps can be used to help develop a versatile mindset. Regularly incorporating these steps into your daily routine can help you adopt a versatile mindset as a habit. 1. Evaluate your emotions 2. Acknowledge that your feelings are real 3. Separate your emotions from the situation 4. Assess the situation 5. Adapt to the situation To employ a versatile mindset, start by evaluating your emotions. You can do this by asking yourself which emotions the situation at hand is causing you to feel and which emotions you feel the strongest and the least. Try to be honest with yourself about how you feel. It is important to acknowledge that your feelings are real. Try not to be dismissive of your emotions. Remember that the way you feel is valid and you are not wrong for experiencing these emotions. Then, separate your emotions from the situation by viewing them as distinct entities. Intentionally separating your emotions from the situation that caused them can help you understand, adapt to, and move on from that situation. Remember that this separation does not mean that you ignore or suppress your emotions, but that you allow yourself to objectively view your emotions and the situation, which will help you cope with and adapt to them. Try a relaxation technique, such as deep breathing or practicing mindfulness, to help with your separation process. Once you have successfully completed your separation process, work to assess the situation. Try to identify all aspects of the situation, including its cause, any subsequent effects, and how it affects you. Finally, determine the most productive reaction to this situation and adapt to it by objectively weighing different methods to achieve the reaction that you have chosen. Now, you can implement the method that you have chosen and start working towards adapting to the situation. Example For example, think about how you might react to finding a long line at your favourite coffee shop when you are already running late. Some individuals may view this situation as an obstacle or inconvenience that could disrupt the rest of their day, and could wonder why bad things happen to them or give up on making it to their destination on time. Each of these reactions can cause feelings of stress, anger, frustration, or hopelessness, and are caused by the appraisal of this situation as inconvenient or bad. These reactions exemplify how not applying a versatile mindset can allow emotions to influence decision making, and negatively impact individuals' mental health and productivity. On the other hand, applying a versatile mindset to this situation would prevent you from appraising it as negative, which would mitigate the adverse effects that are caused by a negative appraisal, such as negative emotions. A versatile mindset would allow you to view a long line in your favourite coffee shop as a situation to be adapted to, as opposed to a disruptive inconvenience. In this case, you would evaluate and acknowledge how the long line makes you feel before choosing to separate these feelings from the situation to give you a clear and objective perspective. After objectively assessing the situation, you can decide on the most productive way to adapt to it, which may be to stop at another coffee shop on the way to your destination, wait and return to your favourite coffee shop after making it to your destination, or wait in line and modify the rest of your day. These reactions exemplify how you could adapt to a situation and proceed with your day, while minimizing your experience with negative emotions and the potential disruptive effect of the situation. Through the application of a versatile mindset, you can remain productive and preserve your mental health. Do you use a versatile mindset? Do you find it helpful? Let us know in the comments below! 💬👇🏼

Having a routine is not as robotic as planning everything that you need to do right down to the second. Routines can be flexible, and are most successful when you adapt them to your wants and needs. Student life is STRESSFUL and often feels 24/7. This leaves little time for you to spend on yourself and a lot more time for stress to make its way into your life. Developing and implementing a routine that enables you to spend the amount of time that you want to spend studying and the amount of time that you want to spend unwinding, is a great way to alleviate this stress. Here are 7 tips to help you develop and implement a balanced routine: 1. Adapt your routine to you and your wants/needs Do not dedicate time to meditation and affirmations if you get nothing from them! When planning your 'me time,' you have to make time for things that motivate you and make you feel good, otherwise, you are not going to be inspired to follow through with them. Does watching Netflix make you feel better and motivated? If yes, then this is what you need to prioritise when having your 'me time'. Do not spend your valuable time on something that is not for you and will not benefit you. 2. Try to keep school work within the constraints of a 9-5 It is beneficial to treat your schoolwork like a 9-5 (or 10-6, 11-7, etc.). Decide which hours you work best with and try to only do school work within this timeframe. This is essentially 'leaving work at work', something that students do not quite have the luxury of. Following this tip can give you an evening off so that you can dedicate time to yourself rather than your work (which is alien to us students). 