This Month
You made it!
It’s the last Weekly Wellness Corner of the year. To those of you who are about to graduate – congratulations! It’s been such a wonderful journey for us to get to be a part of your story. This Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is a poem by Mary Oliver:
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean—
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
Have a wild and precious life out there! Here’s one last bit of encouragement for you to take with you for when something knocks you for a loop. You are insane rugby players, all of you.
Hello, wonderful students!
For today’s Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness, I wanted to share a video about videos. As you are probably aware, the use of videos for entertainment or social interaction has never been more ubiquitous than it is today. Did you know that the reason what you see on WhatsApp or Instagram or TikTok is so appealing is because your brain experiences it as if it is your present reality? Your synapses literally respond to what you’re seeing and hearing as though you are within whatever the video is about. This can lead to some people finding their own lives disappointing or boring as a result. This video talks about the reality behind the video as it’s being shown. In doing so, it creates a metacognition about what you are seeing that can serve as a sort of protective barrier of reality you can then employ with other video content.
And this week’s other video is about a woman who becomes friends with a spotted eel. Check it out!
Hello, wonderful students! Spring is here! Hooray!
The warmer weather and sunshine can brighten moods and offset some of the stress of the approaching end of the semester. For today’s Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness, I want to share a chance to go out in the sunshine with some other students and enjoy.
HAL is back! This upcoming Friday, April 22nd at around 12 p.m., students are gathering to go on a hike in the Congaree National Forest. Transportation will be provided, and for the details and where to gather beforehand just sign up here. Take a break from studying and come go for a hike with HAL!
And this week’s video is about an older brother who embarrasses his little brother by dressing up in costumes every day at the bus stop. Enjoy.
Hello, wonderful students! Today’s Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is a technique you can use to benefit your mental health enormously: cold exposure. Studies have shown that exposure to cold water can activate the vagus nerve, which leads to parasympathetic nervous system dominance, enhances your immune system, reduces inflammation, and a host of other benefits.
The vagus nerve is the 10th cranial nerve. The cranial nerves run from the back of the brain and are responsible for many of the physical apparatuses we use to function, such as our sense of smell, ability to move our eyes, and our sense of healing and balance. The 10th cranial nerve, or vagus nerve, is responsible for digestion and heart rate. It interfaces with the parasympathetic nervous system, and by exposing it to cold water you can trigger parasympathetic nervous system dominance, which results in many health-promoting benefits.
To use this method, fill a bathtub or turn on a shower with water that is just cold enough to produce discomfort. There’s no need for it to be icy cold, but the science does show there needs to be a slight feeling of discomfort in order for the cold water to stimulate the vagus nerve. Enter the water such that your shoulders are under the water. This ensures that your vagus nerve is engaged. Next, breath in sharply, and then exhale for 4-5 times longer than you inhale. This will slow your heart rate and enable you to stay in the water for longer. Ideally, you want to stay in the water for 3 to 4 minutes, but you will probably need to work up to this. After you practice this for a few days, you will start to see some wonderful benefits!
This week’s Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is a get-together hosted by Holistic Art of Living (Hal), a student organization started by honors students and dedicated to supporting wellbeing! This Friday, April 8th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Hal will be putting together jewelry, eating some snacks and watching a movie in Russell 302. You’re invited to come relax and unwind!
And this week’s video is an inspiring demonstration of skill by dancers who are deaf and musicians who are visually impaired. Enjoy.
Hello, wonderful students! Welcome back! I hope you had a relaxing spring break.
Today’s Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is a tip for when you feel insecure about what other people are saying or feeling about you. When you notice this is going on in your head, as yourself this question: “who told you that?” Chances are, you will have a very difficult time coming up with evidence for any of those ideas that people feel or think badly about you. Try it today!
And today’s video is a variation on a classic theme: small kitten, big dog, best friends. Enjoy!
Archive
Hello, wonderful students!
The season of midterms is upon us. You will probably experience some stress as you approach your exams and papers. Today’s Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is a technique that can help you with any resistance you feel to any studying or writing.
Did you know that the words you say to yourself have an outsized impact on your emotional experience? The human mind works by putting words on sense information and turning it into a story. That is the backdrop of consciousness. You can leverage this information when going through something challenging. You are taking the tests which are coming up because doing well in these classes aligns with your values and future goals. So, when you feel any desire not to study (or not to write) you can say this to yourself: “I am choosing this because I love it.” Somewhere within you you deeply connect to the idea of your future self. Saying these words to yourself connects the neural pathway of your experience to your values and makes any resistance much easier to bear through. Try it today!
