Het februaricongres 2020

Yesterday the February congress took place in Lochal. An event organized by several ambitious students. The congress is an annual event for Tilburg students. Every year a new trend of the labor market is highlighted. The future perspective of the student is discussed. This is done through various lectures, workshops, and interactive seminars. By doing so, the organization tries to help students to learn more about a current trend and to get in touch with companies.

This year's theme was "from stress to success". Everyone recognizes it; the pressure to always be reachable, work pressure and performance pressure. All facets that have something to do with this current trend will be addressed by several speakers. During the congress Patrick Degen, Jochem van Hessen, Tijs Koedam and Tom Plug were guests. All four speakers spoke in their way about their experiences and what they had in common with the topic. Patrick Degen went deeper into the physical effect and how stress arises, about solutions and tips. Jochem van Hessen talked about his own company that organizes morning parties. An interesting concept that helps people to get their day off to a good start using meditation, movement, and meaning. Tijs did put the students to work. He talked about travelling, his regular busy job that he quit, and his projects. Besides listening to his impressive experiences, all visitors were also invited to do exercises.

Tom Plug was a special speaker. He gave many tips so that people would experience more positive emotions. Of course, we would love to share these with you in case you weren't there. He challenged everyone to write down a list every day for 21 days. This list consists of five steps. Step 1 is to write down what made you happy today. Write this down with as many details as possible. The second step is for everyone to write down for themselves three things for which they are grateful. Step 3 is a little more active. Introduce yourself to daily exercise for 15 minutes. This can be for example cycling or walking. It doesn't have to be difficult but it should be challenging. The fourth step consists of a conscious act. Send someone a sweet message or a compliment. This gives the receiver but also the sender of the message a good feeling. At the last step, Tom asks you to meditate for two minutes. Do you dare to accept the challenge?

Next year the February congress will be organized for the 14th time. We recommend everyone to hold this event at the gate. It is instructive for both beginning students and students who are in the final phase of their studies. It is an inspiring and pleasant evening.