3. Dedicate one day for household errands One of the weights that many students have to bear is independence. This often means that you no longer have a wash basket that you can throw your dirty clothes into and have them magically show up clean, folded, and laid out on your bed. You need to find a time that is best to get your hefty house chores done. This will help you organise your time more efficiently during the rest of your week, as these tasks will not be getting in your way or looming over you. Just pick one day to get most if not all of them out of the way, and then you will be free of chores for the next week! 4. Try time-blocking When organising your daily work routine, you might want to try out time-blocking, which involves dedicating set timeslots to different tasks that you need to do for school. This particularly comes in handy when trying to get some of your less pressing tasks done. Most of the time, tasks like essential readings, further readings, revisions, etc. get pushed to the bottom of your to-do list, and sometimes, are never even started. By having a timeslot each week dedicated to tasks like these, you may be more inclined to address some of them. These sorts of tasks are never quite 'completed' on your to-do list and may make your list feel never-ending, so, dedicating time to spend on each of these tasks can help you tackle your to-do list. 5. Plan your tasks A balanced work/life routine requires some level of planning. In school, no week is the same, so being aware of what is due and when is all the more important. It may take just 20 minutes to write a list of tasks that need to be completed in a week. So, why not try to tackle this on a Friday evening or Monday morning? This way, you can effectively plan out when you want to work on these tasks, and break down your tasks, so that you can work on them gradually throughout the week rather than all at once. 6. Switch off on the weekends This is similar to making sure that you give yourself evenings off. You are not superhuman, you need to recharge and take significant blocks of time off. This does not mean simply doing less work, because even if you choose to do less work instead of taking time off, doing any work at all can give you the illusion of not having any time off at all. If you develop and implement your routine following the previous tips, this should mean that your work will not get out of hand and that you can 'afford' to take time off. 7. Do not punish yourself for going off schedule We are human, which means that we sometimes require flexibility. When you are unable to complete certain parts of your routine or are unable to achieve a work/life balance, try to give yourself time to get back on track instead of being hard on yourself. Incorporating even one of these tips when organizing a school routine can hopefully send you on your way to achieving a work/life balance. Start by asking yourself what you find fulfilling, as this will help you prioritize things in your personal life and get you on your way to developing a weekly routine that works for you. What's your go-to tip for building an effective routine? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 💬👇🏼

The various aspects of our lives have their own set of responsibilities that must be fulfilled in order for us to be successfully involved in them. Some of these responsibilities are multi-functional, meaning that they are not exclusive to one aspect of our lives. For example, punctuality is a responsibility that positively serves us in our spaces of employment, our social connections, and our academic endeavors. In each of the aforementioned contexts, one’s ability to be “on time” indicates their understanding of the parameters that have been set for that context and their respect for the individuals with whom they are interacting. Although I am no stranger to responsibilities, current circumstances have impacted the manner in which I was able to embrace and implement them. In addition to being a K-12 educator, I began a graduate program at the start of this academic school year (August 2020). Not only was I teaching remotely, I was learning remotely. I consider myself an effective educator because I also know how to be a student. However, I found myself re-learning how to both give and receive instruction because of the foreign platform that I was newly dependent upon. As I worked to navigate lesson planning, grading, parent communication, etc., I was simultaneously experiencing these components in the passenger seat, as a pupil. Here is what I have learned about managing multiple responsibilities and making time for self-care. 1. Only commit to what you are sure you have the capacity to complete. This is important in your professional, personal, and academic lives. Sometimes the pressure of wanting to maintain a certain reputation takes over and makes “no” seem like an impossible response. However, when communicated appropriately, saying “no” can help you to create the flexibility that you require in your schedule to prevent you from experiencing burnout. Being open to saying “no” and increasing my awareness of my communication skills have made all the difference in the world this year. 2. It is okay to accept help. Asking for assistance is not a marker of incompetence. Collaboration is oftentimes more efficient than working solo. Being aware of when you need help and taking the steps to get it, show that you are capable of understanding and respecting your limits. The collaborative input that you get when you ask for help can even help you develop, both personally and professionally. Bottom line; there is strength in being able to recognize when an extra pair of hands or eyes will maximize the quality of your intended outcome, tap into that power source. 