Arcadia Ireland

This week marks the start of term for all of our partner schools in Ireland. Students have poured over which classes to pick, how many credits they will receive, and can they avoid that dreaded 9:00am start time? Nevertheless our course confirmation celebration was a joyous one filled with students excited to engage in their new courses and environments, while trying to anticipate how the structures will be. I remember that dual feeling of excitement and nerves at the start of a new semester. I was happy to participate in new subjects yet weary of the course outlines that would ultimately spell out my fate with assignment requirements.

Through my years in undergrad, I developed some tricks to help me plan better for my semester and make sure I was still giving myself the self care time that I needed to be content and successful. I’d like to share some of those tips this wellness Wednesday so that all of our students have some resources to help maintain their goals and their wellbeing this Spring.

Calendar it out ( and set notifications!) I found that putting off examining the big due dates and word counts in my course outline only made my life more stressful, so I started diving right in after the first week and marking up each of the dates I had an assignment due for each course. Then, I would set notifications for when I needed to begin each assignment so that there was minimal overlap. This way you don’t need to constantly check your outline for dates, your calendar will tell you when its time to hit the books.

Always take one day for yourself every week. Its easy to get engulfed in the work load, part time jobs, or the social demands of college. That’s why I always picked one day a week to spend not worrying about school or celebrations. I would only focus on what I needed to feel at ease that day, whether it be to sleep in a few extra hours, take a reflective walk, or watch a movie that I’d been waiting to see but that my friends did not want to see. Even post college, its important to take this time so you can to check in with yourself!

Get out and about! If you feel like you are too inside your head and want to try some new things but don’t know where to start, I always loved surfing eventbrite in my area for the loads of free community events that are available and friendly to students! You can learn to meditate, take a group exercise class hosted in one of Irelands many parks, or even participate in a local board game evening. Again, many of these events are free and I know personally I made some of the best memories when I joined a running group.

The important thing to remember is that many of your peers may be feeling the same, and that while stress is expected in college, it’s also good to find time to enjoy your time, and feel good here in all the little ways you can. We hope you enjoy these recommendations from the Arcadia team. Don’t forget to tag us in your adventures with #arcadiaireland to be featured on our Instagram page. Cheers!