This week’s video is OK Go’s outdoor performance of This Too Shall Pass. Be sure to hang in there until the two-minute mark!
Hello, wonderful students!
Today’s Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is really powerful tool that combines many of the tips I’ve given in WWW’s over the past: NPR’s joy generator. It’s a webpage with a large, friendly yellow painted sign that reads: Click for joy! When pressed, it randomly takes you to one of many different little activities you can use to boost your wellness, including videos of cute animals, making art, reminiscing, soothing sounds, and several others. Check it out!
And speaking of cute animals, today’s video is about an extended family of cats, golden retrievers and a husky welcoming a baby kitten to the family. Warning: you may need to sit down for kitten’s yawns to avoid falling over from cuteness power. Enjoy responsibly!
Hello, wonderful honors students!
I hope you are doing well. Today’s Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is taken from an article I came across on bigthink.com (an excellent source of research-backed articles on a wide array of subjects, many of them with wellness applications).
The article is about a research study on the effects of taking one 15-minute “awe walk” each week. Researchers found that when people spent 15 minutes walking in nature with the intention of cultivating awe and keeping their focus on the outside world, there were significant improvements in the daily emotional experience of the experimental group versus the control group.
If you want to try it yourself you can look at this website to find a large number of parks within a short driving distance . If you prefer to stay right by campus, you can walk along the horseshoe and continue past McKissick, noticing the flowers and trees as you turn by Barnwell and make your way to Davis College and back to the horseshoe. Maxcy Gregg Park is another great spot to walk on a trail and practice awe!
And today’s video is a metaphor to puzzle out. Enjoy!
Hello, wonderful students!
I hope your semester is going well. This Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is a continuation of last week’s resource about how to start a new habit. In addition to the techniques for overcoming limbic friction mentioned last week, there are two more ways you can increase the likelihood you’ll succeed in beginning a new habit: task-bracketing and visualization.
A few years ago, Neuroscientists at MIT located a group of neurons which tend to fire at the beginning and at the end of a new habit being formed. They do so to signal the brain that the routine has begun and then that it is completed.
Visualization is a well-known technique for improving performance. By imagining, in detail, what will happen in the future, people such as professional athletes make it much more likely for themselves to do what they visualize during a game.
By combining these two, you can make use of the neurobiology of the brain to increase your ability to make a new habit. Visualize, in detail, the block of time from before you begin the habit to after you have completed it. Begin by positively anticipating how challenging it will be to get started, seeing it as a good thing to overcome any resistance. Next visualize, in detail, each step of doing the habit. Then imagine how good it will feel after you have completed the habit. Finally, subjectively reward yourself for the task-bracketing you’ve just completed. This might take the form of thinking to yourself it was useful, a good decision, or that you’re proud of yourself for what you’ve just done. You’ve just completed task-bracketing and visualization, and you’re on your way to achieving that goal.
Finally, our video this week is one by Joshua Becker, who shares 20 1-minute habits to keep your living space clutter-free. I found it helpful, and I hope you do too!
Hello, wonderful students!
Today I’m going to be sharing one of the helpful things I’ve learned while listening to Huberman Lab. Huberman Lab is a podcast by Stanford professor and neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman. The technique I’m going to share relates to forming new habits.
There is a wealth of information in this podcast, so I’m going to break it into smaller pieces to share over more than one Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness. To begin, when someone is working to start a new habit, they tend to experience what Dr. Huberman calls “limbic friction.” This is the amount of resistance one experiences to engaging in the habit one wishes to form. An example of this is when you’ve planned to go running in the morning, but when your alarm goes off you experience a strong desire to stay in bed, accompanied with the idea that “it’s not that important to me.”
It turns out that limbic friction is highest in the latter part of the day. Huberman defines the first eight hours of wakefulness as the time when we are best suited to overcome limbic friction.
There also specific behaviors you can engage in to assist you in overcoming limbic friction. They are:
- Seeing bright light within 30 minutes of waking (such as with a sun lamp)
- Cold exposure (such as going outside or taking a cold shower)
- Exercise (enough so that you can just barely carry on a conversation while doing)
- Consuming caffeine; and
- Fasting
While engaging in these behaviors might themselves be the habits you decide to try on, each of them does reduce the amount of limbic friction you experience in trying to accomplish any task. (Be aware that with fasting you should consider your nutritional needs, and don’t restrict calories below what you need to stay healthy in a day. It’s basically just holding off on eating until lunch, then making up for it the rest of the day.)
