sayuris

I’m Sayuri, the writer behind this little space where I try to leave pieces of my mind and heart. Here, you’ll find glimpses of my life, tips that have helped me in my personal growth, and book suggestions I truly love.

If you want to know a little more about me → ꒰ᐢ. ̫ .ᐢ꒱

˚⋆𐙚｡ essential tags 𖦹.✧˚

#diariessslz

My personal diary — stories, thoughts, and little moments from my daily life. Expect honesty, real feelings, and the occasional fun anecdote.

#healsslz

Sharing my journey of healing and growth. The ups, the downs, and everything in between. If you’re walking a similar path, this one’s for you.

#booksslz

Book reviews and recommendations from me. If you love reading or are just looking for your next favorite book, start here.

₊˚ෆ other places you can find me ₊˚ෆ

⊹ Instagram: sayuslz

⌕ vsco: sayuslz

𝄞 apple music: sayuslz

I hope you enjoy exploring this little piece of my mind and heart. Feel free to reach out, ask questions, or even DM me whenever .ᐟ

⋆.˚ Howdy everyone today let's talk about how to teach yourself ANYTHING ! 𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚

I want to talk about something that completely changed the way I study: learning how to teach yourself, I know the title sounds a little ambitious, but hear me out ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻)

When I first started college, I thought professors were supposed to teach me everything. I imagined I would attend lectures, take notes, review them before exams, and somehow that would be enough. Well... it wasn't one of the biggest surprises I had during my first semester was realizing that university doesn't really teach you everything. Instead, it gives you the tools and expects you to keep learning on your own.

At first, that terrified me, i remember opening my textbooks and thinking, "Where am I even supposed to start?" There was so much information that I didn't know how to organize it, how to understand it, or even how to know what was actually important, in the moment I thought I was just bad at studying, the truth is, I simply didn't know how to learn.

Looking back, I think learning how to teach yourself is probably one of the most valuable skills you'll ever develop—not only in college, but in life. Once you understand how you learn best, every new subject becomes a little less intimidating.

⭑ Accept that you won't understand everything immediately: This is probably the hardest lesson, we're so used to seeing classmates who seem to understand everything after one lecture that we start comparing ourselves. Suddenly, it feels like everyone else is smarter or learns faster than we do.

But learning isn't a race, some people need to read a chapter once. Others need to read it three times, watch a video, and explain it out loud before everything finally clicks.

That doesn't make anyone less intelligent, it simply means everyone learns differently, so be patient with yourself, understanding takes time.

⭑ Understand before you memorize: I know... reading textbooks isn't exactly the most exciting activity in the world, sometimes all we want is to jump straight into flashcards or start highlighting everything, but if you don't understand the idea behind a concept, memorizing it becomes much harder.

Instead of asking yourself, "How can I memorize this?"

Try asking:"What is actually happening here?"

Once you understand the logic, remembering the details becomes much easier.

⭑ Stay curious: This might be my favorite tip, don't study just because there's going to be an exam, ask questions like: Why does this happen? What would happen if this didn't exist? How does this connect to something I already know?

Some of the most interesting things I've learned weren't even part of my classes. They came from random YouTube videos, research papers, podcasts, or simply searching a question that popped into my head while studying.

Curiosity makes learning so much more enjoyable.

⭑Use different resources: One textbook isn't always enough, sometimes your professor explains something in a way that doesn't make sense to you—and that's okay.

Try watching a YouTube video, read another textbook, ask a classmate, use AI as a study tool, listen to a podcast.

Every resource explains things differently, and sometimes all you need is hearing the same concept from another perspective.

⭑Teach the topic: One of my favorite ways to check whether I actually understand something is pretending that I have to teach it.

Sometimes I explain it to myself, sometimes I imagine I'm teaching a friend, and sometimes I realize halfway through my explanation that... I actually have no idea what I'm talking about, and that's okay, because those moments show you exactly what you still need to review.

If you can explain a topic in simple words without looking at your notes, you're probably understanding it—not just memorizing it.