3. Find a healthy outlet or coping mechanism to indulge in. This can be meditating, reading for pleasure (especially helpful when assigned readings seem to take precedence in our lives throughout the semester), exercising, or any other genuinely enjoyable hobby. I have a book of poems that I like to pick up when I am in the mood to consume literature that is lighthearted, yet thought-provoking. 4. Get into the habit of identifying and repeating effective and affective affirmations daily. Maintaining an optimistic and cheerful mindset often secures productivity. Some people place their affirmations on notes around their home, and others like to repeat them out loud like mantras. I found it particularly helpful to save my favorite affirmation as my lock screen image. Let’s be honest, our phones are probably the one piece of technology that we interact with most on any given day. 5. Get your rest. This may seem redundant, but as an undergraduate student, I cannot tell you how many times I pulled all-nighters because of procrastination. I have personally found that my procrastination is the result of low energy due to insufficient amounts of rest. One way to be motivated is to give your body exactly what it needs. If you listen closely, your body will tell you what it is lacking. Pushing yourself beyond your point of exhaustion will have dire consequences down the line. Establish a bedtime and stick to it. If you are working and feel the need to take a moment for yourself (even if it is just a quick stretch or a snack) do it. Responsibilities do not just benefit others, they are valuable to you as well. We owe it to ourselves to create routines that align with our interests, goals, and abilities. These routines help us account for and protect our time, and establish necessary boundaries for others to acknowledge and adhere to. Do yourself a favor, do not feel confined by your responsibilities. Be empowered by them and shine.

The struggle of being productive in a world without mercy is persistent, ongoing, and pervasive. When we start out on a journey of education, most - if not all of us - believe that we have some idea of what we are in for. And once again, most - if not all of us - underestimate the reality of the challenge ahead. So, what do you do when you get to a point where you realize the magnitude of what you have taken on? Whether it is three or six months in, or during the first week, what do you do when reality hits you? You may often find yourself up to your eyeballs in readings, paperwork, seminars, lectures, office hours, family life, work, and somehow writing for deadlines that never quite go away. These demands never seem to stop, but you will have to once you encounter something that you may not have met before - your limit. The tension from all of those stressors and demands will build-up, and then one day, things may change for the worse. With that many plates in the air, spinning faster, and the pressure rising - eventually one may fall. You might hear a clatter and a smash, and who knows?... maybe it will be the start of a chain reaction, one plate after the other may fall like dominos: a growing crescendo of disaster. Or, perhaps it will be followed by an echoing silence and you may start to feel like a failure and wonder if you have let yourself down. Who knows, maybe this is it for you. The falling plate(s) represent being burned-out, a point of complete exhaustion that can be experienced in all domains of life, including physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains. While burnout is not an inevitable part of life, it is accompanied by persistent and in some cases overwhelming negative emotions. So, what happens when you are burned-out? Different people experience burnout differently. You may wallow. Take perhaps a day, a week, or a month off. Maybe longer. While taking the time that you need, you might delve into mental health support groups and consume all the healing content that you can find. Self-care may become your mantra while you comfort yourself, because if you do not heal from being burned-out, how can you possibly return to the pressures of life? Maybe your commitment to self-care is genuine and you notice that the overwhelming negative emotions will leave you alone if you directly address them. You may also find yourself using burnout and self-care rituals as excuses to procrastinate “for a good reason”, but in the back of your mind you know that all of those deadlines have not *actually* gone away… so, you eventually poke your head out of your cocoon and crawl out from underneath the cloud of confusion that is burnout. It is time to start again. What should you do now? What is your strategy for a more manageable approach to all of your deadlines and tasks? As someone who has experienced burnout and is still picking up the pieces years later, I recommend avoiding it in the first place by regularly reflecting on your experiences and how they are affecting you, but here are some tips on how to overcome burnout and prevent it: Pace yourself. Plan. Be aware of your capacity and be realistic about what you can handle. Do not ever schedule yourself at 100% of your capacity. Go for something smaller. Perhaps 60%, which is more than half, but allows you the freedom to adapt to your threshold. You do not need to be ‘on’ all the time, but you also cannot be ‘off’ all the time either. You cannot spend all of your time procrastinating and masquerading your procrastination as self-care - it does not work and it will not help. Find coping strategies that work for you. Various mental health organizations, academic literature, and mental health professionals provide credible and evidence-based resources in support of mental health, that can help you cope with exam stress and the pressures of student life. Reach out to others and, most importantly, express your feelings and thoughts about what