For college students in times of stress, food is often our first prescription. After all, nothing relieves the pain of an all-nighter quite like warm, cheesy Dominos. In the midst of our binge-eating galore, we often forget the importance of wellness on campus and that our lethal gorging and lack of self-care isn't helping.
In the midst of midterms, students at Wake Forest University are coming together to promote wellness on campus. With self-care workshops, cooking classes, yoga instruction and more, Wake students have emphasized the importance of wellness through a brand new, week-long event called Wake The Beautiful.
The Case for Self-Care
Rosie Molinary, author and professor at UNC Charlotte, spoke during the week of Wake The Beautiful about the importance of self-care. Molinary discussed the idea of effortless perfection; the idea that we need to be effortlessly smart, beautiful, and likable. We strive to be perfect in every way without anyone seeing that we are falling apart.
Many Wake students, and students across the country, are often instilled with the notion that being self-sacrificing is one of the best qualities an individual can have. If we can do two things at a time, why not do five, ten, or even more?
But the commitments we often make come at the expense of our own self-care. Molinary challenges the idea of effortless perfection, and instead argues that in order to show up and be present, we must sustain our energy.
We all have our own purpose, our own academic goals, but if we don't take care of ourselves, we hinder our ability to fulfill that purpose. The events during the week of Wake The Beautiful allowed students to become cognizant of our frequent lack of self-care, and learn strategies to improve our wellness on campus.
How Can we Promote Wellness?
Molinary suggests the exercise of physically drawing a circle divided into six pieces: fun/adventure, personal growth, spirituality, health/wellbeing, vocation/mission, and family/friends.
With these categories of wellness defined, we can then rate our degree of fulfillment in each category. In conducting this activity, we allow ourselves to step back and identify areas of wellness we need to work on.
Eating Well as a Student
Wake Forest Deacon Dining's Executive Chef presented a cooking class, where students were able to learn healthy and easy recipes during the week of midterms. In order to sustain energy and properly nourish our bodies during this chaotic time, it is critical to maintain a healthy diet.
With recipes like baked eggs in avocado, chia seed granola bars, and homemade salsa and tortilla chips, Wake The Beautiful was able to give students some healthy food inspo. More importantly, the class reminded students of the importance of eating healthy during stressful times.
Despite every students' urge to chow down late night Subway during midterms week, we must remember that in order to fulfill our academic goals, we have to continue taking of ourselves.
Whether it be maintaining a healthy diet, taking time to de-stress, or any other area of wellness, students must take a step back from the hectic day-to-day grind of college life, and instead focus on what's most important: our happiness and wellness on campus.