I want to discuss some of the hardest aspects of adjusting to U of T after having some time away from it. From these past two years of experience, I’ve found certain things that help when it comes to managing stress and keeping yourself together. In addition, I also found a lack of practical advice from experienced students, and a lot more fear-induced stress than was necessary.
So if you’re worried you about burning out or falling apart from all the stress, I hope this makes your transition (back) to U of T as painless as possible:
1. Joining groups and clubs that speak to your interests because you always need an outlet during stressful times.
Most people think that you have to spend all your time on academics, but that’s often the quickest way to burn yourself out. Pick up a volunteering position somewhere near campus if you’ve got a spare couple of hours. Or maybe a part time job (caution: not everyone can handle the added stress of a job, so make this decision with a deep understanding of what you can and cannot handle). Keeping your mind spread out across a few different responsibilities helps build time management skills and teaches you to compartmentalize your thinking so you can switch between study mode, work mode, and social mode.
2. Surround yourself with people who make you feel motivated and secure.
Too often, we find ourselves surrounded by people who (let’s face it, we’re at U of T) are extremely competitive. Some people might thrive among like-minded ambitious students, but it may not be right for you — especially if you start to feel inferior to them and insecure in your own abilities. Study buddies are one thing, but try to look for friends who will support you emotionally because you’ll need more than just academic help.
3. Physical Activity.
I know half of you are going to skip over this one because let’s face it — wouldn’t you rather watch Netflix while stress-eating in bed? Yes, you would. But that’s not an efficient way to channel your anxious energy — and it doesn’t take long before that ends up affecting your performance and spilling over into other aspects of your life. It doesn’t even have to be consistent if you can’t discipline yourself enough, but whenever you start to feel stressed out, go for a run or a swim, ride a bike (if you don’t own one, you can rent one. Bixi bike it up!), or call up a buddy to go play ball. Literally, ANYTHING — just don’t fester in your nervous thoughts.
4. If you’re a commuter
I know what you must be thinking — it’s so difficult to attend events and group meetings for clubs/groups that you’d like to join. It’s hard to make time in your schedule for the things that keep you healthy mentally when you lose a lot of time just going back and forth between your home and campus. As someone whose total commuting time amounts to 3 hours a day, I can confirm that this thinking is 90% excuses and 10% practical. Honestly, doing any of things 1 to 3 will keep your mind active and will heighten your tolerance for stress. If you have something to look forward to, it makes all the other responsibilities just feel like a means to your rewarding end.
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