Our Summer Wellness Guide

The transition home isn’t easy, but we’ve got you covered. As you head home - or just off campus - for the summer months you need to find time to take care of yourself. While there are lots of ways to get ready for school in the fall, it’s equally important to unwind and get your wellness back on track. We’ve collected some resources for holistic wellness with students in mind. Keep reading for tips on mental, physical, and spiritual wellness.

Mental Wellness:

No matter your course load or extra-curricular involvement, this past year has been a tough one. If you haven’t been in-tune with your mental wellness, the summer is the perfect time to establish a healthy routine to keep your mental health strong.

If you are looking for a way to connect with your peers who are experiencing similar life events, the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA) put together a database of support groups. The support groups are largely based on identity or shared lived experiences and cover a range of topics.

Support groups aren’t your thing? There are plenty of other options! Moodfit is a free app that you can use for mental wellness. There are self-care modules, mood tracking, breathing exercises, and more. Here’s a list of other apps you can try in support of self-care.

Physical Wellness:

Physical and mental wellness go hand-in-hand in helping your body be the best support for you. In fact, physical wellness can increase your overall mental well-being. If you don’t have access to a gym or equipment, no worries! There are plenty of at-home exercises that you can do to stay in shape and take care of yourself. Here is an out-home workout for beginner, intermediate, and advanced athletes. Wherever you are on your fitness journey, there is something for you!

If you want to get out of the house and try running, the Nike Run Club (NRC) is a free app with coaching and modules to get you on the move. In addition to supporting mental health, exercise is great for improving brainpower and general health. But you don’t have to take it from us! Here is a list of the top ten health benefits of exercise.

Spiritual Wellness:

Mind, Body, Spirit. The key trinity to a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Spiritual wellness encompasses a variety of areas: faith, values, morals, and principles. There are plenty of ways for spiritual wellness to manifest in your life - but here are some concrete ways to take care of you:

• Try Yoga - This iPhone app is a great way to have spiritual wellness and physical wellness meet. Find time during the day to stretch your body and mind.

• Meditate - Restore your mind and take a chance to breathe. Studies show that meditation loosens neural pathways resulting in a decrease of feelings of fear and anxiety. In addition, new neural pathways, including more positive empathetic responses, begin to form.

• Volunteer - check out local places in your community to get involved. Volunteering often helps ground you and recenters the volunteer in the larger community. This helps improve spiritual wellness.