We could well be talking about the trip you took "that" summer, or the one you took any morning... How could we be talking about life as a whole, in its different journeys, or even the trip that this academic year that now ends came to be.

Along the way, we encountered a number of adventures, unforeseen events, conquests, obstacles, good and bad moments... in short, emotions and events that were so diverse that they accumulated, between having to accommodate the different roles we take on and responding to countless tasks; between having to be continually aware of the surroundings, to adjust the pace, to run, slow down, redirect the path; between having to articulate with others, as we do not travel alone, and who, like us, have expectations, fears, and walk more or less confidently...

As hand luggage, we bring strength (personal resources to face challenges), past learnings, but also a present fear of missing the next flight/the next trip that will enable us to fulfil our goals (academic and/or others).

With the end of this academic journey and as a way of preparing for a new stage, it is important that we are able to learn from the experiences we have had, the good and the less good. However, for this to happen, reflection is essential. As John Dewey said “We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience”.

We therefore suggest that you carry out the following exercise and that you do it using writing, because Verba volant, scripta manent (spoken words fly, written words remain).

 

We hope that you can find in this exercise a tool to increase your knowledge as a “traveller” and at the same time prepare for the next journey.

We hope that in your suitcase you don't forget to include essential elements for psychological well-being, some of which we have covered in articles under this heading: (1) The practice of self-care, (2) the continuous development of resilience, (3) fighting procrastination  to reach goals, (4) allowing oneself to rest, (5) managing emotions such as anxiety, (6) learning to deal with mistakes  and failure, always maintaining the posture of a traveller who, curious, sets out to discover and who, in the face of possible dead ends, tries to redirect the path, not forgetting that more important than the final destination are the lessons learned along the way.

Considering that, on this trip, we did not leave or walk alone, growing precisely with the feedback of others, we would like to get your thoughts on this project “Simply Section”, started in January 2021, and built with the purpose of making us reflect, in a simple way, on themes of everyday life and well-being. We therefore ask for 2 minutes of your time to complete this questionnaire. 

 

 

Certain of your collaboration, we thank you and wish you good thoughts and good travels!

 

Carla Vale Lucas and Ana Rita Sobral

Student Support Office