Post-midterm season welcomes the perfect time to indulge in some new self-care activities that you may not have had the chance to try out duringall those intense study sessions. For this theme week, I wanted to specifically focus on some of the soft or more restful activities in our own backyard of Kingston, Ontario. Even as a fourth-year student, I feel like I still haven’t experienced every sweet activity this city has to offer but here are some of my insights into self-care in Kingston.Â
MOVIE NIGHT(s)
Going to see a movie is probably my favourite option on this list. I LOVE nothing like getting a little bag of popcorn and sitting down in a theatre. Most of the time the simplicity of the environment alone is enough to make any movie an automatic 5 stars. I’m a huge fan of The Screening Room on Princess Street. It’s a small independent theatre that’s in the perfect location for Queen’s students. Being an independent theatre, they offer a lot of movies you may not have heard of before alongside some highly-anticipated movies.They also re-release a lot of fan-favourites, I recently saw the 10th anniversary re-release of Whiplash which was such a fun experience! As I’m writing this, I also have to tell you about We Live in Time. I just got back from seeing it and I can confirm it was definitely as heartbreaking as everyone says. If going to the movies isn’t your thing, even just throwing a movie night at home is so much fun!Â
arts and crafts
If you’re feeling crafty, you should check out Crock-A-Doodle. It’s a pottery painting place and a short bus ride away but totally worth it. They have so many options of things to paint from: mugs, plates, bowls, and they even have cute little figurines! I went last April with my boyfriend as a little exam de-stressing activity and we had the best time. Being able to be a little crafty and off our phones provided the perfect restful break from the busy time of exam season. It’s important to give your mind a creative outlet and pottery painting is one of my favourite ways to express that creativity.
good food, with a side of conversation
Downtown Kingston has an unbelievable amount of restaurants, it’s impossible to have gone to all of them. Go for a little walk with your friends or housemates, pick a random new restaurant and give it a try! Worst casescenario, the food will be bad but hey, at least it’ll be a silly little story! If it’s a little too cold for a spontaneous walk, scrolling through Google Maps and picking a restaurant at random will certainly give you a walk with a purpose. I think that a simple dinner can definitely provide an hour or two of much needed rest from our busy lives. Keeping your phone away and indulging in some food and good conversation provides the perfect opportunity to appreciate the people in your life.Â
It’s important to get outside and really explore all of the unique activities available in Kingston during the school year. There are so many other events and fun things to do that I feel like I haven’t even started to scratch the surface yet. Even something as simple as going for a walk to get a coffee at a new cafe is an amazing self-care activity. Kingston can sometimes be overlooked as “just the place you go to school” but there are a lot of great opportunities to do something fun for a little rest!