Bring balance to your routine with apps that support both productivity and wellness
In an age of endless distractions and packed schedules, finding a balance between productivity and well-being has never been more important. Whether you are a student, a professional, or someone looking to simplify your day, finding the right tools can make all the difference.
Notion
One of the most versatile options is Notion, which has gained popularity for its ability to act as a note-taking app, task manager and project organizer all in one. Its customizable templates allow users to create a workspace tailored to their needs, from tracking assignments to managing personal goals.
Notion is available on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac and through a web browser, with a free plan and paid tiers starting at $8.00 per month. It is best suited for users who want a highly personalized productivity system, though it does have a bit of a learning curve. However, once users get the hang of it, it can become an invaluable tool for centralizing tasks and notes in one place.
Finch
Finch, an app focused on emotional well-being, takes a more playful and supportive approach to self-care. Users are encouraged to care for a virtual pet bird by completing real-life tasks and wellness exercises. Each completed task helps your bird grow and explore new areas, making it a lighthearted way to build healthy habits.
The app includes goal-setting features for mindfulness, hydration and exercise, and urges users to check in with themselves throughout the day. Finch is available on both iOS and Android, with a free version and an optional premium subscription costing $12.99 per month. It is a great choice for those who seek a gentle reminder to prioritize mental health, especially for users who feel overwhelmed by everyday demands.
Habitica
Habiticia takes a similar approach to turning productivity into a game. Users can create avatars, complete tasks to earn rewards and even battle in-game challenges. Available on iOS, Android and through a web browser, Habitica is free to use with optional in-app purchases.
The "gamified" system makes completing everyday tasks more engaging, particularly for individuals who thrive on game-based motivation. It's an ideal app for those who prefer a playful, interactive experience and want a bit of fun injected into their daily routines. While Habitica may not appeal to everyone, it is especially helpful for users who need a boost of motivation to tackle their to-do lists.
Owaves
For those looking to manage both their time and well-being in one place, Owaves offers a visual, circular planner designed to help users allocate time for exercise, mindfulness, sleep and social interactions alongside their work tasks. The app's interface promotes a more balanced approach to productivity by encouraging users to see their day as a holistic routine rather than a never-ending to-do list.
Available for free on iOS and Android with in-app purchases, Owaves is especially useful for individuals seeking a healthy work-life balance. Its colourful interface makes it stand out from traditional planners and helps users schedule time for self-care without feeling guilty about stepping away from their tasks.
Tweek
If you prefer a minimalist, straightforward approach to task management, Tweek might be a better fit. This digital planner organizes tasks into a weekly view, focusing on simplicity and avoiding the complexity that comes with more feature-heavy apps. Tweek is available on iOS, Android and web browsers, offering a free version as well as a premium plan starting at $4.99 per month.
The app's clean, paper-like interface makes it feel as intuitive as jotting tasks down in a notebook while providing the convenience of digital reminders and syncing across devices. Tweek is perfect for individuals who want to keep their productivity system clutter-free and efficient.
It's important for users to try different approaches to managing time, tasks and self-care in order to determine what works best for their unique needs. Whether you prefer customization, a focus on wellness or playful experiences, rest assured there is an app out there fit for you. The key to productivity in 2025 isn't about doing more, it is about working smarter and finding balance, making sure to take care of yourself in the process.
C/O @hamiltonartistsinc
Karice Mitchell's take care project with Hamilton Artists Inc. promotes self-care as a way of individual and collective healing
Displayed on the side of the black brick wall of Hamilton Artist Inc. is a billboard with the words take care printed on top of an image from a Black erotic publication. Through the photographic installation, artist Karice Mitchell hopes to re-appropriate and reclaim Black erotic imagery while also reminding Black folks, particularly Black women, to practice self-care.
Available until May 29, take care is the latest Cannon Project Wall installation at Hamilton Artists Inc.. The project accepts new proposal every year to showcase on the billboard outside of the organization’s building. Mitchell’s work has been up since July of last year.
Mitchell is a photo-based artist who works with found imagery mostly from Black erotic magazines published in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and manipulating them digitally. At its core, her work seeks to engage radically with Black women’s bodies and sexuality without influences from the white gaze and patriarchy. Mitchell obtained her master’s in fine arts last year and is currently lecturing in photography at the University of British Columbia.