you are going through. Find someone or something that will keep you accountable. For example, try starting out with small, achievable goals, and make increasingly larger goals over time so that you can eventually get back to where you would like to be. We often put far too much pressure on ourselves to be the best possible version of ourselves. The truth is, you are under no obligation to be the same person today, that you were before you experienced burnout. Your experiences shape you and that is okay. The yardstick that you once measured yourself with can be modified, or even replaced. For example, people can find the transition between degrees and different levels of academic rigour challenging; its difficulties may become clearer when you are looking back on your experiences. Your life has probably changed. The demands on you are different - and even if all external factors remain the same, you yourself may be different. That is okay. The best way to handle burnout is to prevent it, but if you are already there, a good approach to coping with burnout is honesty. Start from where you are at. Give yourself a bit of time. Offer yourself the kindness that you would offer a friend, and then slowly, at your own pace, get back up and carry on. If you did it before, you can do it again. How do YOU handle burnout? Let us know in the comments below! 💬👇🏼

Self-Care. When you read those words, what do you think of first? Even better, how does it make you feel? Do you cringe? Oh, not this again! Do you smirk? I have got my face mask on right now! Does it evoke mental pictures of meditation, lotions, massages, or ice cream? Maybe you are at a similar point as I was, where I just wanted this self-care message to leave me alone! Not because I did not think that it was important, but because I thought that a lot of the messages being spread around self-care were actually full of it and they just wanted my money. I will scream it from the rooftop - a facemask will not fix your problems! - even though they are really nice. I want to share with you some of the mindsets that have completely turned my life around and keep me on the right track. Self-care comes from the heart. It comes from the inside out. All you have to start with is the desire to do it. I am not talking about the, well in a perfect world-one day-if only, kind of desire. I think there are exceptions, but, especially in my own life, I have found that if I really want something, I am willing to inconvenience myself for it. Now, be brutally honest with yourself. How much are you actually going out of your way to change your bad habits? If you really wanted something, you would not make so many excuses. The reason why I am being so hard on you is because I want you to know that the life you want is available to you, but only you can make it a reality. I do not want you to reach the end of your life and realize that you have wasted your days. Your heart follows your actions. Look, there will be exceptions to this; however, as the saying goes, if you want to know where someone’s heart is, follow their wallet. I also like to add follow their time. That is why folks ask, “when was the last time you did something for yourself?” It does not need to be a spa day, although that is nice. It can simply be setting aside an hour for yourself to take a walk in the park. Free. I will also add this. We should be very careful not to blame and get upset at others for their self-care. Especially spouses. Do you catch yourself saying: Why don’t you help me more? Where were you? Oh, you were at the gym? How dare you. No, no, boo. You are upset because they made time for themselves and you have not done the same for yourself. Ask yourself, what is stopping you? All of your obligations? I guarantee that if you looked at your schedule through the lens of “Do I HAVE to do this?”, you would find some things that you could take off your plate. Self-care is about taking back the reins in your own life. The biggest act of self-care is basically taking self-responsibility. Owning up to the fact that you play the biggest role in your destiny. All the choices that you have made have led you to this point. Are you where you want to be? I did this with myself, and it is not a fun process if you have made some bad choices. This is a hard process, but a necessary one. You can never change what you do not acknowledge. This is the first step in taking concrete steps towards practicing self-care. My mantra for self-care is to simply be better than yesterday. That does not mean perfect. That does not mean, reaching my goal. That means, taking steps in the right direction. Over time, this mentality will help you make huge strides towards becoming who you want to be. What the big companies will not tell you is that self-care does not really look all that glamorous most of the time. For example, some of the ways that I love myself the most are: waking up early, eating healthy, keeping a schedule, making deadlines, working out, slowing down, and knowing when to push myself. To be honest, none of these things are really fun for me. Sure, I will get a burst of energy every now and again, but I know my goal and I know the kind of person who I want to be and I want to set myself up for success. I do not want to sabotage myself. I do not want to be my own worst enemy. If that means not staying out late every night, saying no to the cookies, and paying the bills before I go shopping, then so be it. This ties into my point about being better every day. Rarely is sacrifice fun in the moment, but when I look back over the progress that I have made, I am so proud of myself and I build so much confidence. I believe in you! Go out there and get it!

