Self-Care x University

It’s been a while since I published my blog...

Truth be told with the heat from my midterms, assignments and lectures from my current course load. I had thought one blog post a week wouldn’t be too much to handle. But also me, I just wasn’t feeling it.

I haven’t been my usual positive self lately. With all that life has to offer, the unexpected twists and turns, you may not always feel like yourself too. So how about we take some time out and just zone in on self-care today.

Self-care: Actions and attitudes which contribute to the maintenance of well-being and personal health as well as promote human development so as to be the best version of yourself.

At most we prioritize work and achievements. If you’re like me, you have the tendency to do everything because you can. That feeling of accomplishment I get from ticking items off the to-do list never gets old. Once you feel the burnout point then it’s time for a little introspection. It can be extremely gratifying getting things done, slaying in life and all. But as long as you get home completely worn out, you’re probably low-key letting go off the things that matter, of most value i.e. a healthy diet, exercise and spending time out with friends and loved ones, you might end up feeling resentful, unfulfilled, mentally and physically exhausted.

It’s definitely not selfish to practice a bit of self-care here and then. Can you really look out for others if you’re not well? On the contrary, taking time to oneself goes an extra mile. I can assure you a great deal of success and results in the long run, because that’s what we all want as students, right?

Here’s a compilation of ways I think one can practice self-care as a university student. I’ve laid my focus more on mental self-care, but the list is not definite. We all have different preferences and in the end it’s up to you to find what best suits you:

• Strive as much as possible to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night (8 would be ideal, but you can work your way up)
• Cut down on processed foods (At least once during the day focus on filling your plate with several colors, vegetable, fruits and some sort of protein)
• Watch your caffeine and sugar intake
• Level up your water intake (This will flush out some of the toxins in your body so that you don’t feel so sluggish during the day)
• Grab a book you’ve been dying to read and immerse yourself in it
•  Listen to your favorite playlist, dance and sing along
• Do absolutely nothing for a while, let yourself listen and feel. (That’s what mindful meditation is about)
•  Meet up with some close friends and talk it out
• Cuddle, hug someone. It could be your friend or your pet
•  Plan a trip (Whether you decide to go or not)
• Go shopping, pamper yourself much
•  Go off social media for a while
•  (Not for everyone, but backed by science) Have sex.

Yes, that’s a bonus, because I found it in an article and we’re all grown-ups here.

Slef-care Affirmation: I love the process of becoming who I am (and unbecoming who I am not) I let go, I pick up, I stumble, I rise, I flow. I am one mosaic-many parts learning how to make a masterpiece.

Becoming A Gender Activist.

“You are too young. You are uneducated. No one will listen. You don’t have nearly enough influence,” they said.

There is more to activism than just supporting movement, activists are not only tasked with maintaining their own will to fight against what feels like insurmountable odds, you must inspire others to join in. Activism is not paid or career work. It is heart work. Many are doing the work on top of full-time jobs, parenthood, school and other day-to-day realities and it can be exhausting. For me, I got into this gender activism after experiencing some stereotype threats in my field of study. These gender stereotypes have effects in a girl's performance and interest in certain subjects. There is more increasing workplace diversity than just admitting more women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers. And the research shows that stereotypes regarding women’s capabilities in STEM also start affecting them long before they would ever consider a career.

In today’s society women are still restricted in their freedom through religious and cultural norms, taboos, and behavior and clothing restrictions. As well as development through denied or substandard education and inescapable poverty. Women are also restricted mentally through the promotion of immaturity and self-debasement and the imposition of a stereotypical image of femininity. Restrictions also affect their dignity through representation in the media, in advertising, and in pornography as well as bodily integrity through the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), which occurs thousands of times a day in large parts of the world. Every day women are victims of gender-specific forms of violence around the world and this may be due to the supposed inherent inferiority of females.