The inspiration for take care came about during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as issues around mental health and self-care became a rising concern. She was also inspired by a quote on self-care by Audrey Lorde, an African American writer and feminist.
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare,” stated Lorde.
In this way, the installation and the act of self-care seek to counteract the historical and present mistreatment, discrimination and oppression Black folks and Black women experience. It symbolizes resistance and resilience in the face of societal pressures and injustices.
“This work seeks to unapologetically represent blackness as a site of resistance. The words take care gesture to the importance of carving space for Black women to take care of themselves and how self-care can be a radical act,” said Mitchell.
"This work seeks to unapologetically represent blackness as a site of resistance. The words take care gesture to the importance of carving space for Black women to take care of themselves and how self-care can be a radical act."
Karice Mitchell, Photo-Based Artist
The work’s location in a public and easily accessible space also alludes to the concept of healing as a collective.
“Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion,” stated Gloria Jean Watkins, also known by her pseudonym bell hooks.
Mitchell wanted to represent the same ideas of a community self-indulgence in hooks’ quote and further drive home its point by having it displayed on a hard-to-miss outdoor billboard.
In the past several months, the display has garnered a positive response from the community. Going into the project, there were concerns regarding how it may be perceived as it deals with topics of bodies, nakedness and sexuality. However, she was pleasantly surprised about the support she received on the project.
“The work is really important for me. It was really important for me to show Black body in this public display — like the display of skin — to kind of monumentalize it in a particular way,” said Mitchell.
"The work is really important for me. It was really important for me to show Black body in this public display — like the display of skin — to kind of monumentalize it in a particular way."
Karice Mitchell, Photo-Based Artist
Reminders of self-care are great, but how do we practice self-care? Acts of self-care is individualized and they can look different for different folks. However, the take care artist suggests a few ideas. In her personal life, Mitchell engages in self-care by checking in with loved ones and friends.
“I think [checking-in with people] is really important if you have the capacity to do so, especially with the pandemic, when it can feel so isolating. Now more than ever, community and communion are so important and integral to our own development and care,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell also emphasizes the importance of enjoying small moments in life. Whether you like going on walks, meditating or stretching, taking time to indulge in inner reflection is critical.
“I encourage, notably Black women, Black folks and Black friends, to take care of themselves. It’s a radical act and an act of self-preservation that I think is crucial to our existence and well-being,” said Mitchell.
"I encourage, notably Black women, Black folks and Black friends, to take care of themselves. It’s a radical act and an act of self-preservation that I think is crucial to our existence and well-being."
Karice Mitchell, Photo-Based Artist
Project take care forces its audience to reconceptualize self-care as a political display of resistance, partially as a way of healing from the past and in current times of uncertainty and political polarization.
“Yeah, I’m totally fine.”
The human body is incredible, isn’t it? It’s capable of so much — all we have to do is train it and trust that it will keep up with any physical exertions that are inflicted. It suffices to say that most of us have gotten quite good at inferring the consequences that our dietary intakes and lifestyles would have on the mechanical aspects of our bodies.
To train for any sport, for example basketball, athletes train and appropriately fuel their bodies in order to perform on the court.
If one can infer these things for physical well-being, what about the stuff that goes on inside your head? Though the conversations around mental health have substantially improved, it seems to me that many are more invested in its social advocacy rather than its implementation to reality, especially when it concerns themselves.
When waking up on time becomes a miracle instead of routine and eating breakfast turns into a time-permitting luxury, perhaps your medial prefrontal cortex is trying to tell you something.
Everyone experiences stress from time to time. In fact, you’re probably experiencing some form of it as you’re reading this right now. The type of stress holds a lot more significance than one might assume.
Episodes of acute stress, that can cause an individual to do things like type at godspeed at 11:56 PM, elicit the “fight or flight” response. This goes on to increase cortisol and adrenaline levels and blood pressure.
Chronic stress may develop if these moments of acute stress are prolonged, or if the stressors themselves are there to stay, such as the steady demands of university workloads.
The never-ending drone of monotone lectures, awkward tutorials, labs with clocks that definitely tick faster and tedious group assignments often cause students to disregard obvious signs of mental health deterioration. The combination of all that pressure can result in “burnout,” otherwise known as a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion.
