by Milenia James

As I was entering the fall semester of my sophomore year, I found myself asking the question: how on earth would I, as an over-caffeinated, stressed-out student practice self-care for this upcoming semester? With recruitment season coming up, a full course load, and trying to squeeze in spontaneous coffee-runs with my friends, how would I even have the time for self-care?

Would I have to frantically purchase essential oils or $9 face masks from Sephora? The answer to that is definitely not. As consumers, we are often convinced into thinking that a green-tea eye mask will help improve our mental health and overall well-being. While I do love indulging in a green-tea eye mask from time to time, I find there are various other easy, budget-friendly ways to practice self-care.

If there’s anything that I’ve learned, it’s that self-care is learning to be kind to your body and prioritizing your emotional well-being. Raw and real self-care is a power that no company can manufacture and sell. I’ve listed some of my favorite self-care tips. Feel free to use as many as you see fit.

1. The Wellness Exchange: Free Counseling services
If it wasn’t hammered into your head enough during welcome week, the free counseling services are a blessing. Whether you go in during walk-in hours or schedule an appointment, these services are a great way to discuss anything without any judgment. I find scheduling an appointment with a consistent counselor to be really helpful! Spots do fill up quickly, so make sure you schedule yours in as soon as possible! If you don’t find that you have a connection with the first therapist you meet, don’t stress. Finding your perfect fit takes time.

2. Don’t Spend as much time in Stern
I bet you didn’t see that one coming. Listen, I love Stern, but I find that when I spend great deal of time at Stern, from hanging out on the third floor of Tisch hall, or heading to classes, I can get really overwhelmed. Stern has an very competitive atmosphere and exposing yourself to that environment all the time can be draining. I find the seventh floor of Kimmel or the Blue Stripes Café to be a fun and productive place to cram for study session.

3. Stop Comparing Yourself
You’ve heard this one, and you’re going to hear it again. So what if Kevin from CorpFin got an investment banking offer from Goldman Sachs? You don’t know what Kevin’s experiences are (whether he coffee-chatted the living hell out of Goldman analysts) or if he spent every night on wallstreetoasis.com trying to prepare for finance technicals. The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter. Kevin’s success in one aspect of life does not diminish your own. You are a woman in business at one of the most selective universities in the country. You hold so much power. Your journey is unique and specific to you. While it can be intimidating hearing about how your peers got offers at top firms, know that you are on a path that no one else will ever have the chance to experience. And that is wonderful.

4. Remember your pastimes!
Is there that soul cycle class you’ve been meaning to go on? Or that cool new poke restaurant that just opened up that you’ve been dying to try? Don’t forget to once in a while to treat yourself. Recruitment can be an overwhelming, time consuming, draining process, so I urge you to once in a while to do the things that you love. This can be a great moment to ground yourself, and remind yourself why you’re working so hard in the first place. Personally, I love working out and baking (running on the treadmill and rewarding myself with a muffin after, you know the drill) and I find they allow me to release my pent up stress and anxieties into an activity I enjoy. Even taking a half an hour to yourself to watch Jane the Virgin or savor a cup of coffee can prevent you from going in brain/work overload. When you enjoy your hobby, make sure that’s the only other thing you’re doing. Savor that moment for what it is.

I guess the bottom line I’m trying to emphasize is by making sure you dedicate a little extra time to yourself during recruitment season. Remember that self-care is mostly an internal makeover, one that involves removing yourself from toxic situations and placing your needs first. Remember that it’s totally okay to take a step back from time to time to self-reflect. Best of luck during recruitment season! I hope you get your dream offer.

by Shefali Tamaskar

With spring break approaching and long commutes on trains and planes ahead, that playlist with the same ten songs you listen to every day might get a bit repetitive. One way I’ve been able to change it up and learn a little something at the same time is by listening to good podcasts. Here are some podcasts I recommend, from lifestyle to business, and everything in between.

The Moth
If you are a fan of Humans of NY, like many NYU students are, The Moth features regular people telling real stories about their lives. The Moth is recorded live all throughout the country and is reminiscent of slam poetry but in the form of storytelling, which they call StorySLAM. Each person tells their story to an audience of strangers with no notes. This podcast is perfect for those who love how storytelling can make us appreciate everyone's unique story.

SuperSoul Conversations
This podcast hosted by none other than Oprah focuses primarily on how she and her notable interviewees, from Michelle Obama to Lady Gaga, feel connected to both themselves and those around them. What is so interesting about this podcast is how Oprah is able to get renowned celebrities to talk about their vulnerabilities on the path to success. My personal favorite was the episode with social scientist Brene Brown, where they talk about how to live wholeheartedly.

• For a more scientific approach to similar life questions, also check out NPR’s Hidden Brain podcast.

Sustainability Defined
This podcast would be great for anyone passionate or just curious about what sustainability actually is. Rather than learning in an academic setting, the podcast provides an informal conversation by lighthearted experts in the field that talk about sustainability issues and solutions. For those specifically interested in the intersection of business and sustainability, the podcast features several sub-podcasts specific to just that, from Green Finance to Sustainable Beauty and Personal Care Products.
 
Recode Decode
This is a tech podcast hosted by Silicon Valley journalist Kara Swisher, where she and her guests discuss how technology, typically big tech companies, are influencing the world. Swisher is really passionate and knowledgeable about the industry and always has notable guests on to talk about interesting topics facing tech. My personal favorite was when she had on Tristan Harris, a tech ethics advocate and former Google employee, to discuss social media’s negative effects on humanity.

The Daily
Created by the New York Times journalism team, The Daily summarizes what they think is the most pressing news of the day in just 20 minutes. It’s a good middle ground between fully reading a detailed newspaper article versus only reading headlines on Twitter. With such busy lives it's hard to make time to stay engaged with what's going on around us but these short yet informative podcasts can definitely help, no matter which outlet you choose to consume news on.

• For similar length business related news, check out The Journal, produced by the Wall Street Journal.
  

 
I love podcasts because they are such an easy and convenient way to learn about whatever you are interested in. This is in no way an exhaustive list of all the good podcasts out there, and if you are a podcast connoisseur and know of other great ones, please let me know! Happy listening!