I’ll send out more information about how to start new habits (and end ones you’d like to stop) next week! This week’s video is a relaxing look into candy making. Enjoy!
Hello wonderful students!
I hope you’re settling into a good rhythm this semester. Today’s Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is a poem by Wendell Berry.
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Hopefully reading it can bring you a little of the peace Berry is writing about or
inspire you to spend some time outside.
And this week’s video is a baby penguin being tickled. Enjoy!
Welcome back, wonderful students!
I hope you had a relaxing break. Today’s Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is about sleep. “After I graduate” is a perspective about sleep I’ve heard from a lot of honors students. If you share this idea, I invite you to consider what happens when you allow yourself seven hours of sleep: improve your academic performance, keep you from getting sick, and improve your social life, among other life-altering changes.
Here are some things to try to help improve your sleep:
- Listen to Weightless. This song is scientifically proven to cause feelings of deep relaxation and calm.
- Develop a sleep routine. Whether it’s reading something for fun, doing yoga, drinking some green tea, journaling, or something else, having a plan to fall asleep makes a significant difference in achieving it (like any goal).
- Don’t look at screens for four hours before bedtime. The light from your devices is telling your brain it’s time to be awake.
- Avoid caffeine after noon.
- Finally, remind yourself to read this article when you feel convinced sleep is less important than your homework.
And this week’s video is about Stoffel, the honey badger who uses ingenuity and hard work to escape from anywhere. Enjoy!
Hello, wonderful students!
I hope you enjoyed a few days off and are ready for the final push to the end of the year! This Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness brings up a tool you probably know about but aren’t aware of the full benefits of: fidget toys.
While fidget spinners became popular while you were in high school (or junior high), they subsequently became banned by many schools. Both because they were distracting to look at by the student with the toy (to do tricks with) and (visually irratiting to) other students, many schools came to ban them.
However, other fidget toys (such as fidget cubes) do not have these two problems. Additionally, their use by students was shown in a case study to increase certain academic scores by 10%. Among students with ADHD, the increase was 27%. While a significant amount of research needs to be done on fidget toys to determine its impact on things like anxiety, you may want to check out a fidget cube to see if it helps you concentrate!
And this week’s video is a classis: someone flying an airplane from a high window and landing it on a moving tram. Enjoy.
Hello, wonderful students.
I am writing this Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness in the midst of the Honors College Week of Gratitude. It seems fitting to share the scientifically proven health benefits of practicing gratitude before Thanksgiving!
Neuroscientist Glenn Fox has researched gratitude for years, and has been able to connect the practice of gratitude with general well-being, better sleep, more generosity, less depression, improved relationships, and stress relief. It has to do with how gratitude manifests in the brain. (The article describing his research is linked here). Fox found links between gratitude and brain structures related to social bonding, reward, and stress relief. The tendency to feel grateful produces oxytocin, which promotes social ties. (This can make practicing gratitude especially useful if you experience stress over holiday socializing!)
So how do you do it? One of the most effective methods is to keep a gratitude journal. Just writing down what your grateful for at the end of the day can be enormously beneficial long-term. Other ideas include writing thank-you notes and telling the people in your life the things you’re grateful for.
Hello, fabulous honors students!
This Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is brought to you courtesy of you! We had a great turnout for the Great Self-Care Off, and the students who came to our first event developed a large list of things honors students can do for self-care. This is the list they created:
- 8 hours of sleep
- Awake before 8 am Bed before 11 p.m.
- Cleaning (10 minutes)
- Dancing or something energetic (10 minutes)
- Drawing (10 minutes)
- Drinking hot beverage (10 minutes)
- Drinking water (1 cup)
- Eating regularly spaced meals (3)
- Eating with friends
- Getting dressed up in outfit that feels confident
- Going to the gym
- Hanging out with friends
- Morning routine (10 minutes)
- Evening routine (10 minutes)
- Intentional Stretching (10 minutes)
- Listening to music (10 minutes)
- Meditation
- Nap
- Painting nails
- Petting a cat
- Petting a dog
- Playing a board game with friends
- Playing a musical instrument (10 minutes)
- Reading (not for class, 10 minutes)
- Showering (cold or hot)
- Skin care routine
- Turn off phone for two hours
- Walking
- Watch an episode of a show (without binge-watching)
- Writing (not for class)
- Yoga
Even if you’re not tracking your self-care, hopefully reading this list might help you recognize the things you’re already doing that are nourishing you. Noticing that you’re doing something that’s self-care is also self-care!
For those of you who are in the great self-care off: we have a tight race! No individual or group has pulled so far ahead that anyone tracking can’t win the hoodie with a concerted effort, so keep it up!