⭑ Don't be afraid to come back to a topic: For the longest time, I thought forgetting something meant I had failed, now I know that's simply how learning works. Nobody remembers everything after reading it once, going back to a topic isn't a sign that you're bad at studying, it's part of the learning process.

Every review strengthens those connections and makes the information easier to remember over time.

If there's one thing college has taught me, it's that learning how to learn is just as important as learning the subjects themselves.No matter what you're studying—medicine, engineering, languages, art, or anything else—you'll always encounter something you've never seen before.

And honestly, that's kind of exciting, because once you know how to teach yourself, no subject feels completely impossible anymore, learning is a skill and just like any other skill, it gets better every time you practice it.

I hope this post helped you somehow, and if you have your own favorite way of learning something new, I'd love to hear about it.

See youuu soon, love u guys ໒꒰ྀི っ ⸝⸝ ˂ ꒱ྀིა ♡

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ howdy everyone, today I would like to talk about 8 REAL habits that completely changed my life ⊹₊

I thought it would be interesting to write about this and be completely honest and transparent because I know a lot of you are probably looking for motivation to improve your life. So yeah... I thought it would be cool to share the habits that actually worked for me.

To be honest, a few months ago I realized that I wanted to become a better version of myself. I spent hours watching YouTube videos and scrolling through TikTok looking for habits that could help me improve my life. And I'm not gonna lie... most of them felt so unrealistic. If you have a really busy schedule like me (or you're a med student), you probably know that sometimes you'd rather spend your free time studying than following a 30-step morning routine. (╥﹏╥)

So today I wanted to share the habits that I actually do and that genuinely made a difference in my life.

𐙚 Carrying a water bottle

Yeah, I know this sounds really simple, but trust me... this has helped me so much. Ever since I started carrying a water bottle everywhere, I've been drinking around 3 liters of water every day without even thinking about it. I have a 40 oz Owala, so it's really easy to keep track of my water intake.

Besides keeping you hydrated, water is also important for your brain, especially if you spend long hours studying. Sometimes we underestimate how much something this small can help.

𐙚 Going outside after studying

This is probably my favorite habit, during my first year of med school, I spent almost all my time locked in my room studying. Looking back, I don't think that helped me at all. I felt overwhelmed, cried a lot, overthought everything, and eventually went through a depressive episode. At one point, I even thought about dropping out of med school.

After that, I realized I needed to separate my life from school. Now, after studying, I try to leave my room, go outside, and just enjoy life for a little while, you don't have to do anything crazy. You can go to a coffee shop, discover new coffee shops, go for a run, take a walk in a park, hang out with your friends, or simply spend some time outside.

Giving your brain a break is much more productive than forcing yourself to study for hours without stopping.

𐙚 Exercising

I talked about this a few posts ago, but I seriously can't recommend it enough.

I know a lot of people think exercising is only about looking better, but honestly, that's probably the least important benefit.

Exercise has become one of my favorite ways to deal with stress after long study sessions. It clears my mind, improves my mood, and gives me so much more energy.Personally, I enjoy going to the gym, doing yoga, and running, but there are so many other activities you can try like Pilates, barre, swimming, volleyball... just find something that you genuinely enjoy.

𐙚 Packing my backpack the night before

This habit has saved me more times than I'd like to admit.

I'm the type of person who's always running late, so having everything ready the night before makes my mornings way less stressful, it also helps me avoid forgetting important things like my MacBook, my stethoscope, or my chargers.

𐙚 Using my calendar for reminders

This is probably the newest habit on this list, but it's already become one of my favorites; I usually have a million things on my mind, so writing everything down has been a lifesaver.

I use my calendar for assignments, presentations, exams, yoga classes, runs... basically everything. If you're trying to become a more organized person, trust me... your calendar will probably become your new best friend.

𐙚 Writing everything down

This habit has helped me a lot, especially in med school.

Whenever a professor explains an assignment or gives instructions, I immediately write everything down because I know I'll probably forget some details later. I also write down little explanations during lectures that aren't on the slides because they're usually the things professors ask about on exams.

Trust me... your future self will thank you.

