JANUARY 2020 |
VOL 3 ISSUE 5

In this issue:

  • 20/20 Vision
  • Fitness
  • Houston Happenings
  • MS2 Advice
  • Protecting Your Vision
  • SPOTlight
  • Survey
  • TAO
  • Wellness Warriors
The Well is a monthly newsletter that serves to
positively impact the well-being of the McGovern student community
by highlighting a myriad of wellness-related content.
Click here to share your thoughts on The Well!
20/20 Vision:
Looking Forward with Clarity
Ringing in the new year comes with a fresh start and, therefore, often lends itself to reflection. Many use this time to set new goals for their upcoming year. Setting goals, whether big or small, can provide us with a sense of purpose and direction. This has been shown to positively influence our levels of happiness and overall satisfaction, provide clarity in decision making, and can even boost motivation. Setting a goal can seem daunting. Physically writing down goals in terms of what you want rather than what you don’t want, detailing actionable steps to accomplish your goal, and implementing a timeline are all steps shown to increase your likelihood of accomplishing a goal. Follow the SMART guidelines: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound. Reviewing your goal throughout the year can help you re-center your efforts and energy and could also provide a chance to modify your goal - we are constantly changing, and our goals can, too. So take a deep breath, grab a pen and paper, and get to goal-setting!

Curious about goal-setting? Check out this article .
Protecting Your Vision
Searching for some ways to protect your eyesight in 2020? Look no further.
  • The 20-20-20 Rule endorsed by MayoClinic: for every 20 minutes you look at a screen, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. 
  • Blue Light Filtering Glasses: Everyone’s heard of them, but are they worth the hype? Blue light filtering glasses have been said to ease digital eye strain, decrease your risk of macular degeneration, reduce glare, and increase the clarity of your vision. Although you can shell out some cash at Warby Parker or Felix Gray for a nicer pair, Amazon has some for as low as $15.
  • Wear sunglasses whenever possible to prevent macular degeneration, the deterioration of the retinal area controlling visual acuity.
Fitness | Seeing It Differently
  • Don’t like working out by yourself? Try group fitness classes! The UTHealth Rec Center offers mat pilates, yoga, Zumba, kickboxing, and other types of group fitness classes.
  • Like playing sports just for fun? Join an intramural sports team for UTHealth students! You can get your cardio for the week by playing soccer, racquetball, basketball, softball, sand volleyball, tennis, and more.
  • Grab a friend, and try out a fun, fitness-related activity like indoor rock climbing, roller (or ice) skating, hiking, or even just a bike ride.
  • Think about the little things you do every day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further rather than closer to your destination (do these within reason for safety, please!), or consider a standing desk to study!
 SPOTlight | Study Spaces
  • Black Hole | This popular spot has chill vibes and is open until midnight for all the night owls!
  • Siphon | A Houston favorite and known for their “Siphon” brew. This cozy spot also has some great food options.
  • Slowpokes | This sloth themed shop is great for getting some work done. It’s also across the street from Levy Park - perfect for a study break!
MS2 Advice | Hindsight is 20/20

Beginning modules as a first year can be intimidating. What advice or perspectives can you offer this year’s MS1s on the transition?

  • Prioritize what is important to you, and do something that makes you happy every day.
| Aly Crain, MS2

  • It’s overwhelming because you hear a lot from upperclassmen about third-party resources as they relate to lectures...and you haven’t taken the exam yet. So what I would do is go on Canvas and make a spreadsheet of all the lectures and their objectives...to make sure at the end of the day, no matter what resources you use, you hit those objectives. Although the tests are [retired] STEP questions, the lectures [dictate] ultimately what kind of information is going to be tested. What I would say is go use your third-party resources to streamline the information, get a broad understanding of it, and use lecture to fill in the gaps.
| Grant Meeks, MS2

  • Know that how you study will likely change over time; don’t cram, and if you [decide to] do something, commit to it. Also, practice questions are your friends. Start them before you feel like you have mastered the material; they will help you learn what is important.
| Carson Savrick, MS2
Wellness Warriors

Welcome back to Wellness Warriors, our column that keeps you up-to-date regarding the latest-and-(hopefully)-greatest accomplishments of the Wellness & Resilience advocacy subcommittee. One issue we sought to tackle involved the required laptops , a well-known source of student frustration. We researched the policies at other Texas medical schools and met with crucial stakeholders in the laptop policy’s creation. We cannot reveal their decision at this time, but change is coming!

Please submit suggestions here:
 For updates, please visit this spreadsheet:
Houston Happenings

01.02: Toy Story 4 Movie Screening, Discovery Green 
01.03: Funfetti Fridays at the Ice, Discovery Green
01.03: Rockets vs Sixers, Toyota Center
01.04: First Saturday Arts Market, 530 W. 19th St.
01.05: Happy New Year, Vienna Style!,
The Grand 1894 Opera House ($25)
01.06: Zumba, Levy Park
01.11: Rockets vs Timberwolves, Toyota Center
01.15: Poloma Photography Workshop, Discovery Green
01.15: Rockets vs Trail Blazers, Toyota Center
01.15-16: Seventeen, Smart Financial Center
01.17-20: Houston Symphony - Tchaikovshy, Jones Hall
01.18: Rockets vs Lakers, Toyota Center
01.18-19: Jeff Ross and Dave Attell, Revention Music Center
01.19: Chevron Houston Marathon
01.20: Rockets vs Thunder, Toyota Center
01.22: Rockets vs Nuggets, Toyota Center
01.23-24: Dwight Yoakam, Arena Theater
01.23-25: Stomp, Jones Hall
01.26: The Diary of Anne Frank at MATCH ($16),
Main Street Theater for Youth
01.26-27: Chance the Rapper, Toyota Center
01.27: Cheap Skate Nights at The Ice, Discovery Green ($8)
01.30: Footloose Movie Screening, Discovery Green
01.31: Rockets vs Mavericks, Toyota Center
Announcement | Ombudsperson

Are conflicts or concerns causing you undue stress? Don’t forget about UTHealth’s newly created position: the Office of the Academic Ombuds. Robin Dickey, PhD, MA, LPC, is available as a listener, mediator, and coach for all members of our UTHealth family! Make an appointment today!
TAO | Therapy Assistance Online
The Student Health and Counseling Clinic is excited to announce a new wellness tool available to all students, faculty, and staff at UTH.  TAO (Therapy Assistance Online) is an interactive, self-guided, web-based program that consists of tools and educational materials to help you learn about and change how you think and feel. 
Brought to you by the McGovern Student Wellness & Resilience Committee
Newsletter Staff: Lauren Appel, Lauren Beal, Andrew Eck,
Ashley Ernst, Jay Garza, Ally Limmer, Kelly Masterson,
Malvi Mehta, Nisha Reddy, & Fatema Shipchandler
Questions, Comments, or Contributions to The Well,
please email MS.Wellness@uth.tmc.edu