Student Narrative My sleeping pattern is something that I have always struggled with. During high school, I would stay up late doing the hours of homework that had been assigned to me. Along with spending time on myself, maintaining a social life, and spending quality time with my family, I also spent a lot of time at team practices and doing extra-curricular activities before and after classes. I viewed participating in a lot of different activities as a way to discover the things that I was truly passionate about, and I thought that exploring different interests would strengthen my post-secondary applications. I genuinely enjoyed spending time doing these activities, they were a great break from my academic demands and were an outlet for me to express my creativity. My extra-curricular activities also taught me different life skills and lessons, so I valued them and chose not to give any of them up. I spent a lot of time studying and practicing to make sure that my academic and extra-curricular performances were the best that they could be. As a result, my sleep pattern always seemed to suffer because sleep was the first thing that I would compromise to make sure that I had enough time to prepare for school and extra-curricular activities. I developed unhealthy and maladaptive sleep habits, and have developed even worse habits to maintain my awful sleeping pattern, which has become so inconsistent that it is barely a pattern. I feel tired at times during the days, and I worry because I know that not getting enough sleep is bad for my health. What are some healthy sleep habits that I can learn to help me develop and maintain a healthy sleeping pattern? Response To Student Narrative Hello! Thank you for sharing your experience with the EVOLVERE community. We understand and can relate to your experience. Although you should not have to stop participating in activities that you enjoy and benefit from, we encourage you to prioritize your health and well-being by following a well-balanced schedule that gives you ample time to rest. Consistently getting little to no sleep may not seem like a big deal in the short term, but it can have serious consequences for your health in the long-run and negatively impact your performance at school and in your extra-curricular activities. It is great to hear that you are interested in changing your unhealthy and maladaptive habits in favour of healthy habits that will help you develop and maintain a healthy sleeping pattern. Being aware of your negative habits and choosing to change them can go a long way towards helping you accomplish your goal. We would like to share some tips and strategies that we have learned from our experiences and that have helped us develop and maintain a healthy sleeping pattern. It is important to remember that we are all unique, so the tips and strategies that work for some of us may not work for others. Finding what works best for you may require testing different tips and strategies. Try not to get discouraged by tips and strategies that do not work for you, instead, try another approach and remember that you are working towards improving your overall health and well-being. 1. Do Not Let Sleeping Troubles Stress You Out Being aware of your unhealthy and maladaptive sleep habits is a step towards adopting healthier habits, but thinking about these negative habits to the point where you become stressed out can take you a few steps backwards. Feeling stressed out about any of the different circumstances that you may be experiencing can detract from the quantity and quality of the sleep that you are able to get. As your mind starts to race with different thoughts, it becomes harder for you to fall asleep and stay asleep, which can further stress you out and create a sleepless cycle that negatively impacts your health and well-being. Before you go to bed, try to distance stressful thoughts. 2. Create a routine and stick with it Sleep-related routines can help you develop and maintain healthy sleep habits. Going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day can improve the quality of your sleep, and make it easier for you to fall asleep and wake up. Creating a pre-sleep routine can also help prepare your mind and body for sleep, which can help you fall asleep faster and easier. Meditating and taking a warm bath or shower are examples of activities that can encourage a sleep-oriented mindset, and the familiarity that can develop as you continue to practice this pre-sleep routine can help you feel tired and make it easier for you to fall asleep. Consistency is key to receiving the benefits of sleep-related routines, so try not to hit the snooze button or sleep in on the weekends. If maintaining your routine becomes difficult or if you start to stray from it, try to keep working at it, and remember that it will help improve your health and well-being in the long run and become easier to follow if you consistently practice it. 3. Limit your caffeine intake Stimulants are substances that can make you feel alert and energetic. Consuming stimulants within a few hours before you go to bed can prevent you from falling and staying asleep. Caffeine is a common stimulant that can be found in many food and drink products, such as coffee, tea, chocolate, and sodas. Limiting your consumption of caffeine-containing foods and drinks, especially in the afternoon and evening, or avoiding these products, can help you fall and stay asleep. Remember that nicotine and excess quantities of alcohol can also interfere with your ability to fall and stay asleep. 