𐙚 Sleeping early whenever I can

Trust me... this one will become your best friend.

I try to sleep around 10–11 p.m. so I can get about 7–8 hours of sleep before waking up at 6 a.m, I know that once internship starts, getting that much sleep every night probably won't be possible, so I'm trying to enjoy it while I still can.

Sleeping enough helps me concentrate better in class, understand new topics faster, and honestly just makes me feel like a functional human being.

𐙚 Eating breakfast before school

I used to be the type of person who skipped breakfast because I thought I didn't have enough time.

Now I almost always eat breakfast before class (or I bring it with me if I'm running late), and it honestly makes such a big difference, instead of spending the whole first lecture thinking about food, I can actually pay attention to what's being explained.

It also helps me save money because food at my university can be pretty expensive, and homemade breakfasts are usually healthier too.

I think that's all for today's post, I know these are only eight habits, and they probably don't sound life-changing, but they've genuinely made my life better little by little. You don't need a perfect morning routine or a "that girl" lifestyle to improve your life. Sometimes the smallest habits end up making the biggest difference.

If you have any habits that have helped you, let me know! I'd love to try them too.

Take care, and see you soon, love you all! 𐔌՞ ܸ.ˬ.ܸ՞𐦯 ♡

˚˖𓍢ִ໋howdy everyone, nobody ask but today let's talk which study method is the best ꩜｡ּ

Well... lately I've been thinking about how many times I've changed the way I study and how many study methods I've tried, so I thought... why not give u my honest opinion about all of them? Maybe this can help someone who's still trying to find the best method for themselves, sooo let's do this.

To be honest, when I was in high school I didn't really have a study method. I would literally look over the topics like 5 minutes before the exam and somehow get good grades. So when I started college, I had absolutely no idea how to study properly. That's why I started trying every study method I could find until I discovered what actually works for me.

౨ৎ Pomodoro: Personally, I think this is a really good method if you're just starting or if you're trying to manage your time better. The only problem is... once the break starts, sometimes it's sooo easy to get distracted and completely lose your study flow.

For me, this works much better when I'm doing assignments than when I'm actually studying for an exam. I feel like I lose all my concentration after every break lol.

(If u want to try it, I would recommend starting with something like 15/5 or 25/5. I personally used 50/10.)

౨ৎ Flashcards: I think I'm officially a flashcard hater, I REALLY tried to like them... but nope. Don't get me wrong, I think they're a really good method, they just don't work for me. I think they're amazing if u need to memorize definitions, drugs, or short concepts.

I would especially recommend them for pharmacology, legal medicine, forensic medicine, and sometimes anatomy or pathophysiology.

౨ৎ Quizzes / Fake Exams: This is probably one of my favorite study methods. Making your own quizzes (or answering practice questions) helps u understand the topic instead of just memorizing it. At least for me, it also helps me remember concepts for a much longer time because I actually understand why they're correct.

౨ৎ Writing Everything Down: I don't even know if this counts as a study method lol, but it literally saved me during biochemistry. Writing everything helps me memorize the topic really well... but at the same time it can feel like a huge waste of time, especially if the exam is really close. So... I have a love-hate relationship with this one.

౨ৎ Podcasts: Okay... THIS is my favorite study method that I discovered this semester. I talked about it in another post before, but I seriously love it.

The best part is that u don't waste extra time because u can listen while doing something else. I usually listen to my recordings while I'm at the gym, cleaning my room, or even while getting ready. It honestly helped me remember so much more than I expected.

౨ৎ Saying It Out Loud: This was one of my favorite methods during my first two semesters. Repeating everything out loud really helps me remember information, but... if you're around other people, it can get a little annoying (so maybe save this one for your room lol).

౨ৎ Explaining the Topic to Someone Else: One of my FAVORITE methods, whenever my friends and I study together, this is usually what we do. We divide the topics, everyone becomes an "expert" in one section, and then we explain everything to each other; I swear this works SO well when there are a lot of topics for one exam, and if u study alone, u can still explain the topic to yourself (yes... I literally talk to myself lol).

