Welcome, welcome. It’s week five now and the weather has really taken a turn. Lorenzo may not have gotten you a day off college, but he certainly made for treacherous journeys and depressing vistas. Honestly, this rainy weather has me feeling rather dreary, but looking at the events planned for this week has started to perk me up. This week is a great one for free, entertaining events on campus, as the SU is collaborating with various societies for Mental Health Week. Remember, it’s always a good thing to set a little time aside to try something new because it really helps to get us out of our own heads.
There’s plenty of crafty activities lined up this week. Drawing can be extremely beneficial to one’s mental health. On Monday, Vis Arts is hosting a Canvas Paint ‘n’ Sip at 6pm. If you, like Pusha T, love to paint and sip, this event has your name on it. KnitSoc are also hosting an embroidery tutorial at 6pm. Then on Thursday, Botanical Soc and VisArts will be working together to bring to fruition a Botanical Drawings Workshop, which combines the calming elements of drawing and nature to provide an overwhelmingly zen experience.
There will be a few events this week aimed at fortifying your emotional intelligence, which really is something very wise to focus on as we enter the damp, aggressively un-sunny and draining months known colloquially as winter. On Wednesday, TCD Headspace will be putting on a Gratitude Workshop at 4pm in House 7. This is a must-attend event for those of us who struggle to feel thankful for anything at all, and slink about the place dissatisfied with our lives. It’s not like, as students, any of us can change our lives significantly – so maybe it’s the dissatisfied mindset which has to go? At 10am on Friday morning, you should also try to find time to attend the Morning Meditation and Self Care Workshop that will be happening in the SU kitchen. The most emotionally nourishing event occurring this week, however, is obviously the Dog Therapy Session with Peata, which will be happening on Wednesday afternoon at 12pm in the SU kitchen. Dogs are soft, loving, dopamine maestros. Free therapy anyone?
The Phil has planned to discuss “How to be a Mental Health Ambassador” on Tuesday evening at 6pm. Tag along to hear their views. This talk coincides with a free spin class that will take place in the Sports Centre, so choose wisely.
In environmental news, tree-huggers should get prepared for another Extinction Rebellion gathering in Front Square today. The environment needs us, people! Then on Thursday at 5pm, TCD Environmental Society heads to Merrion Square to clean up litter. The crafty committee is combining the event with some good craic in the form of “slacklining”, a kind of pretentious tightrope walking for kids whose parents are wealthy enough to send them to college. In their hearts, they are firmly circus kids. I jest, it’s a very fun activity, and it is sure to add some spontaneity and leisure to the clean-up.
As always, you’d be mad if you think this is all Trinity has to offer this week. After all, the place is huge. These are just some fun picks from me to you, and here’s hoping for a wonderful week five for us all.