Mangala: R U OK Day

Today I had a mid-semester test for Macroeconomics. But on top of that, I was also volunteering for the R U OK day event at Monash. Fortunately, the event organiser was kind enough to let me volunteer for only half of the event, but it was truly a hectic day!

Monash Uni is quite proactive in promoting mental health, which I think positively attributes to the student’s mental wellbeing. Like most event volunteering opportunities, I had to help carry boxes, direct visitors around and generally assist with the running of the event. I also gave out free balloons and free wristbands. But as the day progressed, we began to run short of freebies! So what did I do? I decided to get a piece of paper and write: Free hugs (and fist bumps and high fives).

So for the remainder of the day I had an excuse to make a stranger’s day a little bit better by offering them a free high five, random fist bump or hug. It was great to be able to make people smile; the happiness I felt was honestly surreal, and it cannot compare to previous volunteering experiences. Whilst it can get tiring, it’s definitely a worthwhile experience. The amount of people who smiled and laughed or even called me “weird” (in a nice way, of course!) was overwhelming. It was also very rewarding for my physique, because after two hours my legs felt so sore! But then again, I did go around to the libraries and main dining areas to make sure everyone could feel the warmth of a hug or the coolness of a fist bump and high five.

I think university is what you make of it, and getting involved is one of the best ways to make the most of it. Nonetheless, studies should always be a priority and so after I finished my volunteering shift, I quickly read over my revision notes for my test. Thankfully I also revised over the weekend, so the test turned out to be not as hard as I thought it would be.

Time management is truly the best skill anyone can develop while at university. I started to develop it throughout high school, but I think one of the best ways to wisely manage time is by not using electronics, or temporarily blocking off social media sites. Websites such as getcoldturkey.com are extremely useful in ensuring we keep our work on track. Having said that, a mid-semester test was quite a nice way to wrap up what has been a wonderful week!