Part of Campus Recreation’s mission is to help students across campus Be Active, Be Well, and Belong, this week’s blog will focus on the importance of Emotional Wellness. 

 

Flourish Fest is just a month away! We encourage all students to join us on the quad on April 12, to join and learn about programs that are aimed to enrich students’ lives emotionally, financially, intellectually, socially, and physically. 

 

Emotional Wellness

As mentioned in our previous blogs here on InsideRec, focusing on personal wellness is extremely important to living a healthy lifestyle. Emotional wellness is the acceptance and acknowledgment of feelings and how we manage them. Emotional wellness plays a large role in relationships, work life, and especially one’s mental health. 

 

The Impact of Emotional Wellness 

A strong understanding of your emotional wellness can help you thrive in different situations you may encounter in life. Being in touch with your emotions can lead to healthier relationships, and less stress, and can help you be more motivated to complete tasks. However, a poor understanding of emotional wellness or walking through life in a negative emotional state can lead to lower immunity due to stress, difficulties focusing, running into arguments or frustrations, and having trouble concentrating.  

 

How to be In Touch with Your Emotional Wellness? 

There are many different ways to make sure your emotional wellness is intact. Here at Campus Recreation, we offer classes and events that can help you stay connected with your emotional health. 

 

Each week, there are many GRX Workout classes offered to get your heart pumping and help you build a stronger mind and body connection. Yoga is a great way to integrate the connection of emotional wellness into your workout. In these classes, you will focus on proper alignment, and enhance your flexibility and balance. Another great class we offer on campus is guided meditation. This class varies each week from breath work, mindfulness exercises, energizing the body, and bringing awareness to yourself and your body. To sign up for these classes, visit IMLeagues! 

Body pump, yoga, full moon meditation, and Zumba are all examples of just a few classes Campus Recreation offers students. To sign up for these classes, visit IMLeagues! 

 

Additionally, almost every day we offer special classes that focus on Emotional Well-Being Classes. These classes include friendship bracelet making, knitting, hula hooping, body positivity meditation, journaling, and so much more. In a recent article posted by See Great in Art, a blog by an avid art lover Chadd Scott, he explains that incorporating arts and crafts into your daily routine, especially as a college student, can improve critical thinking and form better relationships. In the blog, Scott writes, “Research has shown that art may help reduce anxiety, despair, and stress, while college stress can have a negative impact on mental health.” 

Emotional Well-being classes are a huge part of Campus Recreation’s motto of Be Well. For more information on these classes, check out Campus Recreation’s Instagram page for updated class times. 

While incorporating working out is a great way to stay in touch with your emotional wellness, there are many other resources on campus that can help you. The URI Counseling Center is a great resource for students who may be struggling to gauge their emotions, have anxiety, or are having trouble incorporating self-care into their daily routine. 

Some of the services they offer include working one-on-one with a therapist or joining a group. On their website listed here, are a handful of groups to join! This year, I recently became part of the Body Pump+ community where we work out as a group and take time to reflect on how it is impacting our mind. The Counseling Center also provides outreach events like B5K which is a run for suicide prevention awareness, pet-assisted therapy, stress relief days, and more!  

While the center is on campus and available to students, the center also offers referrals for students who commute or live outside of campus. 

 

Another resource for students on campus is Health Services which provides students with medical care, offers support for sexual health, and is a place that welcomes all students. 

 

Be Active, Be Well, and Belong

As Flourish Fest is coming to the quad in just a few weeks, these blogs are a reminder to be mindful, communicate with others when you are feeling low, invest in sleep, and balance your work and personal life. 

For me, keeping up with my emotional wellness comes from allowing myself to accept the emotions I may be feeling. Then, when I can understand why I may be emotional, I can ensure I take the right steps to care for my mind and body. 

Here at Campus Recreation, we encourage you to take some time to acknowledge your emotions and express them in a healthy way.