Wellness Olympics continue with an emotional health workshop
Liberty University holds several Wellness Initiatives as a part of its Wellness Olympics to improve overall student health. As a part of this event, on Oct. 2, the Positive Pathways program held its first meeting to address the emotional wellness of students.
Kelsey Kaiser, Liberty’s public health communications coordinator, said a survey found that students needed support in emotional wellness, and the Student Health and Wellness staff developed a program to answer the need.
“Having been college students before, we were able to resonate with the students and the stressors they are experiencing,” Kaiser said. “College is probably one of the most stressful times in a person’s life, as the student encounters being away from home, exploring their interests and meeting new people while also trying to ensure they are succeeding academically.”
The Positive Pathways program’s first session was centered around resiliency, gratitude and stress-coping mechanisms. The session began with Kaiser providing some information to support emotional well-being and to improve emotional and mental health.
“Through the information we are providing the students, we are able to empower them with knowledge about why practicing gratitude exercises for even as little as 30 minutes a day can contribute to their lives in a meaningful and positive way, how identifying how a person copes with stress can help them adapt differently to adverse situations, and how resilience is key to how they adapt to all situations in their life,” Kaiser said.
The event was informational, and it also provided students with journal prompts for self-evaluation throughout the four weeks to help continue their growth outside of the session.
Kaiser spoke about healthy stress-coping strategies, including being adaptive as a means to doing well emotionally.
“Much like learning to ride a bike, when you fall off the bike, depending on your injuries, you will get back on that bike and figure out a different way of riding it that will help you master how to ride the bike,” Kaiser said.
Brittany McFadden, director of the Community Resource Center at Park View Community Mission, also spoke at the event. She addressed how resilience is primarily about how an individual uses their resources to persevere and how we, as individuals, need to work to strengthen our reliance.
This aligns with the goal of the Positive Pathways program, as its focus is to increase students’ emotional and mental resilience as the school year progresses.
Students are encouraged to participate in the four-week program to discover new ways to persevere in the midst of their challenging stages of life. The next meeting will be Oct. 27 from 4-6 p.m. in DeMoss 1146. For more information or to register for the Positive Pathways program, visit Liberty’s Wellness Initiatives & Events page.
Reza is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion