Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Stressed?

Being stressed is what every student has to go through.

With midterms over, there's now final exams to worry about. Not to mention this is when many class assignments, projects, papers.... are due.

Also I am sure many of you have jobs, clubs, sports and other extracurricular activities.

However, no matter how stressed you are---please try to SLEEP, EAT and TAKE BREAKS. The last thing you want right now is to burn out.

SLEEP!

Try and get sleep everyday. At least 6 hours!

You don't have to burn the midnight oil. If you are finding you don't have enough hours a day, have a look at our Time Management TipSheet, it might be helpful.

Consider your priorities!
If you have too much to do, consider what is more important...and write yourself a schedule--- INCLUDE SLEEP, and BREAKS/REST TIME into your plan.

EAT WELL!
I can't stress this enough! Avoid junk and fast food. Get some fruits or vegetable into your diet.

Don't rely on coffee or energy drinks as your liquid. Drink water, tea and/or milk.
I find a hot cup of tea with some honey to be very soothing during times of stress.

TAKE BREAKS!
Go to the gym, get some exercise if you can.

Take breaks, some time to relax---lie on your bed/couch, listening to music and empty your mind for a while. You will find yourself more productive once you have some rest.



Thursday, November 19, 2009

it's that time of the year again

Leaves are falling, wind is blowing, scarves and gloves are out again....and if that isn't exciting enough exams are fast approaching.

Yes, final exams are just around the corner, lurking and daring you to procrastinate. BUT I am here prevent you from procrastinating and get you started!

I have experienced not knowing how to study, and panicking as the exam dates neared. But not to worry because I can help. View the Study Skills Tipsheets from the Academic and Career Centre. These tipsheets will teach you the best way to study and give you confidence when you are studying. Remember study smarter not harder. It worked for me.

The Academic and Career centre also offers seminars to help you prepare for your exams.
Come to the Exam Preparation and Exam Writing: How to Ace Your Finals seminar. The seminar addresses exam preparation timelines and strategies for the day of the exam. It also discusses “exam stress,” general test anxiety, and writing MCQ and essay style exams.

The Exam prep seminars will be held:

Tue, 24 November, 12:00 – 1:30 (B360)
Wed, 25 November, 5:00 – 6:30 (AA160)

Hit the books, get cracking, get a move on, ...basically get started studying! Good luck =)



Thursday, November 12, 2009

Belly Wopper

For those of you who have had time to take your face away from your laptops, notes and books have experienced the cold breeze and tumbled leaves. That just means one thing winter’s right around the corner and so comes the Belly Wopper. You probably are wandering, now what is a belly wopper? Simply put, it’s the bulge U of T student’s tummies forms over the winter. This is due to our fear of the cold, and our desires for warm fatty comfort foods. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will not only make you look good as you ring in the holidays but will definitely make you feel good on a mental level as well. It is proven that those who exercise on a regular basis perform better in school. Remember that you have already paid for your UTSC gym membership as soon as you enrolled for courses, so make use of it. Instead of waiting on our super speed state of the art elevators opt for walking the stairs and if you are a keener skip stairs for extra muscle strength. As soon as the first snow flake falls your mouth demands a hot chocolate but resist temptation. No one’s judging you for indulging once in while but try something lighter, a herbal tea perhaps? Living a healthy lifestyle will not only help us be confident individuals but allows us to perform better in our day to day tasks whatever it may be. So skip the junk and kick it out of your trunk.