When you were very young did you ever wish you could ride a dog like a horse? This week’s video shows you what that dream would’ve looked like. Enjoy.
Hello, wonderful students!
I am delighted to share with you another fabulous video by Emma McAdam with four new techniques for triggering Parasympathetic Nervous System dominance. When we’re stressed, our Sympathetic Nervous System takes over automatically. A lot of what I do in therapy work is teaching people how to manage their mental distress through physical means. The reason I’m offering this video today is because the techniques that work wonderfully for one person don’t work at all for another. Check it out!
And this week's video is a very calming song. Enjoy.
Hello, wonderful honors students!
This Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is a video from Emma McAdam of Therapy in a Nutshell about a technique you can use to reduce distress. It’s more than just a technique, though, it’s actually a philosophy of being with its roots in Stoicism. If your understanding of Stoic philosophy is an image of someone clenching their teeth and putting up with suffering, this video gives a much better understanding of what the Stoics were doing. By taking ownership of reality in the way McAdam outlines you can experience a visceral demonstration of how willingness can empower you to reduce your distress in your daily life. Enjoy!
And today’s video is about looking at an atom. I just thought it was cool. 😊
Hello, wonderful students!
This week's Wellness Corner is an announcement of THE GREAT SELF-CARE OFF! This Thursday at 7:30pm in Honors Residence Hall B110 we will be gathering together with FREE FOOD and the amazing FREE T-SHIRTs (design attached) featuring none other than Honors College therapy dog Louie!
We'll be talking about self-care, what it means, and what we consider it to be. Once we've decided as a group what counts as self-care, everyone will be invited to begin tracking their self-care either in teams or individually for the next 30 days. After that, we'll gather again for another event where we'll give out the FREE T-SHIRTs to everyone and HONORS COLLEGE SWEATSHIRTS to the top teams!
You can also participate virtually through the attached Microsoft Teams link.
So come on out, get some SWAG, and show how kind to yourself you can be!
Hello there, wonderful humans!
This Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is a throwback … uh … Monday (I’m writing this on a Thursday, so it’s #TBT where I am in the space-time continuum anyway). In any case, it’s one of my favorite resources for neutralizing distress—good ol’ Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Also known as tapping, EFT is a brief intervention that can reduce your anxiety, stress, (and even physical pain) in a matter of minutes. Its efficacy has been shown in numerous studies to have a 98% efficacy rate. Yes, you read that number correctly. The link below is to a literature review which includes links to many of the issues people have successfully managed with EFT, as well as how to do it (under the “Clinical Procedure” section). Check it out!
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0898010116648456
A brief demonstration of tapping is also included here.
Hello, wonderful students!
The semester is zooming by from where I’m sitting—is it the same or creeping along for you? Either way, I hope you’re seeing something in today that gives you some happiness.
This Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is a resource shared with me by my fellow advisor Sarah Barnett. It’s Together We Can, a certificate program offered to students by University Health Services. The goal of the program is to develop mental health competency and become an advocate for mental health on campus. There is a large group of trainings students can select from to receive the certificate. Choices include things like MH First Aid Training, Bystander Intervention Training, Gamecock Recovery Ally Training, and Trauma 101. As a former teacher I can tell you nothing helps you understand a subject like teaching it, and as a licensed therapist I can also tell you nothing helps you with your mental wellness like developing the ability to help others. Check it out!
This week’s video is a dog and a breeze and a kalimba. I like it. Hope you do, too.
Hello, wonderful students!
It’s Mental Health Awareness Week! Today’s Weekly Wellness Corner is a gathering of the events you can participate in this week!
Monday – tale a picture of yourself doing something related to self-care, and link or tag @healthycarolina_UofSC. Also, pick up art supplies for the virtual art gallery! Draw or paint on the theme, “Together we can heal. Together we can help. Together we can hope.” You can submit your art via email, DM, or tagging @healthycarolina_UofSC on social media. On Friday, a virtual art gallery will feature submissions! Finally, stop by the Russell House Theater at 6 p.m. for author Michael Harriot’s presentation, “The Art of Storytelling: Reclaiming Your Space.”
Tuesday – Check-in challenge! Check in with your peers to see how they are doing. The isolation people have been through because of Covid can have long-lasting effects. Reach out to someone you haven’t seen in a while!
Wednesday – Hip Hop Compliment battle! Register using the QR code @healthycarolina_uofsc to win gift cards and prizes! Also, there’s a Mid-day Meditation. You can participate virtually via the Gamecocks Live Well Facebook page or the @healthycarolina_UofSC Instagram page.