This can leave a person unmotivated, anxious or cynical, the consequences of which may be disastrous.
McMaster’s mental health resources, which include outlets to gain information, will tell you no different. In addition to facilitating mental health education, McMaster offers several other resources such as guided self-help, peer support, student services, phone lines and even mental health crisis support.
However, you didn’t need me to tell you that. The majority of McMaster’s student body is aware that some form of mental health support exists, much like it does at most post-secondary institutions.
Why, then, might one ask that recognizing and being aware of mental health is still a concern, if not a greater one than before? This can be explained, in my opinion, through a combination of two factors, the first of which may be quite apparent: the onset of remote learning and the assumption of immunity.
Let’s break this down.
As discussed by many before, a shift to online learning has meant fewer in-person interactions with peers, more uncertainties about daily scheduling and a decreased sense of structure.
Though manageable and perhaps even beneficial for a short period of time, the stretch of its duration has resulted in added layers of concern such as employment terminations and financial hardships, all of which contribute to mental health deteriorations. Prior to the onset of the pandemic, 46 per cent of Ontario students reported feelings of depression and a whopping 65 per cent experienced overwhelming anxiety. Imagine the numbers now.
It also shouldn’t be a surprise that these layers affect different students to varying degrees when you account for initial socioeconomic states that are often influenced by social identities, race and ethnicity.
Now that we’ve established a plausible source for increased mental health concerns, what’s stopping students from acknowledging them — let alone seeking support? People love to overestimate their own abilities and qualities, which is a form of cognitive bias that’s explained by the illusory superiority theory.
In some contexts, this bias can be beneficial by providing the necessary confidence to perform a certain task. In the case of mental health, however, it can prove to be detrimental by providing fuel to the assumption that we are immune to its degradation.
This is where things can get dangerous. While it’s important to push yourself to reach your fullest potential, it’s just as important to know when to pause. The problem with assuming immunity is that students may overestimate their abilities and continue to pile on work while convincing themselves that “they’re fine.”
So how does one swallow their pride and seek help? The solution may seem blatantly obvious and one that I’m sure you’ve heard countless times: find balance. Remember that, even though school may be quite demanding, it’s important to schedule in TikTok-less breaks and spend them doing things that you enjoy. Take a breather. After all, timeouts and half-times exist for a reason.
C/O Yoohyun Park
The importance of self-care and managing school and other stressors
By: Anna Samson, Contributor
About halfway through every semester, Canadian postsecondary students get one week off from school. Known as a mid-term recess, or reading week, this week is meant for students to catch up on class material and assignments. It is also used as a break so that students can take some time to rest before entering the homestretch of the semester.
This year, at McMaster University, reading week for the fall 2021 semester ran from Oct. 11 to 17.
The break is a chance for many students to spend time with family and friends. Like most fall semester reading weeks, this year’s reading week aligned with Thanksgiving weekend. In the winter semester, it aligns with Family Day. Both holidays offer good opportunities for students to reconnect with their loved ones.
Aside from seeing friends and family, students can use the break as a chance to do some self-care that they may have slacked on in lieu of schoolwork. This can include getting more sleep, taking long baths, spending time in nature, journaling, doing hobbies or just going out and having fun.
Yuka Abe, a fourth-year kinesiology student, spent her break reconnecting with family and friends. She also got some rest and devoted time to leisure reading.
“I did read more, I think, which I haven’t done in a while. So, that was pretty nice, just reading for fun and not like school readings,” said Abe.
Since fall of 2019, students have had reading weeks that were filled with health anxiety and uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fall of 2021 is the first reading week since the pandemic started where students are not stuck at home. As places open back up and people get fully vaccinated, students now have more options regarding how they choose to spend their reading week.
Zeinab Khawaja, a Health Promoter at the Student Wellness Centre at McMaster, highlights the importance of adequate sleep and rest and not being too hard on yourself throughout the school year. Her major piece of advice for students about managing stress is two-fold.
“One: trusting in your ability to handle things and get the supports that you need, because they exist at McMaster and within your social circles. Two: prioritizing rest. Say ‘this is my cut-off time and I’m gonna do as much as I can by then and then I’m gonna rest guilt-free or go to bed’,”
Zeinab Khawaja
The Student Wellness Centre has services available to students year-round. These include counseling and therapy sessions, both individually or by group, medical care and health promotion and wellness resources. Most services are covered under the McMaster Student Union Health Plan.
