Taking care of your physical and mental wellbeing at Maine Coast Semester
As a competitive club swimmer, I was a little bit worried about how I was going to stay in shape while here at Chewonki. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to swim (other than the weekly polar bear plunges!), so I really wanted to find a way to get some exercise in. As soon as I arrived, I quickly found many ways to stay active. My favorite thing to do has been going on runs with a few friends and one teacher’s dog, Frances. We go out whenever we can, whether that be at sunrise on a crisp winter morning or in some free time before dinner. The snow is still piled high on the trails, so we’ve mostly been running down the main road, to the small airport and back. My favorite time to go out running is right before sunset. My friends and I will layer up with our fleeces and hats under our bright orange reflective vests before heading down the road. There’s one place about a mile down the road where, if you get there at the right time, you can catch the most magnificent sunset you’ve ever seen. All the oranges, pinks, purples and more blend together and look like a watercolor painting I would see in the art room. Standing there hand-in-hand with my friends, watching the gorgeous sunset, makes me forget any stress I might be carrying with me.
In addition to finding ways to work on my physical well-being, I’ve found many little ways to take care of myself mentally. Each day during morning meeting, Sarah (Maine Coast Semester Director and Environmental Issues teacher) will guide everyone in a short, two-minute meditation. Before I came to Chewonki, I had always loved meditating, but never had the time to practice. Now every morning I can look forward to the couple of minutes when the whole semester will close their eyes together, take some deep breaths, and learn various breathing and relaxation techniques. During random moments in my day, I’ll find myself doing the box breathing technique we learned that very morning!
Finally, I can’t stress enough just how much spending time in nature has contributed to my mental well-being. The first time we all went out to our phenology spots (which is where each student goes once a week to observe, sketch, and record information to learn about seasonal changes) I remember standing there, listening to the forest. It was crazy just how silent everything was. It had snowed about two feet a few days prior, and everything was completely quiet. Even as a Quaker who spends at least an hour a week in silent Meeting for Worship, being out at my pheno spot was the “loudest” quiet I had ever experienced. It was so cool to be able to share the silence with the countless trees, birds, lichens, and other beings out there on Chewonki Neck!
So here’s my message to all the athletes or anyone else who might be thinking about how they’re going to stay active during their time at Chewonki: they’ve got you covered! Whether it be going on a run, working out at the gym in the sometimes very chilly barn, or even skiing and snowshoeing to various points on Chewonki Neck, you will find a way to make your body feel good. You will also find many ways to support your mental wellbeing, so make sure to take advantage of them!
Isabel Merideth, Semester 76
Isabel is attending from Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.
