Paper cluttered desks, eye bags the size of golf balls, and endless hours in the library? Brace yourselves, we’re smack dab in the midst of midterm season!
But while you’re in the study zone, it’s equally important to keep in mind your health and wellness! What better way to remind yourself of that than the Wellness Carnival, coming up on Thursday, November 12 in the ARC Ballroom? The carnival, cosponsored by the Student Health and Counseling Services and Campus Recreations and Unions, will be led by various different student and campus organizations promoting the 8 realms of wellness. There’s more to being healthy than being physically active and eating right. According to the World Health Organization, wellness is defined as “…a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. The fair encompasses many different kinds of health, such as emotional, environmental, intellectual, financial, physical, occupational, social, and spiritual wellness.
Emotional wellness is the ability to be attentive and accepting of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, despite hardships and disappointments. Being emotionally well means being able to engage in making personal decisions based on personal philosophies and feelings, recognizing conflict as potentially healthy, and taking responsibility of your own actions.
Environmental wellness is being aware of your surroundings and understanding how your actions have an impact on the Earth. People who are environmentally aware strive to live in ways that cherish and protect the world they live in. It involves leading a lifestyle that is respectful of and in harmony with your environment, ensuring the current and future health of the next generations. Recycling, biking instead of driving, and conserving energy and water are ways for you to participate in environmental wellness.
Intellectual Wellness is cultivating your desire to learn, to think critically and creatively. To engage in intellectual wellness, read for fun, take a course outside your normal breadth of study, or attend a concert, a play, or a musical to stimulate your mind. Take a course or workshop in something outside your major.
Financial wellness is having an understanding of your financial situation and making sure to undertake the necessary actions in preparation for financial fluctuations. Part of financial wellness is also being comfortable with where your money is earned and where it is spent.
The most commonly recognized aspect of wellness is probably physical wellness, which includes taking good care of your physical self. Practices that boost physical wellness include the following: getting enough sleep, mindful eating, or taking precautions such as using a safety belt or wearing a helmet when biking.
Occupational wellness is the state of a person’s paid or non-paid work activities. Being well in this aspect would indicate a person is content and comfortable doing what they do in life, and are striving toward obtaining a career or job that is both personally and financially rewarding. Your ability to handle stress at work or school, your satisfaction level at work, and your relationships with your coworkers are just a few facets of occupational wellness.
Social wellness is the effect that the people you surround yourself with have on your mental and physical health. Building strong and nurturing relationships, developing a social network, and possessing strong communicative skills are all part of social wellness.
Spiritual wellness may be more than the religion you follow: it also incorporates the sense of purpose in your life and the sense of inner peace you need in order to get past life’s obstacles. Being well in this aspect may include having a strong moral compass, being able to practice forgiveness and compassion, and the ability to spend time alone and process the meaning behind the events in your life.
Be sure to stop by the fair to participate in the organization’s fun activities and take away some healthy-minded freebies!