As this week off from school falls around the middle of the semester, students are often preoccupied with studying for midterms. Some midterms are due right before reading week, which gives students some time to recharge and recuperate afterward. Other midterms may fall after reading week, which provides students with more uninterrupted time to prepare and revise.
However, although reading week is meant to relieve stress for students, trying to balance productivity and finding time to rest can also induce greater stress for some.
With one midterm before reading week and two more during the first week back from the break, Abe was one student who felt that the break did not offer enough time for relaxing.
“I don’t think I was able to relax as much as I could’ve, or wanted to, during the break because I was just thinking about the midterms or like studying for them,” said Abe.
Other students have also expressed similar sentiments in previous years.
To help organize and manage schoolwork, students can use planners to make note of due dates. Scheduling programs and apps are also great ways for students to make realistic schedules for all the tasks they have to juggle. Most importantly, making time for self-care, including exercise and relaxation, can help reduce stress.
Khawaja emphasizes the need for students to be kind to themselves.
“Forgiv[e] yourself for not completing every single thing you wanted to do and not doing everything at 110%. We’re humans, we can’t constantly be functioning at “100%” and our best looks different every single day,” said Khawaja.
Through self-kindness, rest and realistic planning, students can achieve a healthy balance between their lives and their workload. It is important that students find ways to use the reading week to enrich their minds and bodies and not feel overwhelmed by school.
Yoohyun Park/Production Coordinator
Discover local BIPOC wellness brands to curate your own self-care kit
With reading week around the corner, there is an audible sound of relief echoing through campus and understandably so. It has been an exhausting few months for everyone, constantly adapting to new changes and challenges.
Some of us may have lost our jobs; others may be worried about the health and safety of our loved ones. Although it has only been a month into the new school year, you may be feeling tired and overwhelmed, and that’s totally okay. It’s normal to feel anxious, stressed, burnout or whatever else you may be experiencing right now. That’s why it’s all the more important we engage in self-care in our daily routines.
Practicing self-care can help redirect your attention away from the stresses of daily life, to your mind and body and it looks different for everyone. It might involve watching a movie, doing a long skincare routine, meditating, running or perhaps it’s spending time with family at home. Whatever it may look like for you, if you are looking to add to your current routine or start one this reading week, here is a list of seven Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) brands that may help you in your self-care journey.
Glowing Gardens
If you are interested in healing through aromatherapy, Glowing Gardens offers hand-poured, vegan-friendly and cruelty-free scented candles in unique shapes and colours. One of their best sellers is the Baby Buddha candle, however, you can find others in angel, peach and abstract shapes as well.
It also offers Moody Jars, which are candles layered in various scents and colours in a single cup, and healing crystals. The candles are soy or beeswax based, both of which are sourced from Canada.
The face behind the brand is Deanna Clarke, a candle maker and makeup artist. Her love for candles grew into Glowing Gardens last year, and since the launch of her brand, she has taken part in many virtual markets and pop-ups in Hamilton and surrounding areas.
Xubriance
Established in August 2020, Xubriance is a self-care and healing-focused business, selling handmade bath scrubs, bath teas, body butters and crystals.
The brand name was inspired by the word exuberance and the founder’s first name, Bri. Taken together, the name represents strength, energy, positivity, excitement and self-love. The company’s mission is to share self-care and healing tools and aid people through their healing journeys.
Perfectly Imperfect
Perfectly Imperfect is a local skincare brand, offering organic and inexpensive skincare products. You can find everything from handmade body butter and bath bombs to face steamers and soaps. Even if you’re not interested in looking after your skin for aesthetic reasons, the very act of taking care of yourself through a skincare regime can be soothing and comforting.
Steel Town Athletic Club
Self-care can also look like physical exercise. Steel Town Athletic Club is a local community group focusing on BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ folks to run in a safe, comfortable and fun environment. Currently, the club offers community group runs in a socially distanced formation. Interested members can join the trail running program, where you explore trails and waterfalls in Hamilton; Wednesday BIPOC exclusive run night, a program that provides a safe space for BIPOC folks to run together; and club race team, a group competing in local and virtual road, trails and team events.
