A note from the Deputy Editor: Finishing the term with some self care

22/11/2022

Welcome to Edition 502!

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Image by Luke Snell

By Hannah Boyle

Welcome to the second edition of Nouse this academic year! Time has flown by and I can’t really believe that we are nearly at the end of the first term already, and already on my second print edition as Deputy Editor. Whether you’ve been hiding out in the cafes of York, not leaving the library or going to every club night York has to offer – I hope your autumn term is what you wanted it to be!

It is a universal truth that between weeks five and six of every term at university, things get messy. Usually this is in the form of flat arguments – usually about nothing because, let’s be honest, you’re just a bit sick of each other. Nothing is immune to it (relationships; friendships; family relations) and now that I’ve mentioned it, I guarantee you’ll notice it going forward – sorry about that.

It can be hard living and interacting with new people, new friendships and new circumstances, particularly as week six comes with the start of formatives, extra reading and questions around January summatives.

By the time you’re reading this, we will be well into week eight, and hopefully your week five and six wobbles have passed with the time (but if not, we’ve all been there, fear not). A lot can happen in weeks leading up to the end of term, and one thing we all seem to forget is to take care of ourselves.

The busy nature of formatives, flat arguments, friendship nit-picks and the ever lowering temperature and rain that has now become York’s staple seem to make us just keep going and forget about taking time for ourselves. I know how easy it is to become wrapped up in the work you can see on the VLE and the emails flooding into your inbox, but taking time for yourself is one of the best ways I’ve personally found to get back on top of both your work and the things that matter.

In the very few weeks we have left of term, do something just for you and only you. Sit in a coffee shop with Taylor Swift’s new album on repeat; read this entire edition of Nouse (I may be biased but this edition is a great one!); go to the sports training you miss most weeks or just take a day to yourself walking the city wall, visiting the Minister or watching films in bed. The end of autumn term is one not to miss, with York Christmas markets, Winter Formals and flat Christmas dinners, so make the most of it and recharge however you do best.

It’s easy to say ‘spend a day doing something non-work related’, harder to implement. If work is already piling up for you (which I’m sure it is for some, myself included), take an afternoon or an hour and go for coffee with friends, read a book or just spend some time making food you really want to eat for a slight reprieve – you might feel all the better for it.

I’ve already given a more than slight plug to this edition, but we have a great selection of articles for you to ponder this time round if Nouse is your flavour of self care. Our Business section looks at the evolution of Starlink; Politics takes an international angle while Science talks about the realities of nuclear energy. Don’t miss our amazing photography all the way through, and skip to Sports to get your fill of what’s new and upcoming both on and off campus.

This bit will be slightly cringy, but bear with me!

The first thanks of this edition should go to Gracie – the rationality to my short temper – but also the rest of the Senior Team who sacrificed their sleep and social interaction for this edition: Katy, Charis, Hannah and James. Without their efforts, we would not have the 48 pages of content before you now! While you’ll see a lot of names in this paper, those who don’t write are often the ones who keep us going, namely Omar and Giuseppe (thank you for keeping our challenging tech working!).

A special thanks for this edition should also go to Raffy – who probably holds the record for most Nouse articles ever read and subbed, and a final thank you to Jack, as our new Social Secretary for all the great events planned so far.

This print edition would not be here right now without the amazing work of our editorial team. For many, this is their first ever print edition they’ve worked on and the hard work they have put in comes across in all the fabulously written, laid up and subbed pages. This is one of the biggest teams we have ever had to make a print edition, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed making it.