University Counseling Services offers Wellness Tuesdays for students, staff and faculty to relieve stress during the school year. These sessions take place every Tuesday of the semester in room 223 of Royce Hall starting at 4 p.m. They alternate between mindfulness minutes, mindfulness movement, creative expression, and random Tuesdays. Specific counselors from counseling services organize each session.
One of the university’s advisors, Jason Artz, leads the Mindful Minutes sessions. Meanwhile, Artz leads a group meditation followed by a self-assessment of how the meditation went for each person. Artz says: “I would say the groups are smaller in terms of participation, but I think for that purpose it works pretty well.”
Wellness Tuesdays started eight years ago with combined sessions led by Artz and a former counselor who has since moved to another university in the UW system. These combined sessions started with yoga as the previous counselor had yoga training and then ended with a brief mindfulness activity led by Artz. This continued for a few years before other options were developed and different types of sessions were created as well.
While Wellness Tuesdays are not for everyone, there are many other strategies available on campus. Artz said, “Last year the UW system purchased access to the SilverCloud app. Anyone in the UW system, whether students, faculty or staff, has access to it for free. SilverCloud is a wellness app that includes journaling apps, mindful meditation activities, sleep aid programs, and many other self-help tools.
Another opportunity for students on campus is the Wellness Walk. One of the advisers, Mandi Wood, says, “The Wellness Walk starts outside of Bridgeway Commons, (where) you walk away from the bridge and up by the Circle and GWAM and it goes up to the library. Along the way, activities are posted for students to read and participate in.
Another on-campus wellness option includes the Pioneer Activity Center. “The CAP offers many great options because we know that physical activity will be part of well-being,” says Wood. Within the PAC there are wooden courts, an indoor track, a weight room and many other activities that students can participate in. Lisa Emendorfer, Senior Lecturer in Health and Human Performance, says: “In the PAC, they offer the virtual courses so you can do them in the privacy of your own dormitory, home, apartment, etc.
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