By Damilola Azeez
Everything looks like when you are trying to wake up from a nightmare, and before you could recover, you fell right into another. How frightful!
Many of us, especially me, have been looking forward to a refreshing holiday after a semester that looks as if it will not end. I had plans to go home, relax, work on my book and have a personal retreat. But all thanks to UI academic calendar! We all can relate, many of us are still trying to recover from the last examination and here comes the fourth week of the second semester! The economy is not smiling, and the news of Covid 19 and virtual class or not is flying around. But first thing first dear, calm down!
It is very easy to be overwhelmed with all the happenings around, in fact, some of us are already. The work load, the unmet expectations from last semester, the economy, everything can’t be less stressful! But you know what we can’t give up now!
To have a beautiful and stress-free semester, I came up with some areas that students really need to pay attention to in their lives. A student’s health is very important, so is their finance, studies and so on. Therefore, I will be taking my time to share some of these things with you.
The first thing is setting priorities and goal. The very first thing I did immediately I finished my exams was to have a very good sleep. When I was satisfied with myself, I picked my pen. You may be wondering what I am writing again, I am writing my goals for the semester and how I intend to achieve them. And mind you, my goals aren’t just about my grades, it is also about all that I intend to have achieved at the end of the semester.
Another helpful tip that I have discovered over the years is starting early. I do not let my reading materials pile up like a mountain before I start diving in. I have some of my friends who have started visiting the library to read already. I have started glancing through some course materials too. You do not have to read for too long and if you can, all good too. However, ensure you start reading now before everything piles up and you have to do endless TDBs.
Also, remember that it is the second semester, there will be many events and parties. But do not be carried away. This brings us back to priority, set your priority right. You do not have to attend all the parties; you do not have to eat all the rice too. If you are a fresher reading this, always have this at the back of your mind. Many of us narrowly escaped with some not too good grades last semester. This is time to redeem the grades.
It is also important that you take good care of your health. Your health must be a priority this new semester. There is a lot on ground already, having a failed health might be a great disaster. Due to this, I came up with some very important ways to care for your health this semester.
Drinking lot of water: I got dehydrated after my exams, I was not taking enough fluid. And as a result I easily got tired. If you do not want to experience this in the heat of the whole thing, take enough water. It saves you from unnecessary headache, fatigue and other diseases.
Eat well too: Did you know that the brain consumes a whole lot of energy? This is why we tend to eat a lot when we are studying. As much as you can, avoid junks and carbonated drinks. Cook your food as often as you can. You should also know that nutritional deficiency makes us more suspectible to virus and other bacteria. It is therefore important to eat nutritional food and maintain a healthy immune system.
Avoid anything that can cause you to be depressed: The semester can not be more jam-packed, do everything you can to avoid being depressed.It is very easy to fall into depression when you are stressed. But to avoid depression, do not stay in isolation. Do not be an island, ask for help from your course mates and lecturers when you need to. It will not do you any harm. Speak out when you need to. Give yourself a reason to be happy, your happiness should not be dependent on what is happening around you, let it come from the inside.
Discover yourself: Find out something you love doing and do it as often as you can. This will make you happy. For instance, whenever I am overwhelmed by something, I look for someone to put smile on his/her face. I have a sense of fulfilment when I do that. Build yourself esteem to. Always be original and confident about yourself and your ability.
The most important thing you should know now is to stay safe.From the look of things, the Covid-19 virus has come to stay just like the malarial plasmodium. It is our responsibility to take good care of ourselves. Observe social distance as much as you can. Practice good hygiene by washing and sanitizing your hands frequently. Use your face mask expecially when going to crowed places. It is funny how we use our nose mask though; we use it over and over again irrespective of whether it is virus infested or not. Try as much as possible to use our nose mask well.
I believe strongly at this point that one of the most important things we need to do is to eat healthily and make sure your immune system is strong enough. The immune system is the best defense against the Corona virus because it supports the body’s natural ability to defend against pathogens and resist infections. As long as the immune system is functioning normally, infections such as covid-19 go unnoticed.
How do you maintain a strong immune system? Drink enough water every day, eat fruit and vegetable as often as you can, take enough protein, exercise,you don’t have to go to the gym before you can exercise. Maintain a healthy weight, get adequate sleep, maintain good hygiene, wash your hand frequently too. Also, minimize stress as much as you can, avoid smoking and reduce alcohol intake. Avoid worry and anxiety.
