Mark Zhang is a sophomore in the school of Aeronautics and Astronautics. During this online semester, Mark plans to stay disciplined, improve his physical well-being through workouts and healthy food choices and participate in club activities.
To promote physical wellness, Mark plays table tennis, jogs and hikes. He completes the workout rings and monthly challenges on his Apple watch and finds it rewarding.
When it comes time for leisure activities, Mark partakes in photography and cooking. He describes photography as, “a way that I record my life and express myself.” Cooking in both the Chinese and Western traditions is Mark’s way of sharing his culture with others. “It is a casual yet intense process. I can’t rush the cooking process... it requires precision and good timing.”
When he is feeling down, Mark uses meditations, rest and a change of pace to reset mentally. Mark finds meditative acts, “such as deep breathing helps me regain control of myself, improves my confidence and focus.” In other times, he chooses to take a walk outside to restore himself to a better state. He also enjoys playing video games to relax after working.
Recently, Mark noticed that his social media usage was not improving his overall well-being. He focused on reducing social media time by un-installing the apps on his phone initially, then used “screen time” tools to control the amount of time he spent on social media and other distractions.
When asked what advice he would share with other students to help them improve their well-being, Mark hears the words of his father: “learn hard, play hard”. Mark adds to this by suggesting...
“Stay focused on the things at hand instead of multitasking. Balance is the key to everything we do. Don’t fall into one aspect of your life (such as academics) too hard.”