Goodbodyfeel
Practicing mindfulness encompasses self-acceptance, self-awareness and self-care. Goodbodyfeel helps their clients to achieve just this. As a pilates, yoga and mindfulness studio, Goodbodyfeel offers live-stream classes, one-on-one sessions and workshops to inspire empowerment and a sense of community.
They are currently running a workshop called Sharing Privilege which focuses on facilitating conversations on anti-oppressive work. Attendees can explore how to decolonize their current behaviours and ways to sustainably share their privileges. The goal of the program is to foster a safer space for discussions for marginalized folks. Having an opportunity to express your voice and reflect on pressing issues can help you process and collect your thoughts and feelings, which is important for mitigating emotional exhaustion.
My Sweet Tooth
Run by a couple from China who met at McMaster University, this delicious Asian fusion bakery may be just what you need after a long stressful day. My Sweet Tooth specializes in everything from cakes to cream puffs, mochis and boba drinks.
Give yourself a reward for all your hard work and achievement with one of their exclusive treats. Self-care includes acknowledging your accomplishments, and taking time to do something for yourself as a reward. Even if it may not be buying yourself a treat, rewards can help you appreciate your progress.
Ark & Anchor
Nestled in the intersection between King Street West and Queen Street South is the Ark & Anchor café. The café's many different clubs and events help it stand out among others on the block. If you are looking for a fun activity to unwind and a community to share your interests with, these clubs may be of interest to you. Finding hobbies and making time for self-indulging activities can help you to find balance in your life. Programs include roleplay game Mondays, board game Thursdays and a monthly book club called Ship’s Log.
Self-care is an endless journey. Whether you find joy in aromatherapy, skincare, physical exercise, eating or pursuing a hobby, we all need a self-care routine. These BIPOC businesses can help you explore your interests and build better self-care habits.
Brittany Aiello discusses how she finds comfort and stress relief through her hand-painted plant pot business
During the stress and isolation of lockdown, people have returned to pastimes such as art, dancing and writing. However, one of the most popular trends is planting. There is something therapeutic about nurturing plants that has convinced many people to rekindle their garden romance during this pandemic.
If you are a plant lover and have been researching local Hamilton businesses to support, you may already be familiar with The Crazy Planter Lady on Instagram. Behind the beautifully painted pots and cute plants is Brittany Aiello.
The artist started the Instagram page back in 2018 to share her extensive plant collection. After successfully debuting her hand-painted plant pots at a 2019 art crawl, she turned her planting and painting hobby into a business.
View this post on Instagram
Aiello fell in love with painting plant pots because planting and art enabled her to unplug and relax. She loves her job as an educational assistant for students with special needs, however, it can be very stressful and painting plant pots is the perfect hobby that combines her passion for both art and gardening.
She also appreciates the community connection she is able to build with other local artists, plant enthusiasts and small business owners.
“[Painting plant pots] is a really good escape for me, physically and mentally. But on top of that, I've gotten to meet lots of cool people and whether it be at shows, customers or just people asking me for advice on how to take care of their plants. I think the community of Hamilton as a whole has a lot of great people that are willing to support local and so I've met awesome other business people like myself and artists,” said Aiello.
"[Painting plant pots] is a really good escape for me, physically and mentally. But on top of that, I've gotten to meet lots of cool people and whether it be at shows, customers or just people asking me for advice on how to take care of their plants."
The painting technique she uses most involves dish soap and acrylic paint to create unique, abstract patterns that also come in endless colour combinations. The most popular designs are galaxy and metallics.
Her pots can be purchased in a variety of sizes with or without a plant and custom typography can be added as well. Another collection the artist offers are the "tiny planter buddies" ranging from animals to miniature Starbucks cups.
Since uploading her first post on her Instagram page, her page has been flooded with support and love from the community. In fact, it was the same community that convinced her to sell her hand-painted pots. Behind the scenes, her husband who is a graphic designer helps with advertisements and social media posts.
View this post on Instagram
Outside of her social media page, Aiello also participates in art shows. Although her last show was in the summer of 2020, the supporters who come out to see her art motivate her to continue developing her business.