Allow me to introduce to you, “A little too African,” a feminist founded in 2018 with the aim to promote education amongst women and make a life without gender-based discrimination, violence, and exploitation possible. I not only focus on the female as a being but all matters related to femininity thus gender related issues, race related issues and sexual orientation related issues.

Due to my current work load with my studies I found social activism favorable as social media has revolutionized the way we communicate and is a powerful tool for most activists. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube… whatever your social media platform of choice, there are tons of connections made with individuals and organizations that share the same values and goals as I do. Gracefully with time I do hope to make the most of this feminist movement through networking with like-minded people, I believe this will help strengthen my cause and will benefit from their camaraderie, support and knowledge.

One of the reasons I love social activism is FEEDBACK, both positive and negative, is very helpful. Feedback is valuable information that I use to make important discussions. Every time we communicate amongst each other we communicate feedback. In actuality, it’s impossible not to give feedback. I always try to understand the person giving feedback and see things from their point of view. Mostly people mistake feedback for criticism. In fact, what is viewed as negative criticism is actually constructive criticism and is the best find of feedback that can help to formulate better decisions to improve and increase performance. I make an effort to invest time in asking and learning about how others deal with particular experiences and this helps me develop and improve relationships with my audience.

Feel free to visit me on my Instagram page! Feel free to follow me, @alittletooafrican.

Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong…it is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum not as two opposing sets of ideas.

Surviving First Year In Engineering...

So, I recently finished my first year of undergrad in Chemical Engineering and damn, oh damn, what a roller coaster ride. I have had ups and downs, times of confusion and split moments where I might have actually felt like letting go utterly.

University is a vast jump from higher education and these are two different entities thus it’s difficult for some people to find their balance during their first year. We all want to achieve a higher GPA, to take part in co-curricular activities, to get internships in the future, to have time for your friends and time to yourself and time to have fun. So you ought to buckle up. 

Here’s a compilation of tips and tricks on how I think you could scale through successfully, I’ve managed to implement some of them as well as asked people on what they did or think they could have done differently:

1.     Interact with your fellow classmates, join engineering student groups and interact with your seniors, get feedback as they may have tips and past papers for you. Approach your lecturers, don’t be shy to talk to them, ask about the course and how to best excel in their course.

2.     Get Involved in different competitions, scholarship programs, associations within the University, these don’t have to engineering related, different groups mean the more people you meet and get another network outside of your program. This is the best thing you can do for yourself because you’ll learn how to juggle things early as it’ll keep you on your feet and tighten your schedule so you properly plan out your schedule.

3.     Time management, this is very important in excelling in engineering, I’ve come to realize that the courses I took weren’t rocket science, just that I didn’t know how to manage my time. So you need to know how to, manage your time to review your work before and after class as well as keep up with assignments. The more you’re able to manage your time you’ll be able to excel. So ensure you aren’t slacking behind.

4.     Don’t slack on any chance to secure your internal marks, thus assignments, midterms and tests. These usually weigh about 50% of your final grade. So try maximize in any way possible, because it can be quite a hustle but it’ll definitely add up.

5.     Don’t spend too much i.e. on textbooks, from my first tip, interaction with your seniors will help you on where to get cheaper books, eBooks or any other alternatives. As well as any helpful equipment. Also try and keep your health game up so you don’t spend much on food, so if you’re able to cook or plan you meal schedule the better.

6.     Look for alternative learning sources, at times you’ll attend lectures and find that you didn’t gain as much knowledge about the course as you want so you can go on YouTube or other helpful sites and get a breakdown of everything. Also take advantage of Peer Assisted Learning (P.A.L) sessions led by trained P.A.L student mentors. The mentors are past students of the course who have been successful.

Lastly, when everything starts to feel like it is falling apart, think about why you chose to study engineering in the first place. Not only is it a growing career with numerous opportunities, but you can make a difference. In each field, engineers work to make technological advancements that can improve our world. Declaring engineering as your major means you get to learn how to influence the world.