Scheduling Downtime in the Semester

The readings are piling up, you’re stress eating McDonalds’ fries, assignments are due and the Vula announcements just won’t stop. We all know this feeling far too well! But at some point, whenever you find it in the semester, it will be the time you need to pause and take a moment for yourself to find some calm amongst all of your UCT storms. The following 3-D’s advice guide will help you schedule some downtime for yourself during the semester:

Diarise

Plan out what you want your week to look like day-to-day. A great way to do this is to find some time on a Sunday afternoon and write your priorities for each day. Once you have a clear picture of when your busiest days are, it will be easy to spot when you can have time for relaxation.

Designate

I would personally like a minimum of 3x hour and a half periods of relaxation per week, however, everyone is different and finding what works for you will be best. Once you have determined how much time you can afford to and want to spend on relaxing, put it in your diary as a priority, just like your studies are.

Decompress

We all have activities and things that help us decompress during busy times, whether it’s your favourite Netflix show, having a glass of wine or hot chocolate with your best friend or doing hair/face masks. Choose whatever is going to help you alleviate your stresses and use that time to fully take your mind off of your busy, demanding university schedule. Some notable activities to look into doing could be:

• Colouring in, painting or doodling

• Baking/Cooking

• Lighting scented candles or an essential oil burner and reading

• Doing a full spa day at home

• Going to the beach with some healthy snacks

• Making mood boards

Remember that it is essential to take some time to relax as it is a crucial part of living a balanced lifestyle. Although the everyday life of a UCT student can involve many academic obligations, no student can achieve everything without taking a break here and there to refresh their mind. Lastly it is also necessary not to take your scheduled relax time too far and abuse it as way to continue procrastinating!