4. Practice relaxation techniques Get into a sleep-oriented mindset and distance stressful thoughts by practicing relaxation techniques before you go to bed. Incorporating relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises, practicing mindfulness, and progressive relaxation into your pre-sleep routine, can help you fall and stay asleep. 5. Make your sleeping environment comfortable The perfect sleeping environment varies from person to person. While some prefer to sleep on a soft mattress with a dim light in complete silence at a cool temperature, others prefer to sleep on a harder mattress while listening to music or other soothing sounds in complete darkness at a warm temperature. Generally, quiet, dark, and slightly cool rooms encourage sleep, but you should try different options to find the sleeping environment that is most comfortable for you. 6. Limit late-night snacking The type of food that you consume within a few hours of the time that you plan to go to bed can influence the quality of your sleep. Heavy food and food that is greasy, acidic, or spicy, can disrupt your sleep by causing indigestion or upsetting your stomach. If you feel hungry within a few hours of when you are planning to go to sleep, try to limit your snacking to food that you have eaten before and were not been disruptive for you. Remember to avoid food that contains caffeine, such as chocolate or soda, while late-night snacking. 7. Be aware of late-night exercising Exercising within a few hours before you plan to go to bed impacts sleep differently for different people. Some individuals prefer to exercise earlier in the day and find that this routine improves the quality and duration of their sleep at night, while others receive the same benefits from exercising a few hours before going to bed. Exercise generally causes physiological effects that lead to people feeling alert and energized, which can prevent them from falling and staying asleep. However, less strenuous exercises may cause less of a physiological response and have little to no effect on sleep. The type of exercise performed and an individual’s subjective experience with its effect on their sleep may vary from others’ experiences, so try different exercise options at different times of the day to see which option is best for you. 8. Limit your liquid intake Whether you are drinking water, juice, or alcohol, consuming excess fluids within a few hours of going to bed can disrupt your sleep by causing you to have to wake and use the restroom during the night. Additionally, the contents of the drink can cause you to feel alert and energized, which can prevent you from falling asleep. If you feel thirsty before heading to bed, try limiting your liquid intake to drinks without stimulants or stimulating additives. 9. Limit daytime naps Taking multiple or lengthy naps during the day, or within a few hours of going to bed, can interfere with your ability to fall and stay asleep. While short naps that are less than half an hour can help you feel alert and energized, longer naps do not typically allow a full sleep cycle to be completed and can cause you to feel unfocused and lethargic. Additionally, taking multiple naps can interfere with your ability to fall asleep when you ultimately decide to get a full night’s sleep, as can napping a few hours before the time that you plan to go to bed. Do not force yourself to stay awake when you feel exhausted, but do not overdo it with the naps. Try to limit the number of naps that you take and their duration to thirty minutes, and try to nap early in the day to help you fall and stay asleep when you are ready for a full night’s sleep. 10. Monitor your light exposure Natural light and blue light can impact the quality and duration of your sleep. Exposure to natural light, or sunlight, causes physiological effects that can lead to you feeling alert and energized, while exposure to darkness causes physiological effects that can leave you feeling tired. Exposing yourself to light and darkness when you are ready to wake up or go to bed can be implemented into your daily routine to help you maintain healthy sleep habits and an adaptive sleeping pattern. The effects of being exposed to blue light, which is emitted from many electronic devices, mirrors the effects of being exposed to natural light. Try to avoid scrolling through your social media feeds before going to bed and limit your exposure to electronics from televisions to laptops, to help you get a good night’s rest. How is your sleeping pattern holding up? Let us know in the comments below! 💬👇🏼

