This week is UPUA’s Mental
Health and Wellness Week! Learn more about mental health issues among college students. There are lots of events on campus for you to participate in and Penn State has lots of resources to help students. Check out what UPUA has coming up, hope to see you there!
The first step to managing your time effectively is understanding how you currently spend your time. A HealthWorks peer educator can help you improve your time management. Sign up for the stress (relaxation and time management) service. You will complete several time tracking worksheets as part of the service. You will also learn useful strategies to organize your life and school work. Start getting organized now, before the end of the semester arrives.
Are you interested in being active, but do not like going to the gym? Try the free weekly yoga class in 118 Pasquerilla. In addition to the physical benefits of yoga, you may start to experience better mental health and improved psychological well-being. In fact, a study conducted by Ivtzan and Papantoniou in 2014 showed that the longer the study participants practiced yoga, the higher their scores on questionnaires about meaning in life and gratitude. 
Feeling stressed? Research by Lemay and colleagues shows that regularly practicing yoga and meditation can help you decrease stress and anxiety. In this small, but meaningful, study, college students participated in a six-week yoga and meditation program. The results show that “students’ anxiety and stress scores decreased significantly while their total mindfulness increased significantly.” Now is a great time to start a weekly practice! There are about 6 weeks left in the semester before finals.
If you cannot make our weekly yoga/meditation class, here are a few digital resources to help you get started. WellTrack is designed to help you understand your mental health and to provide you with immediate help for depression, stress and/or anxiety. The CalmApp and Insight Timer provide hundreds of guided meditations to lower your stress level and improve your sleep. Start with a few minutes every day and work toward making meditation a daily habit.
Did you know JUUL e-cigarettes contain a large amount of nicotine which is a highly addictive substance? A single JUUL pod contains about as much nicotine as 20 regular cigarettes (or a pack). JUUL uses nicotine salts, which allow high levels of nicotine to be inhaled more easily and with less irritation than the free-base nicotine that is typically used in tobacco products, including other e-cigarettes. Some e-cigarette labels do not disclose that they contain nicotine, and some e-cigarettes marketed as containing 0% nicotine have been found to contain nicotine.
Nicotine can harm your brain, which will continue developing until your mid-twenties. Using nicotine can harm the parts of your brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control. Each time you make a new memory or learn a new skill, stronger connections are built between brain cells. Nicotine changes the way these synapses are formed. Using nicotine may also increase your risk for future addiction to cigarettes and potentially other drugs (CDC, 2019, cdc.gov).
If you want to quit smoking, vaping or using other tobacco/nicotine products, contact Health Promotion and Wellness at (814) 863-0461 to schedule an appointment for the Freshstart Smoking Cessation program. For more information visit https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/health-wellness/healthy-living/smoking-cessation-resources
It’s mid-semester…how are you doing? Take time to reflect on your health and wellness. There are many resources available to help you get healthy and stay healthy.
Make an appointment for a wellness service. Now is a good time to learn stress management techniques.
Celebrate everyBODY during PSU’s annual Love Your Body Week, October 28 through November 1.
On Wednesday, 10/30 Rhonda Khan will present FOOD, a rhythmic tale of one woman’s addiction to food and the pressure to be thin. The performance will start at 7:00 pm in the HUB Flex Theatre. FOOD is a one-woman show featuring comedy, rap, multi-character monologue, and classic storytelling.
Campus Recreation will be offering the following body-positive fitness classes.
Monday 10/28
Barre 3:00-3:45pm in 16 Intramural Building and Yoga 4:30-5:15pm in 6 White Building
Tuesday 10/29
Barre 6:45-7:30pm in 16 Intramural Building and Cycling 3:30-4:15pm in 48 White Building
Wednesday 10/30
Power Remix 4:15-5:00pm in Gym 3 Intramural Building and Pilates 4:30-5:15pm 6 White Building
Thursday 10/31
Yoga 3:15-4:00pm in 16 Intramural Building and Cycling 5:15-6:00pm 6 White Building
Friday 11/1
Yoga 6:30-7:15am in 16 Intramural Building
Stop by the HealthWorks Love Your Body table in the HUB on Friday, 11/1 from 11am-2pm for some fun activities and cool giveaways.
Did you know that vaping is a public health concern? The CDC and FDA are investigating the link between lung damage and chemicals in liquid nicotine and THC. It is important for you to know how vaping can affect your health. Penn State offers cessation support through Health Promotion and Wellness.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Penn State and organizations around Centre County are offering a variety of programs this month to raise awareness about domestic and relationship violence.
Become involved with prevention efforts by visiting Centre Safe or Gender Equity. Learn about this month’s events and take a stand against violence.
October is LBGTQ+ History Month. Penn State and The Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity (CSGD) have a wide array of events planned to spread awareness about the history of the LGBTQ+ community. Check out the month-long celebration of events including speakers, interactive workshops, and international observances.