Aiello’s pots are available at Nest gift shop on Locke Street, which is currently closed due to the lockdown. However, her pots are still available for sale using contactless payment and pickup.
To fit the theme of a plant-based store, Aiello’s business is also eco-conscious and sustainable. All the packaging is made of recycled materials and she also offers plant rescues for her customers’ dying plants. Through this service, she is able to support new plant owners and share the values and benefits of planting with the community.
“I just love having living decor that you can change and it really brings up your mood inside your living space as well,” said Aiello.
“I just love having living decor that you can change and it really brings up your mood inside your living space as well,” said Aiello.
For those who are just starting to care for plants, Aiello shared her tips.
“You really can't go wrong with getting a desert plant like a succulent because it really does only need water once a month and you can forget about it and it looks beautiful. I think people just need to remember, it's okay if you lose a plant because then you learned a lesson and you can get a new plant,” said Aiello.
Being a plant parent can provide solace, distraction or beauty during this time of hurt and uncertainty. Whatever emotions you may have during the pandemic, planting — with the help of folks like Aiello — might be just the outlet you need to reignite a little jubilation.
How mental health issues and barriers look different this year during the stressful time of exams
Online learning has had a negative impact on students compared to being able to learn and study in person alongside their friends and peers. This is not simply just the opinion of some, but of many university students in Canada.
Mental health issues among undergraduates have been on the rise for a very long time as studies show, especially as most students have spent the past semester struggling to adjust to the isolated nature of online learning. In fact, recent studies have shown that students with the opportunity to study and stay in contact with friends have much better mental health than those who remain isolated.
McMaster University is no exception to this trend. This is especially concerning given the approaching exam season. The end of the semester, with its exams sometimes worth more than 50% of a student’s final grades in a course, sleepless nights spent studying and never-ending pressure to perform “well enough,” is nothing short of one of the most stressful times in the school year for the typical student.
The online learning environment has only made this time of year all the more stressful and challenging, as students are not able to study and learn alongside their peers as they would in previous years, creating a very lonely learning environment. Additionally, access to commonly sought resources during this time, such as one-on-one counselling or peer support as well as stress-relieving sessions and events, has been negatively affected by the shift to an online platform. This is something the Student Wellness Centre at McMaster has acknowledged as a difficulty that students will sadly have to face during this already difficult time.
“So when you're on campus, you are able to interact with your peers,” explained Connor Blakeborough, the health promoter at the Student Wellness Centre. “[I]n the pandemic, a lot of people have been cut off from their ways of self-care and community care that they might be able to have otherwise.”
Unfortunately, given COVID-19 regulations and how programs at the Student Wellness Centre have had to adjust to the new way the university is operating this year, some will not be able to access their resources at all. In fact, those not living in Ontario cannot access any type of medical care or one-on-one counselling. This puts all those living in other provinces as well as international students in difficult situations if facing mental health issues during this upcoming stressful time as they do not have access to a resource many of their peers do.
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“As of right now just because of COVID and because healthcare is provincially regulated, we can only offer medical and one on one counselling to students that are living inside of Ontario,” said Blakeborough. “So if they're not inside of Ontario, they will have to get in touch with their family doctor to find some type of care.”
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From student perspectives, experiencing university in person during exam season means more than just trying to have an enjoyable experience; it can mean the difference between feeling alone in the world and being able to connect with many others who are in the exact same situation as you.
The simplicity of being seated beside someone in the lecture hall who will soon write the same exam as you can make you feel less alone and ready to take on the challenge of exams. This perspective was explored by members of the McMaster Students Union Student Health Education Centre executive team.
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“[I]f you're on campus, you're often surrounded by a lot of other students in the library, who are also going through finals are also experiencing the same stress that you are, but being at home and being more isolated,” explained Joelle Li, a health sciences student and SHEC events and programming executive. “It's harder to connect with others who are in a similar situation as you [because of the pandemic] and therefore you can feel more alone [but] other people feel like this as well.”
However, there are also challenges that students will face in the coming weeks that have existed for far too long. Grind culture, the over romanticization of sacrificing one’s health for the sake of grades and achievements, has been a pervasive and severe issue faced by undergraduate students that has simply adapted to a more online mode given the current learning method.
