My first encounter with mindfulness started when I had my first heartbreak in high school. I was so upset that it seemed impossible to find happiness again. I started to notice the small things like the joy of getting all green lights, stepping on acorns in the fall and the beauty in small, unnoticed things.
It wasn’t until college I realized the mindful patterns I had developed.
When I saw an email at the beginning of the semester, Mindfulness and Well-being (PSYC 403) was not a course I originally planned on taking. It struck my interest, however, so I signed up for the course not knowing how helpful it would be.
Mindfulness and Well-being has given me such an insight into how different the same life can look. Throughout a stressful semester, Mindfulness and Well-being has given me coping skills I have applied to life outside the classroom — all was made possible through the curiosity and support of a mindfulness class. It is a class at the University of Idaho I highly recommend taking.
At the beginning of my college career, I wasn’t aware of the course diversity the university offered. Mindfulness was not a traditional class to me.
Along with other classes offered, a mindfulness class was the equivalent to fly fishing at the UI. I didn’t know anything about it other than a Buzzfeed video I watched when I was 15 years old.
When looking at my course load, I thought it would be a good idea to add it to my schedule.
I didn’t know how helpful this class would be.
While offering three credits to my required psychology electives, the course also offered a time every week to meditate and de-stress. It was also encouraged to meditate in your own mindfulness journey. The concepts taught were also very different than any other class at the university. There really is a method to everyone’s madness.
Before this course, my life was a bit bland. Mindfulness has already started to influence my life and I hope to see more improvement in the future. Being considered a cheat sheet to life, mindfulness can enrich any way of living. It is interesting how a lot of my self-taught coping skills are brought to life in Mindfulness and Well-being. For any student at UI, this course is great to take. Dealing with stress is difficult and not all of us learn how on our own.
Supported by its faculty at UI, the course is very underrated. As stressful as a semester can be, Mindfulness and Well-being can offer help and also course credit. Mindfulness and Well-being has given me coping skills to use for stress both life and classes can produce. I hope this class benefits other students at UI as well.
Emily Pearce can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Emily_A_Pearce.