Staying on campus for the fall break? There’s lots of ways to celebrate and enjoy these next few days around our campus community. Here are five things you can do this week:
1. Enjoy a free meal with friends. The Crossing is partnering with the Food Recovery Network and Badger Volunteers to serve free lunches to students every Friday. Go to the Crossing (1127 University Avenue) from 12 – 1 p.m. to enjoy a free meal with your friends! (More on food and financial resources at UW–Madison.)
2. Reflect and nourish your emotional well-being. The past year has been tough in different ways for all of us. Set aside time this week to reflect on your accomplishments and appreciate your own resilience and strength. You can:
- Start a gratitude journal to keep track of all the good, positive things in your life. It’s extremely simple to start: simply write down the things you are grateful for in a journal, diary, notebook, online document, or just on a piece of paper. Keep it up each day to lower your stress levels, help you feel calmer, and sustain an optimistic attitude.
- Download the Center for the Healthy Minds app to access free podcast-style lessons and guided meditations designed to cultivate well-being and offered with different teachers, durations and styles. Nourish yourself with the gift of expert-led meditation, inspiring messages, and tips to create sustainable habits for the long-term.
- Practice your favorite self-care methods. Whether that be taking a walk or cleaning out your closet, dedicate time to taking care of yourself, whatever that looks like to you.
3. Explore the UW–Madison Arboretum. Learn about the land, plants, animals, and fungi living in this beautiful area. You can get there by Madison Metro bus lines 4, 5, or 7, depending on where you are on campus. There are also B-cycle stations at Knickerbocker and Monroe streets, and at the Arboretum east entrance on Mills Street. For more information, reach out to info@arboretum.wisc.edu.
4. Rest and refresh your brain. You deserve a break! Put away your textbooks for a day, relax, get cozy, and enjoy relaxation. Here are some ideas to help you fully enjoy your break from busy student life:
- Use your UW–Madison email address to access Kanopy, an online platform to watch with over 30,000 documentaries, classics, and indie films or if you’re on campus wi-fi, download the SpectrumU app to access 161 high-definition TV channels. Watch your favorite news, weather, sports, or TV shows.
- Read a book. Explore the suggested book list from UW-Madison’s common reading program, Go Big Read.
- Listen to one of the many podcasts produced by students and faculty on our campus. Check out awesome audio stories from Badger Talks, The Daily Cardinal, and SustainUW.
5. Do the things you never have time to do. We can often find ourselves putting off doing certain activities or projects due to lack of time or energy during the school year. Utilize this break period to do the things you put off when you don’t have the time – take two hours and do that thing! Some ideas to get you started:
- Explore the exhibits at the Wisconsin Historical Society or Chazen Museum of Art. Both sites are open to the public daily, except on Thanksgiving, and free!
- Order dinner from that restaurant you’ve always wanted to try.
- Work on that project you’ve been putting off. Your future self will appreciate your hard work.
- Grab a warm beverage from one of the many coffee shops lining State Street and pay a visit to a local store, our state Capitol, or the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.