Always remember that throughout the semester, it is important to take a break every once in a while and release any anxiety that has cultivated over the span of a few days or even weeks.
During the first full week of November 2018, there were several different events arranged and deemed Mental Health Week. Movie nights, pajama parties, yoga sessions, Zumba classes and much, much more!
Sometimes it is best to roll in all the riches all around you, and for once never wonder what they’re worth.
I attended “Art for the Soul“, an event put on by the Association of Black Students (ABS). Upon entering the designated room, my friend and I were met with greetings and warm smiles. A long table was seated in the middle of the room, adorned with paint, paintbrushes, colored pencils, cardstock, construction paper, and pens.
I grabbed a sheet of paper and began to write out the thoughts that had been bugging my mind recently. My friend (who is artistically inclined if I may add) tried her hand at a drawing that she had been aching to create.
Old 90’s music played in the background, and some of the other students present lent their voices to the melody. Happiness and solidarity filled the otherwise empty room and it felt as if we were all connected to each other, in a circle, in a hoop that never ends, brought together to relieve stress through art.
Upon leaving the ABS event, we made our way to Ursa’s Nite Life. There was free tea and scones being given in the goal of promoting stress relief.
Conversations floated from table to table. My friend and I sat laughing over images on our phones with a plate each in front of us that held a chocolate chip scone drizzled in white chocolate. A cup of hot berry tea gathered steam in front of me, the water steadily soaking up the flavor from the tea packet. Her drawing sat across from my poem.
We sat in peace, taking the past and learning how to begin anew.
If there is anything I learned from this week and wish to pass onto to someone else is: to remember to listen with your heart. You will understand how important it is to put your well-being first and take your body and mind seriously when they say they need help.
