Approaching the mid of April, I guessed some of us (or me only) are experiencing the so-called “semester slump”. The semester went by half already, the number of assignments and presentations is stacking up. I feel tired and unmotivated to work last 2 weeks and therefore decide to take a week off to relax. Partly because I don’t have huge assignments due that week, so I just have to do the bare minimum. Partly because I want to have enough energy to sustain myself till the end of the semester, as there is a proverb saying “休息是為了走更長遠的路”. So rest well and come back fresh!
This article is a recap of what I did to conquer the slump!
Getting outside. As you know, I love being in nature, it makes me feel refreshed and happy. I enjoyed hiking with my friends so much recently, chitchatting along makes the hikes more bearable. (And I am lazy to go out on my own now lol) The weather was also so great that I didn’t have any excuses not to go out. Though I was tanned in weird ways, I am very happy as the hikes are all very satisfying!!!
- Wan Kuk Shan and Pyramid Hill with Leti. We were both scared of the sandy slippery slopes at first, but we conquered them. It was actually less difficult than we thought, it looked very steep, but if you take it slow, it is manageable. I didn’t expect there were so many people and we have to wait when we walk down from Pyramid Hill lol.
- High Junk Peak to Green Egg Island. Our original route was only high junk peak, but we finished it quite early and my friends wanted to do more. So here we are, bursting in between forests and landing on Green Egg Island. It was a highly rewarding hike, the views on Green Egg Island were great, and the trails were fun. Glad that we have a hiking expert friend who read the map and led us through the ribbon roads.
- A super impromptu hike to Castle Peak on 12th April. I saw my friend asking who wants to join the morning hike the night before, having a day off on Tuesday, I thought WHY NoT? ANd Oh my gosh, this one was so fun, it had a variety of trials — sandy slopes, flat roads, sloppy uphills… wasn’t boring at all, plus the fabulous view — 青山腹地. I was glad I joined and thanks to my friend who brought me here, I didn’t expect Castle Peak this year.
- Needle Hill and Grassy Hill which is done the next day after Castle Peak. I am biased for this hike, as I was still in the hype from Castle Peak, this one was comparably* less fun. But we had a super random encounter with other hikers when we were resting in the gazebo. They gave us a lot of fruit and chatted with us while we are waiting for the rain to pass. Sometimes, these little moments just add up and become one of the highlights.
Other times, I just stayed at home, doing nothing. A good rest day for me means a mixture of going out and staying home, I need some time alone to recharge and enjoy this too haha. I baked some goodies — dark chocolate peanut butter buns and my sister loves it soo much! I also watch a lot of youtube and “Queendom 2” — a Korean girl group survival show. I read some books too.
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. A friction about the power of transforming our dreams to actions and the importance of listening to our hearts. The boy (main character) met a lot of people who helped him realize his dream, the alchemist, the girl he loved, the king … along his trip to find the treasure.
- Currently reading Fooled by Randomness by Taleb. It is about the randomness, and variance encountered in daily life and we misinterpreted them as important signals when they are just noise. It is quite controversial and different from what I know before, but reading from different angles improves our critical thinking.
“Good food heals”, I also enjoyed some great dishes and snacks during the week, given that I like home-cooked meals more and am not a huge snacker haaha.
Black sugar mochi sweet potato bun from LY bakery. The filling is bomb!!! Super satisfying.
Poke from Poke GO
After taking a full week of rest, I returned feeling refreshed and energized, ready for the upcoming non-stop assignments and a new part-time job. Knowing I will be busier and busier, taking a full week break is not possible. So a huge reminder is to take care of your mental health, and avoid burnout, and allocate some time each day to give yourself a break. No matter it is a 15-minute walk or run, having a nutritious meal, reading in the morning, going to the gym etc, coming back fresh makes me work faster!