Thursday – is World Depression Screening day. Stop by the patio outside the Russell House from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (or the Athletics Village). You’ll be able to scan a QR code with your phone for an assessment, feedback, and additional resources.
Friday – The virtual art gallery goes live at 5 p.m.!
And this week’s video is a relaxing look at synchronicity. Enjoy!
Hello, wonderful students!
You’re almost halfway through the semester! Whether it’s been lightning fast or supereon-slow, the stressor of midterms is something every honors student is managing (or about to be).
With that in mind, this Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness is a virtual workshop I’ve arranged with the fabulous Lauren Brown specifically for honors students. It’s about organizing your thoughts, studying for and taking tests. It’s this Sunday, Oct. 7th, at 7 p.m. check it out at this link!
Hello, wonderful people!
This Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness Corner resource is a quick fix for a surprising cause of anxiety and depression—your posture. It turns out that when Mom said for you to sit up straight, she was on to something: head-forward posture is not only a result of anxiety, it actually causes it. Of course, if the “fix” for it is to become anxious about not having good posture and forcing yourself into a tense, back-straight position, you were actually exacerbating the problem.
Instead, watch this short video from Sukie Baxter, where she explains some of the science behind why your mind associates this posture with fear, and learn a quick fix. She also provides a surprising fix to feel better after a breakup—check it out!
Hello, wonderful student! This week’s Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness Corner resource is an online workshop I am offering twice this semester on what to do when a friend shares any kind of struggle.
Wherever they are on the spectrum from a little annoyed to suicidal, there are some simple things you can do to communicate empathy towards them and help them feel heard. This workshop is particularly useful for those interested in a future in mental health counseling. It’s called Mirroring Clearly, and the sign-up link is here.
The dates are September 15th from 4-5 p.m., or if you’re celebrating Yom Kippur that day (or if you just prefer), October 20th from 4-5 p.m. I will send out login instructions to those who register. Check it out!
And this week’s video is 15 minutes of useless (but cool) science facts. Enjoy!
Hello, wonderful people!
This Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness Corner is a video which both teaches the basics of how anxiety works in the brain as well as providing three brief interventions you can use to reprogram your brain using neural plasticity. It’s led by Sukie Baxter, who specializes in working with high achievers to help them maximize their potential. If you want to watch the whole video, fabulous, it’s worth it!
If you want to skip to the exercises, this is where they are:
5:28 –1st exercise
7:36 – 2nd exercise
11:42 – 3rd exercise
And this week’s fun/relaxing video is a turtle eating their fruits and vegetables. Enjoy!
Happy Monday, everyone!
The first thing I want to say is be sure to check out the @schonorscollege Instagram feed tomorrow because I’m taking over! I’ll be posting an introduction to me, some fun videos about wellness, and even welcoming a surprise guest with me! Check it out!
In honor of mighty Instagram, this week’s wellness tip is a group of Instagram feeds you can follow to give you a better experience of life:
@SelfCareIsForEveryone – I’m starting with this one because it’s an account that’s really geared towards action. Although many of its posts are useful ideas to make contact with when you feel you need some support, most of them give you a brief intervention you can do in the moment. A little bit goes a long way with self care, and this feed is perfect to help you do just that. @iamtabithabrown – I love Tabitha Brown! If you need to feel better about your day right away, go to her Instagram feed and listen. You will be glad you did.
@lizandmollie – this feed combines simple little cartoons with profound ways of looking at yourself, your stress, and your life.
@makedaisychains – Hannah Daisy’s Instagram feed is another place to go to when you need a peace infusion. She uses colorful and silly art as a background for simple statements that will challenge the self-critical thoughts in your head.
@notesfromyourtherapist – Much like @makedaisychains, Allyson Dinneen’s @notesfromyourtherapist provides brief and powerful ideas to nurture you where you need it. You could use either of these Instagram accounts as a starting point for a daily writing session – I do! First, just write out what it says. Then, take a few deep breaths, and calmly repeat the words you read to yourself. Then pick up your pen, and start writing without consciously trying to make sense. Just write whatever words come into your mind, and keep your hand moving until you have filled a page. There’s a lot of research which supports the outsized benefits of doing this – try it!
And this week’s video is dogs being woken up with food.
C’mon, yall. :)
Hello, wonderful students! Today’s Weekly Wellness Corner is a poem by John Roedel. It’s a wonderful way of looking at stress and sadness.
Hello, wonderful Honors students!
My name is Wyatt Geist, and I am the Mental Health Liaison for the Honors College.
