Self Care: Self Sustainability Tips for Students

Have you also cried three times this week and wondered if a degree was worth all the stress? Oh, just us? Well, alright then.

But if you are feeling this way, we get it. Midterms are poorly named (they happen all term long?!) and there are presentations, essays, and readings. Plus, you’re fighting the nasty flu circulating on campus...

It’s a lot to deal with. Stress is normal, but you don’t have to feel like you’re drowning in it.

The ability to do self care is another important part of sustainability—Self sustainability.

The concept falls under the social pillar of sustainability, which focuses on standards of living and quality of life for people.

We have some good reminders for how you can boost your own self sustainability.

Meal prep

This is an old tip, but it’s a good one. Doing one batch of cooking for the whole week by making several pieces of chicken with a couple different sides like pasta or veggies is simple but quick.

Got a slow cooker? If not, these can be thrifted. Just make sure to wash it and test it before you start cooking. Once you have the cooker, you can do dump recipes.

Just as the name implies, you simply dump all your ingredients into the pot, set it and forget it. All the cooking is done for you, and you just get to enjoy a delicious meal at the end of a long day.

This blog has a few recipes to get you started. You can also make some of these dump meals ahead of time and freeze them for an even quicker way to cook.

Don’t forget about snacks through the day. Cutting up fruit and veggies for a grab and go snack is easy and keeps you fueled up!

Other snack ideas:

• Apple slices with peanut butter and dark chocolate chips

• Clif Builder bars (high in protein and available in machines around campus)

• Tuna with crackers

• No Bake Energy Bites

Finally, don’t forget to hydrate. If you’re one of those people who feels like regular water is boring (or just plain gross from the city taps), you can get flavoured sparkling water, or you can add things like fresh mint leaves and sliced strawberries to your water bottle.

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Don’t skip the workout

This is one of the things many of us like to miss. We get it. The semester gets busy, and it genuinely feels like you can’t afford to spend 30 minutes in the gym.

Trust us on this one. Your brain and body will thank you for taking that time for yourself.

One 2025 study says that exercise can actually improve your ability to manage time and tackle complex projects (Source). It’s also well known that getting your blood going can help boost your ability to think.

You don’t have to go to the gym though. You can do other things to get moving.

• Go for a 10-minute walk

• Take a 5-minute stretch break

• Turn on music and have a mini dance session for a few minutes

If you like yoga, there’s even free yoga classes through YouTube, and don’t forget that the Sport and Wellness Center has drop-in classes as well.

Swimming, yoga, spin, tai chi, and HIIT are all available on campus! The drop in classes can be a fun social activity as well!

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Study breaks

Yes, take a night off and don’t feel bad about it. Having a work-life balance is an important skill to start learning now. You need and deserve to have fun, so it’s ok to take a night off and do something you enjoy guilt free.

It’s important that you’re thinking about what’s going on with your assignments, but if you have a good week ahead of your project deadline and your friends are inviting you out, then there’s nothing wrong with blowing off the homework session for one evening.

It’s only a problem if you’re doing this all the time and missing assignment deadlines or rushing to finish projects because you full on procrastinated.

That’s just circling back around and creating stress again.

A study break can also just be a power nap. Likely you already do this on campus (we see you, people sleeping in the SAMU benches.)

School can be mentally exhausting, so don’t feel bad about catching a little snooze now and then. Maybe just save the drooling bit for your pillow at home instead of the tables by Edo.

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Talk to someone if you feel overwhelmed

If you’ve been struggling with school and other life changes, that’s okay.

You aren’t alone.

Reach out to a family member or friend and tell them how you’re feeling. Sometimes we can get some good advice, or even just feel better knowing we aren’t the only ones.

If you feel your mental health is starting to affect your schoolwork, it can also be beneficial to talk with your teachers. Many times, they can offer extensions or help support you in other ways.

Don’t forget about the Peer support team on campus, and other mental health supports on campus. Find them here.

Self care and self sustainability are skills we should practice everyday. Treat yourself kindly and seek help when you need it.