The video starts off by Arpi explaining how many people in today’s society believe in the concept of “limited willpower.” This concept became popular during the early 2000s and is basically the theory explaining how everytime you make a decision, you are cutting back on the reservoir of willpower that you have available to yourself. Under this theory, if you are being very productive all day and consistently resist the multiple temptations (ex. social media) around you, you will eventually cave-in at some point because you are limited in how much self-control you have. Thus, if people are limited in willpower, in order to have moments of productivity people need moments of unproductivity to refuel or recharge. 

This theory might sound reasonable or familiar to you because it’s deeply ingrained in our conception of work-life balance. In my opinion, if you believe in the practice of self-care, by default you believe in the idea of limited willpower. Self-care exists on the foundation that we all have limited willpower because it assumes we need to give ourselves me-time in order to continue functioning in the future. Arpi rejects the concept of limited willpower and concludes that students “don’t need self-care as much as we think”. 

He believes that only those who believe that self-care is necessary will need self-care to function better. My first response after watching the video was similar to when I first read its title; how can you NOT value self-care!?! Aren’t we limited in energy to have constant self-control, we’re not robots after all. But then I realized I was missing his point. He’s arguing that my need for self-care in the first place is because based on my perception that I am limited in the amount of self-control and brain power I have. I now somewhat agree with Arpi that self-care is not the cure to unhappiness as cute, mental health instagram posts present it to be. 

I still see some of the benefits of self-care but I also see how the term can be abused. Let me explain. With COVID-19, I feel like I’ve been able to incorporate self-care into my life more than ever. Throughout my years at Mount Allison I’ve tried having an end time to my day at 5pm. To have an “end time” of 5pm means as soon as 5pm hits, I can drop my pen and do whatever I want. I could then use my evening to try a new recipe, partake in hobbies, play sports, watch a movie, etc. The benefits of having an end time is that you’re inclined to be more productive during the day, not burnout in the long-run, live meaningfully, and have more energy throughout the day. In previous years, I’ve never been able to afford a 5pm end time for more than 1 day a week. However with COVID-19, I’ve been able to have 3 or 4 days a week where my end time is 5pm and it has brought me so much happiness. It’s been really nice to have more frequent video-calls with my family and have time to extend on topics I’m randomly curious about. I consider a lot of what I do after 5pm as “self-care” and having this time to socialize and make time for myself has been incredible to my mental health. At the same time, in my past I’ve escaped from social events in the name of “self-care.” During my second year at Mt. A, I struggled to take care of my mental health because I would use self-care as an excuse to step-out from social situations. I would often feel so drained from the school week that by Friday when a lot of social events were occurring, all I wanted to do was watch Netflix and sleep. Instead of going to my friends house for board game nights, to club meetings, or midnight trips to Goyas with friends, I would tell myself that my exhaustion and unhappiness were from not giving myself enough me-time and rest. I’m not saying that binge watching netflix or going to bed early is a “bad” thing to do, they’re just not very good at making you happy if you’re doing it all the time. Sometimes when you’re feeling down, getting your foot out the door and giving yourself a small push to show up at a friends house can be the right call. Over the years I’ve realized that while I enjoy spending time with myself, social interactions are super important to my well-being as well. There is nothing like having a meaningful conversation with someone, regardless of whether you know them well or not. Self-care is not an excuse for me to exclude myself from social situations though I still do that from time to time. Are you letting self-care get in the way of making once in a lifetime connections?

Each person has a different idea of what’s recyclable. People come from different places and different places have different rules about what can and can’t be recycled. For example, in Sackville (part of Westmorland and Albert counties of New Brunswick) waste is sorted differently than in Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia, glass can be recycled and goes into the blue bins. In New Brunswick glass goes in the regular garbage. It is not a surprise to see waste missorted in Sackville as Mount Allison students come from all over Canada and around the world. Here are eight items you might not know how to throw away correctly in New Brunswick.

1. Glass: Refundable bin (at Mt. A) or garbage

Glass does not go in the regular recycling bin. Currently, Eco360 (the waste facility where most of Sackville’s and Mt. A’s waste goes to) does not have a recycling service for glass for Westmorland and Albert counties. This is because the glass shards become too fine to easily collect during the sorting process at the facility. However, if you are willing to drive your glass jars directly to the Eco360 facility in Moncton you can have them recycled.

For students in residence or on Mt. A property, glass goes in the refundable bin. This is the bin that has a blue plastic bag and often has a lid with holes in them to fit beverage containers, like plastic water bottles.

2. Disposable coffee cups: Blue bins

Most disposable paper cups have a plastic or waxy inner lining on the inside to prevent hot liquids from seeping through the paper cup. It is challenging to separate this plastic lining from the paper during the recycling process. Although they can’t be recycled in many places, Eco360 says to recycle disposable coffee cups.

3. Styrofoam: Recyclables
4. Empty aerosol cans: Recyclables

Aerosol containers can be recycled as long as they are empty (no more air comes out upon holding down). This way no Freon, a toxic gas that is often used for refrigeration, will be released during the recycling process.

5. Sponge: Garbage
6. Toothpicks and wooden coffee stir-sticks: Organics or garbage
7. Pens and pencils: Garbage

Pens and pencils are often made out of cheaper, non-recyclable plastics. They also contain ink and graphite (the “lead” in pencils) which are not recyclable and therefore belong in the garbage.

8. Pots and pans: Recyclables

Metal is a precious resource that can be remelted and recycled.

At Mount Allison, we have a lot of room to up our game in sorting waste correctly. We need to take more responsibility for knowing what goes in the recycling, organics, regular garbage and refundable bin.

