academic logs

if you're a writer and would like to find a community, I'm hosting a writing sprint this Sunday.

Instagram, sign up form for the sprint

i'm looking forward to seeing some of you there!

1. make a realistic schedule for yourself. it’s okay if you can’t follow it every day. even if you’re able to go through with it for some days a week, that’s progress!

2. journal. if you’re someone who struggles with an almost uncontrollable stream of racing thoughts, journaling can help you slow down and sit with them. it also gives you a chance to reflect on all the feelings that these thoughts give rise to and provides cathartic value.

3. nature time! if you have access to safe, open, green spaces, it can help boost your mental health if you spend time there. in a world where we invest a lot of our time behind screens, it gives us respite from the artificial surroundings and helps ground us.

4. hydration. our physical health is very heavily related to our mental health. you need to take care of your body in order to feel mentally okay as well. stay on top of your hydration game because being dehydrated impacts your moods and cognitive processes negatively.

5. nutritious food. try having as many nutritious meals as you can. a lot of times poor mental health outcomes are linked to nutritional deficiencies. (i’ve linked a cool study for you to check out).

6. sleeping an adequate number of hours. we all have different bodies and consequently, the number of sleep hours we need per night differs from person to person. but on an average, we need 6-8 hours of sleep in one go at night. please try to figure out how many hours of sleep during the night allows you to function well and have a pleasant mood. then try getting it on as many nights as possible! also, try establishing a good sleep hygiene for improved sleep quality.

7. appropriate socialisation. i know, some of us may be scared or overwhelmed when we socialise with others, but we need it in certain amounts. being isolated can make you grow lonely. if you socialise a little bit regularly- text/call a friend/family member, meet up with them occasionally, etc. it positively impacts your daily moods.

8. seeking professional help when you need it. there’s nothing wrong in reaching out to a mental health professional (psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, etc.) in case you feel that you require support beyond what those around you can provide or if nothing is working out for you.

Bangladeshi female student having a seizure in shock of being beaten in University of Dhaka

It's been 240 hours. I keep watching as my country turns into those dystopian fantasies I love reading about. Except there's no happy ending, there's no epic good vs evil fight.

It's my government, my police, my law enforcement units beating and killing my fellow students without any remorse, any judgement.

I love my country. Without any kind of doubt. I have been taught patriotism since my childhood. But how can I love my people and motherland any further when all it wishes to do is to kill, kill, kill.

Police throwing tear shells in University of Dhaka from tanks

We live in a dystopia. Our law enforcement is here to kill brilliant students, students that want to make changes, students who speak up about their rights, students who build drones and robots. Our mainstream media wants the police to shoot at students so they can get exciting videos.

And they can get away with it. If social media is the only centre of our voice, then they'll block our internet. If the roads are where we protest, they'll order curfew.

Students attending funeral (without bodies) for the students killed by police shootings

My university wants nothing to do with us. They're above student protests, they're above having any ounce of responsibility for the death of so many of my brothers and sisters. "It's out of my control", our vice-chancellor says. And our chancellor? Well the president has had speech disorder for years now. He'll be back for convocation and cutting ribbons soon.

They'll end the curfews soon enough. They will tell us to go back to the campus they drove us out of with gunfire and tear shells. But how will we do so while we have a conscience? How can I step over the blood shed by my fellow students? How will I go back to classworks and labs and hangouts when there have been dead bodies in those streets merely weeks ago?

Injured dog (presumed dead by now) at the University of Dhaka campus

But it doesn't matter. This world does not care about genocides of millions of children in Palestine. Why would it care about 500 innocent students in such a small country like Bangladesh? My country, where equal chances at jobs and education needs a bloodier movement than establishing our language. Such a primitive land, isn't it?

To some people, it's just that. To me, the very fact that a cat or a bird or a dog, animals choosing to be in your company is a groundbreaking deal. I don't mind it if they're by themselves. But when they do come, it warms my heart.

In a world of strife which we partook in creating, if a creature shows trust in me, it is a big deal. Because they have every reason not to and yet they do. We've destroyed their lands and homes and them still choosing to trust.. it's..... hurtful and heartwarming.. that's how I see it.. what's your perspective?

- made coffee, woke up, did some quantitative aptitude questions, solved two reading comprehensions, read the newspaper and an article.

about the article: it was about memory. how memories of different kinds are so important, even if we want to get away with it our body stores it (in the form of smell, touch). it explained the neurological aspect of the brain storing information using case studies.