And how you can improve yours...

Hello everyone! I am Leila one of the Reslife assistants at Coventry University for the FutureLets accommodations. In this blog I will be discussing my evening routine as a third year university student and also giving you tips and tricks for an evening routine whilst at university and some changes you can make to improve yours. 

Being a university student it can often be difficult to get into a routine and stick to it. But routines are a great way to settle yourself in and make you feel more at home.

When I arrive back from university or work on an evening, the first thing I like to do is get changed into some comfy clothes, this really helps you get comfortable and ready for the evening. A fresh set of pyjamas is a great way to settle into the evening. I then like to go into the kitchen and catch up with my friends/ flatmates. In second year I moved in with 3 of my friends and we have now lived together for a year. This is great as it means we are now really close friends and know each-other really well. We also know each others routines and keep the living communal areas clean which makes it a nice environment to come back too. So it really is a big part of my routine to come back and have a chat. We will all talk about our days and everything good and bad and it helps especially on a bad day they’re re there to comfort me and make me feel like everything is okay. On a good day we also like to have a good laugh. 

After this it is time to make dinner. I enjoy cooking and usually make one new thing that I haven’t cooked before per week and then usually the rest of the week cook things that I am used to cooking or also frozen foods too that are quick and easy. Some of my favourite things to cook are tomato pasta with chorizo, udon noodles with chicken, fajitas and penne carbonara. You can also buy sauces and meal kits for these meals which makes it pretty easy and quick to do especially after a long day. Something that really helps me being a uni student is to make large amounts of one meal and then either put it in the fridge for one or two days to have for the next couple days or put it in the freezer and this makes it last a long time and you can have it whenever you want it. This is also a good budget friendly idea as it helps you save money and also time so you don’t have to think of a new meal every day. After I have cooked my dinner I like to sit down with my friends in the kitchen and have a catch up. The meal below is a lemon Cajun chicken pasta i made this week, I got the recipe from TikTok which is a great place to get recipes and watch cooking videos that are quick and easy. This was my new meal to try which I cooked this week with fresh ingredients as well as some i had in the cupboards. I usually get an Asda food delivery every few weeks as I find this is the most convenient way to get food in without carrying lots of bags a long way. 

After dinner i usually find this a good time to do some tidying. I don’t like to do anything too much as I am usually quite tired but I also like to have a tidy room before I sit down for the evening. This just involved picking anything up off the floor and giving some areas a quick wipe down. This helps me to feel relaxed for the evening and freshen my mind. 

After this I usually sit down in my room. This is the time I’ll have some of my down time. This usually involves putting on Netflix and choosing the show I want to watch or continuing with a series. I like to put on a comfort show that doesn’t take too much concentration and watch this. This is also the time i like to FaceTime family and friends from home and catch up. This is a nice thing to look forward to at the end of the day and also makes me feel more at home and comforted too. I would recommend doing this during any down time or when your not feeling good as it can help feel comforted and cheer you up to tell them about your day.

Next I get ready for bed, shower and do my skincare routine. This helps me feel pampered and relaxed. I like to cleanse and then do hylaronic acid, niacinamide and then moisturise. 

After this I get into bed and wind down, have some time on my phone and then go to bed.

Everyone can have a different routine but this is mine that helps me wind down, relax and feel refreshed for the day. In summary, the top tips I would use for evening routines are:

• To meal prep and cook meals you enjoy but also to make them last a long time, this is great for when your tired and don’t feel like cooking you can just heat something up you have made before. 
• To enjoy times with your flat mates and try and have a catch up on your day.
• To try and create a routine but don’t worry if you can’t stick to it as sometimes uni work and work can get in the way so don’t put t much pressure on yourself.
• Have some time for yourself to wind down before bed, put on a comfort show or do something you enjoy.

I hope this blog has helped give you some ideas of how you can change your evening routine at uni or even create one!