Sea dips and coffee galore - it's a tried and tested combination that's helping Republic of Ireland defender Hayley Nolan to stay focused and relaxed as the clock ticks down on the World Cup.
Nolan is part of Vera Pauw's 31-player training camp that's currently prepping for Thursday's friendly against Zambia at Tallaght Stadium.
A week after that game, Pauw will reveal her final 23-player squad for the tournament.
It'd be understandable if the atmosphere around the squad was a little fractious with everybody desperate to earn a precious ticket Down Under.
But Kildare native Nolan insists excitement has been the overriding emotion within the group.
"I think we were all eager to get in and see each other and start training," she said afer an open training session in front of 1200 fans at UCD.
"We’ve been off for a good few weeks now. You’re itching to come back into it, especially when you know that you’ve to get ready for a World Cup. For the last six weeks I’ve been training [solo] but I’m just so happy to be back in. I had a programme from Vera and from my club as well. I went out to the States to get some training done."
Nolan endured a tough start to 2022 after having surgery on a dislocated shoulder which sidelined her for seven months.
However she stormed back to play every minute of London City Lionesses' 2022/23 FA Women's Championship campaign as they finished third, just missing out on promotion.
Having tranisitioned from midfield to a central defensive role with impressive ease, Nolan is now looking to build on her solid appearance off the bench against the USA in April.
"It's good to kind of get away and not think about football sometimes."
"This whole season I’m proud of my performances and how I played," she said.
"Off the back of last year being injured for seven months, I just wanted to make sure I was available for all the games. I’ve been lucky enough to do that this year. I’m coming in confident and playing my game.
"I’ve always been a midfielder for my entire career. For the last year and a half I’ve changed position to a centre-back. I just needed to play consistently, I needed to play as many minutes and to be tested in that position. I did that this year. I’m proud of how the season went.
"Obviously it’s hard to change position but I can feel a real sense of home playing at centre-back. I feel like it is more my position. I play a bit more fluidly there and over the last year I think I’ve shown that. I’ve been able to kick on really in my career in that position."
Ireland have spilt their time beween the campus at UCD and FAI HQ in Abbottstown over the last week, but Pauw has given the players weekends off to break up the monotony of a crucial camp.
It's welcome respite for everyone, with Nolan finding solace in the Irish Sea.
"I live close by, 30, 40 minutes away, but there's lovely areas you can go out to, jump in the sea and kind of forget things," she added.
"And honestly, coffee galore here! Ask any girl, we've probably had four or five cups of coffee a day. Some of them went down to Glendalough there. I love Seapoint, I love the Vico Baths.
"There’s a lot going on here, it can be nervous, it can be stressful, but as a player you just need to take yourself out of it, jump in the sea , forget about it and come back in and enjoy it.
"That’s what I’ve been doing. It’s good to kind of get away and not think about football sometimes.
"Like any player, you want to play. The most important thing is that the team is ready for the game, that we’re prepared and we get the most out of it. They’re all preparation games for the World Cup and that’s the most important thing.
"As a player you have to take it day by day. You can’t really think too much about it. You can’t overthink things. We’re all here because we love the game, that’s the main thing."