Fibromyalgia is one of the most debilitating conditions out there. It is an invisible and chronic illness that affects millions of people around the world. It can make even the simplest tasks seem like insurmountable mountains to climb. Since it is an invisible disease, it can be hard sometimes for other people to understand (or even believe) your physical limitations. Some people do not even believe it is a real thing: my doctor dismissed it for years before he started to take me seriously. I started experiencing my first fibromyalgia symptoms when I was around 15 years old. For me, it started with unexplained back pain and chronic fatigue. Then came the dizziness, trouble sleeping and sharp pains that would come and go all over my body. I felt weak almost daily from the lack of sleep and constantly being in pain. Needless to say, that also took a major dig at my mental health and general well-being. I stopped going out with friends because I had to ‘’save my energy’’ for days when I had to work. I tried every OTC (over-the-counter, not prescribed) medication available but nothing really worked. Then my doctors started prescribing me anti-inflammatories and non-opioid medications. That did not really work either. Just before my diagnosis, I had a plethora of symptoms: widespread pain that felt like aching, burning, and stabbing in my muscles and bones, tender points that were painful to the touch (mostly my neck, my back and my hips), depression and anxiety, numbness and tingling of the extremities, excessive tremors in my hands, and cognitive impairment (known as ‘’fibro fog’’) characterized by memory loss and difficulty concentrating and processing information. My immune system was also shot to hell, I was sick constantly. There is no definitive test to diagnose fibromyalgia, so doctors have to do it through an elimination process - but that can take a long time. For me, it took 9 years. It was debilitating to live all those years with so much pain and unexplained symptoms, with the added disbelief of my loved ones and employers. It is extremely hard to not have an explanation for all that pain, and at some points, I even started to doubt myself. Was I a crybaby? Was it all in my head? Surely, I must be making it seem worse than it really was? Finding out that I was not imagining all of these things, that my condition was real and that I was not the only person struggling with this comforted me - in some ways. This is why I wanted to shed some light on the daily struggles of people living with fibromyalgia. Getting out of bed in the morning can be a real challenge because the pain, stiffness and sore muscles can be so intense that it takes several hours for the body to loosen up. This can lead to a lack of productivity throughout the day. Add to that factor the dread and anxiety of ‘’pushing yourself too hard’’ and having your symptoms worsen during the day. Household chores such as cleaning, cooking, and laundry can be exhausting, making it hard to keep up with them. These tasks require a significant amount of physical energy for those suffering from fibromyalgia, and the pain and fatigue can be overwhelming. Something as simple as washing dishes can feel like an impossible feat. As a result, chores keep piling up and it seems like you can never do everything you want or need to do. Personal care can also be a struggle for those with fibromyalgia. Taking a shower, getting dressed, and grooming oneself can be exhausting and painful. It can take much longer than usual, leading to a sense of frustration and feeling overwhelmed. I used to be really into makeup: I would spend hours creating a complex and creative look. Unfortunately, when I started having tremors in my hand, I stopped doing it because it just became too hard. Social activities can be challenging. Simple outings like going to the grocery store, attending a family gathering, or meeting up with friends can be difficult due to the pain and fatigue that come with fibromyalgia. As a result, many of us often have to cancel plans due to the condition, and for me, that leads to a sense of isolation and loneliness. I wish I could say it all gets better at some point, but unfortunately, there is still no cure for fibromyalgia. The only thing you can do is learn to manage your symptoms with exercise, a healthy diet, and meditation. It is crucial to learn your own limits and to show yourself some compassion, because the outside world will not always understand. Prioritize yourself and maybe take some comfort in the fact that while this illness is invisible, you are not. I see you.