Each week I will be sending out some tips and resources for maintaining your well-being
during the semester. It’s called “Wyatt’s Weekly Wellness Corner.”
This first week I am sharing what to do if you or someone you know is struggling.
It can be anything from feeling homesick or lonely to serious academic stress to mental
health concerns of any kind. Please reach out to me—no problem is too small! My email
is wgeist@mailbox.sc.edu, and my phone number is 803-777-8005. You can call me literally
24 hours a day. Just be sure to leave me a voicemail—if I’m asleep or putting my son
to bed I will get the message and reply as soon as I’m able.
The other thing I’ll be sending each week is a video to support your well-being in
some way. Something either goofy or relaxing or uplifting. This week’s video is about
a dog whose intro music (and soaring spirit) is the same is the Gamecocks’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh76f7oHjYE
Enjoy!
Some Other Great Resources:
UofSC Counseling & Psychiatry | 803-777-5223 24-Hour
National Suicide Prevention Hotline | 800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line | Text HELLO to 741741 (FREE, 24/7 and confidential)
The Trevor Lifeline (LGBTQ individuals) | 866-488-7386
UofSC Police Department | 803-777-4215
Student Care and Outreach Team | If you are ever concerned about someone's health, well-being or safety, submit a referral.
It is, at long last, our final Weekly Wellness Corner of the year. For those of you who are about to graduate, my heartfelt congratulations. For those of you returning, I cannot wait to see you again in August. In both cases, I am mindful that you are in the midst of exams right now. My mental health resource for you this week is this poem by Mary Oliver:
The Journey
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice–
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do–
determined to save
the only life you could save.
–Mary Oliver
And this week’s video shows how things falling down can create something beautiful. Enjoy.
The finish line approaches…you can do it! Today’s weekly wellness corner is a curated list of podcasts related to mental health.
• Calmer You Podcast: Anxiety & Confidence – This podcast is an awesome listen when you are feeling stressed out and overwhelmed by, say, everything you have due at the end of the semester. Chloe Brotheridge brings a hypnotherapist’s skill set to challenge the critical voice in your head that makes doing the work so much harder.
• Other People’s Problems – This podcast lets you sit in on actual therapy sessions with Dr. Hillary McBride. It can be both fascinating and healing to hear someone work through a real mental health challenge. You can look through the list and see what topic they explore to find one of interest.
• The Hilarious World of Depression – This podcast involves entertainers sharing about their struggles with mental disorders in a compelling format.
• Meditation minis – This is a podcast with a more direct approach to managing disordered thinking. Chel Hamilton leads fantastic and rejuvenating brief sessions (5-10 minutes) that can change your outlook on your day.
• Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations – I mean, it’s Oprah. Oprah Winfrey is one of the most successful talk show hosts of all time for a reason—in these podcasts she has life-affirming conversations with fascinating people from all around the world.
And this week’s video is animals being ridiculous. Enjoy!
Hello, students!
The semester is coming to a end—you’re going to make it! Today’s Weekly Wellness Corner is a short list of ideas for taking care of yourself while you study. They may seem small, but they have an outsized impact on your stress levels and ability to perform. Be intentional about your self-care because you deserve to be cared for!
- After looking at a computer screen for twenty minutes, spend thirty seconds looking away into the corner. This will relieve eye strain.
- Go outside. Research shows walking in a place with plant life powerfully supports mental functioning.
- Set a time to do something totally unrelated to school each day, and stick to it. You can even use it as a reward for working for a certain period of time.
- Journal. Writing down your thoughts for just five minutes each day has proven impacts on your ability to calm and clear your mind, boost your long-term well-being, make progress towards your goals, and 80 other similarly powerful effects!
- Avoid sugar. Research suggests diets high in sugar increase depression and anxiety.
- Practice gratitude. Especially when you’re stressed and not feeling it, taking time to think, write, or say you are thankful for something specific makes you happier, improves your physical health, and increases your connection to people in your life.
And this week’s video is about a cat who hilariously invades a relationship with very one-sided adoration. Enjoy!
- Wyatt
Hello, wonderful students!
The semester is rolling by. I know we’re in the thick of it right now, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the to do list. Today’s Weekly Wellness Corner is a tool from Marsha Linehan’s Dialectical Behavioral Therapy you can use to de-stress in a hurry. It’s called the TIP skill.
Although TIP stands for Temperature change, Intense exercise, and Paced breathing, you don’t have to do all three. Temperature change is the most important.
