RA360: Wellness
TL;DR
Promoting wellness in your residents is an important goal. Wellness can include many different aspects of a person’s lifestyle–social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical, environmental, financial, and occupational. Become familiar with all of these dimensions so you can help your residents.
Wellness is a common focus of many residential life and education departments and an important goal for your residents. How can you help promote their wellness? What does wellness even mean? What falls under the umbrella of wellness?
In this RA360…
Defining: Wellness
“an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence.”
“Throughout time and across cultures, the term “wellness” has been defined and applied in many ways. The National Wellness Institute encapsulates these interpretations by acknowledging that:
- Wellness is a conscious, self-directed, and evolving process of achieving one’s full potential.
- Wellness encompasses lifestyle, mental and spiritual well-being, and the environment.
- Wellness is positive, affirming, and contributes to living a long and healthy life.
- Wellness is multicultural and holistic, involving multiple dimensions.”
The Wellness Wheel
There are many different aspects of wellness. The Wellness Wheel is a classic visualization for all of the components that can go into the concept of wellness. There are many different versions of the wheel which you can find online. This but one example. It serves as a good reminder that wellness is not just the physical.
Other Resources
“Stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.”
8 Habits for Establishing a Holistic Well-Being for Students
expertise on ways in which students can enhance their overall wellness.
How Higher Education Professionals Can Teach Students Holistic Wellness
- Connect Students to Mental Health Professionals
- Self-care Techniques
- Promote Financial Literacy
- Offer Occupational Guidance
Wellness touches every area of our lives and college is a time where we create good habits.
Physical Health and Wellness Linked to Student Success
Your wellness matters, too!
Questions To Ponder:
- How do you define wellness for yourself?
- What are areas you currently want to focus on to improve your wellness?
- What aspects of wellness do your residents seem to most struggle with?
RA360 Outcomes:
RAs and student staff members will be able to:
- Define wellness.
- Apply principles of wellness to one’s daily life.
- Promote concepts of wellness on one’s community and with one’s residents.
More To Explore
RA360 is a set of resources organized around skills, topics and competencies relevant to Resident Advisors and similar related student staff positions in college and university residence halls.