“People sort of put pride on the fact that they haven't slept this many hours or they've been in the library for this many hours,” said Li. “[G]rind culture is almost cumulative. [I]f your friends are grinding, then you feel like you have to grind and overall, it leads to a toxic environment or mentality and this is quite common, I would say, among the students.”
It can be extremely overwhelming for students to face the challenges of online learning and online exams, which is compounded by the detrimental effects of the grind culture. However, services at McMaster University such as the Student Wellness Centre and SHEC have adapted their operations to make themselves more accessible during the COVID-19 pandemic and online school. These tools will likely be beneficial to many students as we all head into the upcoming exam season.
SHEC Events and Programming executive and health sciences student, Frances Scheepers, explained how the peer-support service is now utilizing the online platform, Tawk To, in order to provide anonymous drop-in counselling from their volunteers.
One of their iconic events that is usually widely accessed by students — #SHECares — will still be taking place this year. In the past, this has largely featured the distribution of exam care packages. However, this is not possible this year. Thus, SHEC has had to make adjustments. Scheepers said that instead of delivering in-person care packages, SHEC has opted to do online giveaways.
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Although it is unfortunate that access to resources and services has been impeded by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is encouraging that services are striving to continue offering support in whatever ways they can. However, it is also important that students are made aware of how to take care of themselves during the online exam season as this will surely look very different this year.
“There are certain sort of self-care strategies that might be beneficial during this time,” explained Scheepers. “People are typically used to spending their leisure time on their laptop and watching TV. And so during this time, especially, when you're at home physically distancing, it might be beneficial for some individuals to spend their leisure time doing things other than [going] on their laptop.”
It is important students find ways to take care of themselves during the upcoming exam season, given the loss of key resources and isolated methods of learning and test-taking. After all, they will be pioneering the first entirely online exam season in McMaster history.
CW: This article contains discussion of sexual assault
By: Drew Simpson
On Oct. 30, Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement, spoke at the McIntyre Centre at an event organized by McMaster University, Mohawk College and the Sexual Assault Centre (Hamilton).
Inside the event centre was a well-lit stage with fall-coloured flowers matching the red Mohawk College logo. Three cream chairs sat in the centre in front of the Mohawk-patterned backdrop. A podium with a microphone stood to the left of the stage. Many sat in silence as others chatted with those next to them, adding to the layer of slight tension hanging in the air as people piled into the sold-out auditorium.
The event was not about the need to bring perpetrators to justice. Rather, it aligned more neatly with the core goals of the #MeToo movement, focusing on healing and survivor advocacy. Burke addressed the backlash against the movement and urged the audience to look past it.
“Everything that would tell you that #MeToo is a witch-hunt, that this is a gender war. All of these terrible narratives that are out in the world are distractions from the reality that a year ago, millions and millions of people raised their hand to say that their lives were affected by sexual violence. That is no hyperbole. Millions of people raised their hand a year ago. And their hands are still up,” said Burke.
Burke also stressed the need for a restorative justice and harm-reduction approach in survivor advocacy.
“We need our hearts to pump and that doesn’t just come from food, clothes and shelter… That is the core of this work, making sure survivors have individual resources for healing and making sure that they have community. Individual healing and community, that is how we will change the world. We start with ourselves and work out,” said Burke.
Burke also introduced the idea of a “joy bank,” which she defined as the accumulation of all the joyful moments in life. She explained how she drew hope from the people who joined the march and protest proceeding Brett Kavanaugh’s hearing. That moment became part of Burke’s “joy bank.”
Burke explained that a movement has many stages and waves and she draws hope not just from the victories but the investment that people make. She encouraged the audience to challenge opposers of the movement and survivors to do whatever they need to heal not for others, but for themselves as self-care is specific to the individual.
“Sometimes self-care for me looks like a “Law and Order” marathon and a pound cake,” said Burke.
Support is integral to a survivor’s individual healing. According to Burke, while a survivor’s needs may change, it is important that they know that support is there in the first place. Nevertheless, Burke warns that well-intentioned people can insert themselves into situations where their help is not needed.
Overall, it is clear that Burke’s main message focused on the importance on individual healing and harm reduction. According to Burke, the incarceration of the perpetrator should not always be thought of as the final answer as a restorative justice approach focused on healing needs to be taken.
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