౨ৎ Reading Over and Over: This was my main study method during my first semester, it works... but after a while it feels soooo exhausting, still, I have to admit it helped me a lot during embryology.

౨ৎ Blurting: I think blurting works... but only if you've already studied the topic before. For me, it's more like a way to check how much I actually remember rather than my main study method.

I even like combining it with the podcast method: first I listen to the topic, then I try blurting everything I remember.

౨ৎ Mind Maps: Personally... I hate making them, but I know a lot of people absolutely love them, so maybe they're just not for me.

౨ৎ Highlighting: I think highlighting is useful, but I see it more as a study tool than a study method; it's great for organizing notes and identifying what's actually important, but I wouldn't rely on highlighting alone.

𐔌 . ⋮my personal ranking .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱

Podcasts

Explaining the topic to someone else

Practice quizzes

Saying everything out loud

Writing everything down

Blurting

Reading over and over

Pomodoro

Highlighting

Mind maps

Flashcards (sorry anki lovers)

These are just my personal opinions, and what works for me might not work for u. Everyone learns differently, and honestly that's completely okay. Let me know if you've tried any of these methods or if there's another one that works really well for u. I'm always looking for new ways to study lol.

Hope u liked this post, see u soon, luv u (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) ‹𝟹

˚ ༘ ೀhowdy everyone, nobody asked for this but today I wanna talk about one of the biggest questions before college... should u buy an iPad or a MacBook?⋆｡

I know a lot of u are probably asking yourselves this before starting college because trust me... I had EXACTLY the same question. I literally watched EVERY SINGLE YouTube video about this topic, read comments on TikTok at like 2am, watched "day in my life as a med student" videos... and somehow I ended up even more confused lol.

So... hopefully this post makes ur decision a little easier than mine

The funny thing is... now I have actually used both. I spent my first year of med school using only an iPad, and now I have both an iPad and a MacBook, so I think I can finally give u my honest opinion after using both almost every single day.

Well... I've been an iPad kid for as long as I can remember lol, so buying one before med school wasn't even a question for me. And honestly... I don't regret it at all.

iPad

Pros:

.✦ ݁˖ The biggest advantage is handwriting. Writing with the Apple Pencil makes studying feel way more natural, and personally I remember things much better when I write them myself instead of typing.

.✦ ݁˖ It literally replaces notebooks. I haven't carried physical notebooks in forever because everything is inside my iPad.

.✦ ݁˖ Reading books and PDFs is amazing. You can highlight, add notes, write on the pages, stick little post-its... basically destroy the PDF without actually destroying it lol.

.✦ ݁˖ Taking notes during class is really comfortable because if the professor suddenly decides to change the slides every 0.2 seconds, I can simply take a picture of the board and put it directly into my notes without needing my phone.

.✦ ݁˖ Canva works really well on the iPad. I used it for sooo many presentations and it never gave me problems.

.✦ ݁˖ The battery literally lasts forever (okay maybe not forever but mine survived full days of classes without any problems).

Cons:

.✦ ݁˖ Typing... I just can't. I know a lot of people love using a keyboard with their iPad, but personally I never got used to it. (I really tried tho)

.✦ ݁˖ Multitasking isn't my favorite. Yes, Stage Manager exists now, but I still think macOS handles multiple windows much better.

.✦ ݁˖ Some apps have fewer features than their Mac versions, and there are even some programs that are only available on macOS.

.✦ ݁˖ File management can get a little annoying sometimes compared to a computer.

.✦ ݁˖ Once u buy the Apple Pencil and maybe a keyboard... the price starts getting really close to a MacBook.

MacBook

Pros:

.✦ ݁˖ Multitasking is honestly its biggest strength and probably my favorite thing about it. I usually have lectures, Anki, Google, Spotify and my notes open at the same time without feeling limited.

.✦ ݁˖ Typing notes is sooo much faster.

.✦ ݁˖ Research is easier because having multiple tabs and windows open feels much more organized.

.✦ ݁˖ Microsoft Office works better, especially Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

.✦ ݁˖ Some university websites and apps simply work better on a computer. (Idk why but they always decide to fail when u need them the most)

.✦ ݁˖ Organizing files and folders is much easier.

.✦ ݁˖ If u edit videos, make presentations or spend hours writing assignments, I think a MacBook wins.

Cons:

.✦ ݁˖ You obviously can't handwrite your notes.

.✦ ݁˖ Annotating PDFs isn't nearly as satisfying as doing it on an iPad.

.✦ ݁˖ It isn't as comfortable if u just wanna study on ur bed or somewhere without a table.

.✦ ݁˖ During presentations or labs, carrying an iPad sometimes feels more practical.

So which one would I actually recommend?

Well tbh... if u had asked first-year me, I would've looked u dead in the eyes and said "the iPad" without thinking twice. But if u ask me now I think I would choose the MacBook.

Not because I don't love the iPad (actually I still use mine hehe), but somewhere between anatomy breakdowns, making a million presentations and opening like 37 tabs every time I study...

My study style changed, now I spend way more time typing, researching and multitasking than I ever thought I would. So yeah I fear I'm officially a MacBook girl now (that physically hurts me to admit because I've been an iPad kid forever.)

Anyways, if ur study style is based on handwriting, making pretty notes, annotating every single PDF and writing everything down... then the iPad is probably gonna become ur best friend.

But if u're more into typing, researching and having a million windows open at the same time I honestly think the MacBook is gonna make ur life easier.

And of course, if u can have both congratulations, u literally have the dream combo (maybe in another post I can talk about how I use both together because they actually make SUCH a good combo. Lmk if u would like to read that hehe :b)

Hope u liked this post and I hope it helps someone who's currently overthinking this decision as much as I did.

See u soon, luv u ♡

⋆𐙚₊˚ Hey there everyone, nobody asked 4 this but today I would like to share some things that I wish I knew when I was younger ! ⊹♡

Today I was thinking a lot about how many of us don't have a big sis or someone that gives us advice on how to deal with our lives and our problems, sooo I thought it would be a good idea to share some things that I wish I knew. 𐔌՞ ܸ.ˬ.ܸ՞𐦯

𑣲⋆ Enjoy every phase of ur age; guys I know we would literally kill to be older, to be in our 20s and be a grown woman, but trust me the older u get the more responsibilities u have, more problems to deal with and honestly it's not as cool as we think it is. So please enjoy ur age, enjoy the activities that u can do at ur age, do things that people ur age do and don't try to act like an adult all the time. Enjoy ur teenage years.

𑣲⋆ Party or go outside; in this phase of ur life there will be a lot of chances to go to parties. I'm not saying u should go to every party, but try to go to some and enjoy it, cause we are not going to be young forever (obviously everyone wants to be forever young but sadly it doesn't work like that) and trust me, a lot of funny memories come from going to parties, going to the disco or just hanging out with ur friends.

𑣲⋆ Don't force urself to be in a relationship or situationship; I know that during our teenage years we really want to have our "teenage romance" and feel loved by someone else, but I would like to say that most of the time u end up wasting ur time on something that isn't worth it (especially situationships). Don't get me wrong, when u truly love someone it's never really a waste of time, but u need to put urself and ur own life first, cause if u don't love urself nobody else is gonna do it for u. Don't stay just because someone gives u the bare minimum when they should be doing much more.

𑣲⋆ Ur friends should be more important than a relationship/situationship; what I'm trying to say is don't leave ur friends behind just because ur partner doesn't like them. At the end of the day ur friends are usually the people that support u and are there for u when u need them (obviously find good friends first lol). Don't stop talking to them, don't stop going out with them, take care of ur friendships and enjoy ur time with them.

𑣲⋆ Don't be ashamed of things that u really like; most of my teenage years I was so ashamed because I didn't have the same music taste as my friends and I hid it. I really feel bad about it cause I didn't even have a reason to do that. Like, I'm the one listening to GOT7 24/7 not them, and I'm the one spending money on my boys not them lol, so why should I care about their opinion? Don't be afraid to be different, to have different tastes. I personally think it's more interesting and fun to be different. What I'm trying to say is enjoy the things u like, show the world that u like different things, that u are the "weird kid". It's way more fun to be someone that doesn't follow every trend than to be someone that only tries to fit in.