You do this by first filling a sink or a bowl with cold water. Then, hold your breath and plunge your face into the water. It’s okay to come up to breathe, but go back in until you’ve held your breath under water for about a minute. This activates your body’s dive response, and makes you feel much calmer. Afterwards, you can do either paced breathing (in 4, out 8), or some kind of intense exercise (burpees, running, etc.) to completely clear the stress. Try it!
And this week’s video is for relaxing, too. Turn the volume down a bit, and enjoy!
- Wyatt
Hello, wonderful students!
You’re in the thick of the semester, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel! This week’s Wellness Corner resource is an invitation to take a break from your schoolwork for evening tea time! This Thursday, April 8th, at 7 p.m.,TLC is about trying some delicious, soothing teas, making a homemade, personal cake (in the microwave), and spending some time being together with online friends. We’ve had a great response for our past two TLC’s, so register for your seat today!
This week’s video is an example of Marcello Barenghi’s photorealistic drawings. For millennia human beings have been trying to create an accurate depiction of an item by hand. The invention of photography, and its current ubiquity, triumphant achievements themselves, take nothing away whatsoever from the power of a human’s ability to do this. Check it out.
- Wyatt
Hello, fabulous Honors students! Today’s wellness corner is a resource I’ve used again and again – Yoga with Adriene. For those of you who don’t already know, Adriene Mishler is a yogi who posts YouTube videos. There are different videos for just about everything you can imagine – stress, depression, fresh start, total beginner, physical problem areas, and much, much more. The great thing about these videos is you don’t have to travel anywhere or have any experience in order to do them. Check it out!
And this week’s video is a Pomeranian being groomed. There’s something very peaceful about the way the dog’s hair is cut. Enjoy.
- Wyatt
Hello, wonderful Honors students!
This week’s Wellness corner is an invitation to join us for coloring and hanging out this Thursday, March 25th at Thursday Life Care. We had a wonderful time making stress balls at our last online get-together, so if you need to relax and de-stress, come join us from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Teams! This is the link to register. Sign up today!
And this week’s video is a binaural beats which can provide a lot of good feelings. Listen to it with headphones for best effect. They are safe for most people to enjoy, however don’t use if you suffer from seizures, have a heart condition, take tranquilizers or are working. Check with your provider before using if you have a diagnosed mental health condition. Also, don’t use them for long periods of time – a 20 minute session is best. You will feel very relaxed!
- Wyatt
Hello, wonderful Honors students!
This week’s Wellness Corner is a resource I started using when I was a student. It’s a phenomenal mindfulness app called Headspace. If you don’t already know about Headspace, it’s a wonderful introduction to meditation. It’s a very gentle and supportive introduction to meditation, with guided programs on anxiety, depression, stress, and sleeplessness. It’s normally $70 a year, but while you’re a student you can use it for $10/year instead. I highly recommend it!
This week’s video is an inspirational one. It’s the moment Steve Prefontaine turns on the gas at the California State Championship. This is a good one to use when you need a "pick me up." Check it out!
- Wyatt
Hello, wonderful students!
This week’s resource is Thursday Life Care—the TLC party you’ve been waiting for! Hosted by the Honors College Dean’s Council, Student Engagement and myself, this online series is about Honors students and staff getting together, making something and not catching Covid-19! Every other week beginning March 11th, we’ll send out an invite to the Honors College students and staff. Beginning the Monday before the event, you’ll come to Wyatt’s office door (322 Harper) on your own schedule and without any face-to-face interaction to pick up the supplies you need for a little TLC. Then, on Thursday night at 7p.m., we’ll gather together on Microsoft Teams to try to make the thing! Here’s what we’re making:
March 11th: Stress ball making – you’ll get all the supplies you need as we relax and make some stress balls!
March 25th: Coloring night – each person who attends will receive coloring book pages, colored pencils, and a sharpener.
April 8th: Tea time – It’s a tardy tea time! From 7 to 9 p.m. we’ll make tea and microwave cakes.
April 22nd: Peace lily planting – it turns out that one of the easiest plants to grow as a houseplant is also a beautiful air purifier! For our final TLC of the semester, we’ll decorate pots and plant peace lilies you can keep and watch grow!
And this week’s video is a peaceful nap with a cow. Enjoy!
- Wyatt
Hello, wonderful students!
This week’s wellness corner is three evidence-based strategies for managing acute anxiety:
Welcome your worry: When you find yourself distracted by anxiety/worry/stress about a particular subject, do this. Pause what you are doing. Take a deep breath. Then silently say this message to yourself: “Thank you for trying to keep me safe from ______, anxiety. I appreciate all you do for me. I totally accept you. Thank you for being a part of my life.”
