Nutrition Sciences Major Discusses Importance of Free Time and Recharging

Ah, Mondays: The day of the week that you promise yourself you’re going to slam-dunk all of your assignments, do your “That Girl” routine, and start your glow-up journey of the century.

Boy, did that get old fast. We’ve all been caught in this loop before in some way, and while it does work for some people, it tends to be a method of setting unrealistic expectations and commitments for oneself. Personally, this lesson took me a good couple of years to realize that this system was not working out for me.

While my Mondays aren’t quite as “aesthetically pleasing,” they do tend to set the tone for my week in terms of success, attitude, and ultimate vibe-y-ness:

1. 5 a.m. → Good morning!!
   • Brush teeth + floss
   • Make bed
2. Yoga + Mediation
3. We go gym
4. Shower + wash face
5. Breakfast + look at the day’s workload

Now, is this always what happens? No. Absolutely not. Sometimes, my bed is so much better than walking out into the blast freezer Connecticut turns into during the winter months. However, that’s not to say that discipline is to be cast aside. Take today, for example: It’s peak Harry Potter weather. It’s raining, you can smell spicy-chai lattes and perfectly pressed coffees, and you just really, really want to snuggle up and watch a movie. Keeping this in mind, do you really think I wanted to crawl to the gym at 5:45 a.m. to hit legs at 6 in the morning?

If someone said “yes,” then thank you for believing in me more than my own self. You’re still wrong though. I barely made it to the gym, but I’m happy that I showed up for myself. After doing so, I managed to hobble back to my apartment to shower, throw on some cozy clothes, grab my (duck) umbrella, and book it to Bartels to grab a bagel with eggs before going to conquer my Anatomy & Physiology exam.

And let me tell you: I was on a different level of porta-potty scared for this exam. I spent days studying for it, and it turns out that I over-studied by a ton. Better safe than sorry, though (but the stress-induced acne was not worth the grind). I ended up wrapping up the test in about twenty minutes, and it was only about two hours later that I realized that I had put “serum” and not “plasma” when answering the question of “what is the ground substance of blood?” So, that’s a thing. Outside of tests, studying, lab work, and other jazz, not much has been really happening. Right now, I’m just chilling and writing this entry before heading to my chem lab (6-10 p.m.).

Speaking of “chilling,” actually, someone asked if I had any free time given my current positions.

[The author contemplated the answer to this question for a good five minutes before figuring out a definitive answer].

Overall, the answer is yes, but with that comes a certain amount of terms and conditions. Primarily, the main condition is that I complete the amount of work I actually need to get done within a given time frame. When it comes to prioritizing schoolwork, I definitely place emphasis on my EMT I, Anatomy & Physiology, and Organic Chemistry courses over my other ones as they are the most brain-heavy subjects for me. So long as I’m always relatively ahead, whether that be in notes, information, homework, or review, I can typically do as I please outside of academics.

However, if you’ve read my past entries, the past week was insane. I got no sleep, slammed caffeine, and did my best not to drown in the workload. With that, I’m trying to make this week a bit less stress-inducing by making sure I keep on pace with everything. One of the painful truths of being a pre-med student – or even being a part in STEM – is losing parts of your life, such as hanging out with others, hobbies, or overall wellness, to work. There’s already been several occasions where I’ve needed to raincheck, and not because I don’t want to socialize, but because I simply don’t have the time or energy to.

It’s a bummer, but it is what it is.

So, when free time does arise, I do have a few choice activities that I do with it, such as:

• Art (sketching, painting, drawing, etc.) I do take commissions, by the way
• Going to the gym
• Hiking
• Cooking/baking
• Reading/writing/annotating
• Hanging out with my friends or calling my parents for a little bit
• Knitting + watching YouTube or TV or something
• Adding more stuff to my Pinterest boards, scrolling through TikTok like a champ

While this may not be the most ‘energizing’ list of activities, I’m more of a chill person in the fall in comparison to the summer when I have more time to myself (and a car). Having proper outlets to help me maintain my cortisol levels is very important to my health. For anyone who also struggles with managing their stress, I’d definitely recommend making an appointment at CAPS if you feel as though your noggin may benefit from some support. As someone who hated the idea of going to an on-campus therapist, I can say for a fact that it’s not too bad. Promise. (*Coughs* It’s also included in tuition. *coughs*)

Anyhow, when you manage to find time for yourself – and you will – I’d use it in a way that truly benefits you. I’d also make note to not be afraid of turning down an invitation to hang out if you’re not feeling it. You do not have any obligations to hang out with people on an empty social battery. Do things that you love with the people you love, and it’s okay if that loved one is yourself.

However, it may be a good thing to get out every once in a while or perhaps challenge yourself (by choice) with things you’ve yet to try in life. Whatever floats thy boat. Personally, I tend to challenge myself with positive thinking.

Let me explain.

I tend to be a very cynical and sarcastic human being who tends to lean on wit as a way of coping with the realities of life, so positive affirmations are not always on the top of my list. Yet, because I struggle with negative thoughts about my own self involving my body (especially my acne, agh – does anyone have any advice on that?) I try saying affirmations to help change my viewpoint on it.

Even if you don’t take yourself seriously, what apparently matters is that you’re saying it aloud so that your subconscious can absorb the affirmations. When it comes to hobbies like this, I’d suggest implementing them into your morning or night routines, or even set a reminder on your phone to help you establish them. Something that I heard while growing up – and I’m not sure if that’s true or not – is that it takes roughly around 21 days to create a habit. Over the course of my life I’ve found that mostly to be true.

In summary, whether it be socially, academically, professionally, or even financially, implementing habits during your free time that may improve one’s self-worth and may benefit your growth in the long run. I hope you all have had a lovely week so far and are looking forward to the oncoming autumnal weather.

With peace, love, and plenty of peanut butter,
Beatrice

Beatrice Glaviano ’26 is a nutrition sciences major at the University of New Haven.