𑣲⋆ Don't do things because of pressure; in this phase of our lives we are really easy to influence and we want everyone's approval. I know that sometimes we do things just to fit in somewhere or because other people expect us to do it, but that's not right. Try to do everything in YOUR own time, not because everyone else is doing it or because someone told u that u should. I'm talking especially about drinking alcohol, doing drugs or having sex.

I know these are only 6 tips, but I personally think I would've loved to read something like this when I was younger. I'm not saying this will immediately solve all of ur teenage problems, but maybe someone out there needed to hear it ദ്ദി◝ ⩊ ◜) ᢉ𐭩

I really hope this post helps someone out there and I hope u like it, see uuu

⋆ 𐙚 ̊. how I survive my depressive episodes & my overthinker nights?

hey there my girlies, today I wanted to share something a little different. I thought it would be a great idea to tell u some of the things that help me survive my depressive episodes and my overthinking nights.

Before I start, I want to clarify that I'm not going to talk about medication or anything medical, and I'm definitely not a professional, so if u need help, please reach out to a specialist ! Most of the tips I'm sharing are just activities that personally help me. ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

As I said in a few post, I'm a med student, so I'm not gonna lie, most of my depressive episodes and overthinking are caused by med school. So if u are also a med student, I hope this helps u the same way it helped me.

✧ Do exercise

I know everyone recommends this, but trust me, it really helps. It clears your mind and keeps it busy instead of focusing on your thoughts.

Personally, I love going to the gym and running, but u can do pilates, barre, dancing, or any sport that u enjoy. I know that when u are depressed, sometimes getting out of bed feels impossible. I know it's difficult, but u can even do pilates in your room or literally in your bed. It sounds weird, but there are actually pilates routines made for that.

And trust me, after exercising your body, you'll sleep so much better. Bye bye overthinking nights.

✧ Write: Write as much as u want. Use your phone notes, a diary, Word, literally anything.

Writing helps me get all my thoughts and feelings out of my head. Personally, I like writing on my Mac. I use an app called "Diary", but honestly I don't use it as a journal. I only open it when I'm feeling really bad.

It helps me a lot because I can just leave all my thoughts there and stop carrying them around all day.

✧ Have dates with yourself: I know this sounds a little cringe and cliché, but it actually helps a lot.

I love doing this because it helps me enjoy my own company. U can go to a small coffee shop, order a drink and a dessert, and spend some time reading or writing. It keeps your mind busy and makes u appreciate your own presence.

In my experience, I ended up enjoying it so much that I started reviewing coffee shops in my city lol.

✧ Cook something: This is actually really fun, u can bake desserts or cook a whole meal and pretend you're a Michelin chef for a few hours. It keeps your mind occupied, helps u learn new things, and gives u something nice to focus on.

Funny enough, this was one of the activities my psychologist recommended to me, and now I totally understand why.

U can do it alone or with friends.

✧ Meditation: I know some of u are probably like, "did she really just say meditation?" But honestly, it helps me a lot. The first few times are difficult, but once u understand how to do it, it becomes something really peaceful.

A lot of what I know comes from my yoga classes, so here's a little guide based on my personal experience.

⋆ ૐ little guide to meditate 𖤓 ⋆˚࿔

First, find a quiet place. Personally, I love outdoor spaces where I can hear nature.

U can put on music if u want. Some people use frequency sounds, others use rain sounds, nature sounds, or whatever helps them relax.

Then sit down comfortably or lie down in savasana. Set a timer (5 minutes is a great start), close your eyes, and focus on your breathing.

Take slow inhales and slow exhales.

Don't worry if thoughts appear. That's completely normal. Just gently bring your attention back to your breath.

During this time, u can thank your body for carrying u every day. Thank yourself, thank the universe, God, nature, or whatever feels right to u.

I hope this helps someone out there, even if it's just a little, and remember "your thoughts are not stronger than you" ◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜

thanks for reading, and I hope u liked it. see u !