Ideas for remaining active and having fun during the often discouraging quarter
With now-rested Aggies returning to Davis after a three-week holiday break, winter quarter is about to start swinging. Commonly called the “winter blues,” seasonal mood changes exist and manifest in many different ways including seasonal depression and seasonal affective disorder. Plain and simple, people can be affected by the gray skies, rain and chilled weather, so finding activities that encourage happiness can be important for those feeling quite literally under the weather. Here are five activities that UC Davis students can do in order to add moments of fun to their agenda during this quarter:
- Break a sweat at the ARC
By investing in CRU and Group Exercise passes at the ARC, students are able to take classes offered all throughout the day, seven days a week. For early birds, there is a “Sunrise Cycle” course offered from 6:15 a.m., while those who prefer to work out after class can find plenty of options that begin at around 6:00 p.m., including Zumba, cycling and core strength classes. Taking a class offers a sense of routine and potential accountability to those who struggle with following through on their exercise schedules.
2. Regal Value Days
For students on a budget who enjoy treating themselves to a blockbuster film while unwinding with a bucket of popcorn, Regal Cinemas offers a deal every Tuesday for $6.95 movie tickets. This is a source of entertainment that is accessible even in the rain, with parking attached to both the Regal Holiday 6 and Regal Stadium 5 theaters. Later showings can offer a fun night out for students who are too tired for the ARC but who still would like to get out of their room for two hours or so.
3. Get crafty
With a range of craft classes offered during the quarter, the Craft Center has courses in arts and crafts, ceramics, flameworking, glass, jewelry, photography, screen printing, textiles, welding and woodworking available this winter. These classes offer students the opportunity to learn new skills in an encouraging environment that can cater to any schedule, whether students want a one-day workshop or a seven-week course.
4. Join a new club
With the club fair being highly advertised in the fall with its large event in the quad, it is easy to imagine that your opportunity to join a new group passed with the previous quarter. However, with social media and advertised meetings all over the bulletin boards in lecture halls, students are able to peruse clubs and join them at any time. Finding a new group of peers or a new hobby can be as easy as a Facebook message for those who are looking to a join a club that might have caught their eye last quarter.
5. Take up a new hobby
Recreational reading. Embroidery. Playing the guitar. Journaling. Yoga. A new TV series. For many, there seems to be a laundry list of things they would like to do, but never manage to get to. Winter quarter, with the new year kicking it off, can be a time for personal development. Excess alone time does not necessarily mean time wasted so long as it has offered a chance for exploration. Sampling new hobbies offers students a novel chance for joy as well as valuable time for reflection as an individual outside of group settings.
Winter Quarter, though often teased on meme pages and in conversation, can be a time of opportunity if students choose to look for activities to partake in around themselves.