Plan your worry: Another technique is to set aside time to engage the worry later. If it’s mid-afternoon and you can’t stop worrying about _______, pull out your planner and schedule a time for you to worry about it later that day. “I’m going to fully worry about this from 8:00 to 8:10 p.m.” Then when your worry comes up, remind yourself you are waiting until 8:00 p.m. to worry. When the time comes, set a timer and scratch the worry itch! If you’re not finished with it by 8:10, pull out your planner and schedule a time to worry about it the next day.
Wet noodle: Wet noodle is a way to “jump-start” yourself into Parasympathetic Nervous System dominance (feeling calm). You squeeze every muscle in your body as hard as you can for five seconds, and then release fully, allowing all of your muscles to go completely limp. This is useful for all sorts of distress, not just worry!
And this week’s video is a relaxing experience making candy. Enjoy!
- Wyatt
Hello wonderful students.
Today’s Weekly Wellness Corner resource is something I teach almost every person I meet for counseling: Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), also known as Tapping. It is a thoroughly researched method for reducing anxiety and depression. It is also a first-line treatment for the symptoms of PTSD. You can find a helpful diagram for the tapping points here, and this is a video about how to do it. I highly recommend you try it!
This week’s video is your reminder that no matter what challenges you’re facing, we’re all here to support you and cheer you on. 😊
- Wyatt
Hello wonderful Honors students!
I hope you’re having a wonderful day. This week’s resource is something I came across on Twitter from Susan David that struck me as particularly powerful. She writes:
"Deliberately striving for happiness is fundamentally incompatible with the nature of happiness itself. Instead, become aware of the parts of your life that are working as well as those that aren't. This is the first step toward #EmotionalAgility."
Her “Emotional Agility” pyramid in particular has some important ideas.
And this week’s video is viscerally satisfying, but may not appeal to everyone! It’s
a POV video of horse hoof cleaning and restoration, and it feels like you’re outside,
enjoying the crisp air, and taking care of an animal. Enjoy!
- Wyatt
This week’s Weekly Wellness Corner is brought to you courtesy of Counseling and Psychiatry Services:
We know that college can be a challenging and (sometimes) stressful time. Your mental health and well-being are important to us. At the University of South Carolina, we are excited to offer a service through Counseling and Psychiatry Services, Therapist Assisted Online (TAO). You can have access to coping skills for stress, anxiety, interpersonal concerns, sadness and more anytime, anywhere!
This program offers tools to help students identify – and do something about – stress,
anxiety, depression, and other problems that can interfere with academic, social,
and personal functioning. The short intro survey can help you figure out which modules would most benefit you, or you can begin by downloading the TAO app today! Find out more about this and other resources on the Counseling and Psychiatry website.
Making use of this service is completely voluntary. The Honors College will not be
informed of your participation or lack of participation in this program. Your access
to student health and counseling services or participation in any university functions
will not be affected in any way if you choose not to make use of this service.
We urge all students to take advantage of this safe and easy way to find out if stress, anxiety, or depression may be affecting you. The good news is that treatments for these challenges are highly effective and are
available right here on the University of South Carolina campus, or off-campus, if
you prefer.
If you have any questions about any of these services, please contact Tiffany Howard, Ed. S, LPC at 803-777-5223.
-Wyatt
Hi! My name is Wyatt, and for those who don’t already know, I’m the mental health liaison for the Honors College. One of the things I’ll be doing in this space is sharing a video clip that is either goofy or relaxing or uplifting. Just something to give you a good feeling. I’ll also be sharing a resource for your well-being each week.
This week’s resource is a few accounts I follow on Instagram with feeds that help me stay connected to wellness. They are (in no particular order):
@_lisaolivera – Lisa Olivera’ posts are a wonderful resource for journaling. If you don’t already
journal, it’s an easy way to improve your mental and physical health. I typically
read one of her posts then take a minute or two to write down whatever comes into
my head. Try it!
@dlcanxiety – I love this feed. Although you may already know about this one, it has a ton of great resources for coping with anxiety and stress so I needed to share.
@the_depression_chronicles11 – This is a sort of depression counterpart to dlcanxiety. A smorgasbord of useful resources related to depression.
@selfcareisajourney – A lot of talk about self-care can be laced with judgement (as in: “why aren’t you doing it?”, “You’re so strong because of what happened,” etc.). @selfcareisajourney provides awesome messaging around self-care with not only no judgment, but in a way that peels self-criticism away.
Enjoy!