College of Education Self-Care

  • Participants at the self-care drum session
  • Sunset over water
  • Blue lens flares
  • Zen garden with rocks
  • Sunset over hills
  • Spiral staircase
  • Path through trees with autumn leaves

Activity Descriptions

Activities that our Self-Care program has offered include:

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a specific type of meditation. Mindfulness involves a non-judgmental, sustained attention to one’s immediate experience. Studies have shown that it is possible to significantly change one’s stress level by practicing Mindfulness for just five minutes a day. This is possible because mindfulness allows a person to gain greater awareness of and control over stress responses, and to regulate one’s own stressful reactions through positive thoughts.

Nutrition

Diet and nutrition mean a manner of living. Plain-and-simple. It’s not food restriction, there’s no potent pill, nor magic wand. Approach nutritional health and wellbeing with the goal of balance, variety, moderation, and exercise.

  • Improves chances of living longer and living healthier
  • Prevents weight gain, promotes weight loss (when combined with a lower-calorie diet), and helps keep weight off after weight loss
  • Boosts energy

Yoga

Yoga is an ancient form of meditation that developed in India over thousands of years, which is a Sanskrit word that essentially means union with the source of all life. In this self care session, students will learn a particular style, Hatha yoga. The word, Hatha comes from the Sanskrit, "ha," or sun, and "tha," or moon. Hatha yoga is a practice in which pairs of opposites are united, the sun and the moon, creating a deep sense of balance within the Self. Through this practice, the central nervous system becomes deeply relaxed, and students leave the class feeling rejunevated. Other such benefits include:

  • Reduction of stress.
  • Clear mind.
  • Increased flexibility.
  • Increased muscle strength and tone.
  • Improved respiration, energy and vitality.
  • The maintenance of a balanced metabolism.
  • Cardio and circulatory health.
  • Improved athletic performance.
  • Protection from injury

Walking & Exercise

Regular exercise or physical activity helps many of the body’s systems function better, keeps a host of other diseases at bay, and is a key factor in losing or maintaining a healthy weight. Exercise has also been proven by many studies to reduce stress. According to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, being physically active on a regular basis

  • Improves chances of living longer and living healthier
  • Helps prevent many diseases
  • Relieves symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve mood
  • Promotes weight loss (when combined with a lower-calorie diet), and helps keep weight off after weight loss
  • Boosts energy
  • Improves sleep
  • Can be fun

We view this opportunity as a gateway to more physical activity in your life and to possibly remove a little stress from your work day.