For more information on how to sort waste properly in New Brunswick check out the Eco360 website at eco360.ca. With more education, people will feel confident sorting waste correctly.

There’s a certain glory behind late-night cram study sessions. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk about studying until 2 a.m. without a hint of pride. Talking about how draining studying can be is a way of connecting with friends, but we also say it because it’s what’s expected of a student. We associate cramming with being a “real university student” who works hard. In short, it’s a way of fitting into the ideal university picture.

I’m not here to say that I haven’t been there before; I’ve finished essays in the wee hours of the morning with a sense of relief, pride and exhaustion the next day. However, this is not to say it’s something I’m proud of. It’s not something to glorify. Praising exhaustion and unhealthy habits seems to be society’s favourite thing to do. For example, students are surrounded by TV and film characters who stay up all night to pull off huge, last-minute feats. Rich Purnel in The Martian and Michael Ross​ in Suits are perfect examples. The “genius” characters who aren’t taking care of their health are idealized and glorified. As young people we’ve learned that staying up late and overworking is normal, cool and the path to success and recognition.

The reality is this: The world is literally dark outside at 2 a.m., you’re in solitary at your desk and you’re likely running on an adrenaline rush or a can of Monster. You’re holding out for the weekend and feel a cold coming on. This state of mind and physical state doesn’t feel good. Not getting sleep and living off of caffeine is hard on your brain and health. The reality of cram study sessions is that you feel gross, maybe even a little disoriented, and your brainpower is slower than usual. Cramming information into your brain is not fun and doesn’t do any good in the long run.

I hope you can paint your own picture of what an “ideal” student is: one who isn’t what we see in the media, one who looks out for their future self. For me, an ideal student is someone who prioritises their health over school and maintains a balanced way of living by putting their values, passions and friends above their pride in grades.

Students are more than their value to the economy in the future. We are people. We are animals. And like all animals, we need to sleep, eat, hydrate, exercise and socialize to survive and thrive. Please remember to take care of your health. This is the least you owe to yourself.

The best way I can describe the book is to compare it to a peculiar gem whose colour you cannot quite pinpoint. It’s hard to completely grasp every aspect that makes this book the beauty it is, which makes it all the more compelling to reread over the course of time.

To give a bit of background about the plot, Annihilation is part of a trilogy about a team of four women excavating an unknown, “hazardous” area called Area X. The team’s goal is to learn as much as possible about Area X and bring that knowledge back to civilization, or the “real” world, where they come from.

One night, as I lay in bed unable to fall asleep, I thought to myself that this could be a great time to start this book, since it had been assigned for my English class. Instead of falling asleep, I found myself awake in the early hours of the morning, having read the book from front to back. My brain ached with all the information, themes and messages I had identified. As I closed the book I was wrapped in an introspective state and filled with a sense of discovery I’d never felt before.

Unsurprisingly, Annihilation was all I could talk about for the next couple days. It is a page turner – as you can probably tell from the fact that I read it in one go – as well as being a very philosophical book. Some of the big themes and concepts in the novel are nature versus humanity, science versus oblivion, religion, and knowledge. If any of these topics interest you in the slightest, I urge you read this book.

Annihilation was the first book I wanted to reread this summer, and I am happy to report that I found just much new insight as I did when I read it the first time. I don’t think this book will ever get old, and it has earned its place on my bookshelf with my other favourites.

Have you ever checked the ingredients listed on your shampoo bottle? Well, maybe it’s time to squint your eyes and check out what the small letters say. At first, I was intimidated by ingredients such as retinyl palmitate, isopropylparaben and polyethylene terephthalate. But not to worry! Below are three unhealthy or straight-up toxic ingredients to look out for.

1. Sodium laureth sulfate/sodium lauryl sulfate: This ingredient is often contaminated with measurable amounts of ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane, which has been shown in multiple studies to harm the nervous system and interfere with human development.

2. Microbeads (e.g. polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethlyl methacrylate (PMMA)): Basically, look for ingredients that start with Poly-. Microbeads are plastic particles so small that even when they’re filtered through a wastewater plant, they cannot be extracted out of the water. In other words, microbeads end up permanently in our waterways, effecting the health of fish and, consequently, human health, as we eat the fish. Luckily microbeads will be banned in cosmetics sold in Canada starting this coming spring. You can learn more about microbeads on the Story of Stuff Project website.

3. Parabens (e.g. methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben, butylparaben and benzylparaben): This toxic chemical easily penetrates the skin and has been linked to interfering with hormone functioning, DNA damage and breast cancer. Luckily, parabens will be banned for use in cosmetics in the EU, but not in other countries such as U.S.A. and Canada. It is estimated that women are exposed to 50 mg of parabens per day. Parabens might be closer than you think and in your daily foundation, shampoo or lotion.

Now the question is what do you do after you’ve read the ingredients in your soap and find a few unhealthy chemicals? Do you throw away your favourite soap or continue to use it?

Depending on how many harmful chemicals there are in your bottle or bar, I would suggest using less of it on a daily basis. On the other hand, if you find three or more ingredients listed above, or you just don’t want your bottle of shampoo anymore, there is a blue bucket labelled “Unfinished and Unwanted Soap” on the top floor of the student centre where you can drop off your unfinished soap. The soap will then be brought to a hazardous waste management company in Moncton. (Note: Do not discard unfinished soap down the drain. This will reduce the number of toxins in our waterways)

The next time you shop for soap, read the ingredients list and search for these chemicals. There are many more unhealthy, disease-causing chemicals than just those in these three categories, but the ones I’ve listed are the most common chemicals that the average person should know about.