It can be super useful to develop a wellness toolbox of skills and techniques to rely on: both skills for everyday life, and for catastrophe-mode. There is proactive wellness, and there is reactive wellness. It is important to have tools, routines, rituals that you incorporate consistently through your days in order to feel well, take care of yourself, and prevent physical/ mental overload.

However, stress, overwhelm, and crises are part of being a human, and having ways to best support yourself during high intensity moments (such as Covid) is incredibly useful, so that you do not wait until it's too late to figure out how to help yourself. Examples of proactive wellness include staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, and moving your body daily. An example of reactive wellness is having a list of people to call when you feel overwhelmed.

Sept. 1: Vulnerability, Risk Taking and Community Building, 5:30-6:30pm

Sept. 1: Student Organization Fair, 7:00-8:30pm

Sept. 2: Mindfulness Meditation, 1:00-1:30pm

Sept. 4: Peer-Led Yoga, 9:00-10:00am

Sept. 4: Fall Arts Fair, 11:00-1:00pm

Sept. 8: Self-Care Planning, 1:00-2:00pm

Sept. 11:Peer-Led Yoga, 9:00-10:00am

Sept. 11: Student Trivia, 4:30-6:00pm

Sept. 15: Distress Tolerance & Progressive Muscle Relaxation, 1:00-1:30pm

Sept. 16: Communitea, 1:00-1:50pm

Sept. 18: Peer-Led Yoga, 9:00-10:00am

Sept. 22: BUMC Mindfulness, 5:00-6:00pm

Sept. 23: Community Lunch: Mind Body Connection, 1:00-1:55pm

Sept. 24: SPH Dance Party, 1:00-1:30pm

Sept. 25: Peer-Led Yoga, 9:00-10:00am

A new semester means a time to start fresh, to check in, reset, and develop new plans for ourselves. Especially during this time of intense stress and unknown, small yet meaningful targets can help us transition through this time as successfully as possible, as well as take care of ourselves the best we can by holding ourselves accountable. This is valuable in order to be proud of our milestones, develop routines and structure, and really identify what works and what doesn't for us. For example, if you meditate once every few weeks, you most likely won't reap the benefits that you would if you set a goal of meditating daily for a month. Goal-setting should not be about shaming or blaming ourselves into doing something, however holding ourselves accountable because we love and respect our minds, bodies, and lives. Click here to read about SMART goals and how to develop plans that will work in your life.

Reflect on the above prompt of "Developing a Wellness Toolbox." What can you incorporate in your toolbox?

What practices do you have in place for proactive wellness, and for reactive wellness? How can you take care of yourself in a preventative fashion, and what can help you during moments of crisis?