健康日为学生提供管理压力的方法

从让人神清气爽的冷浴到舒缓的声音疗法, t在这里 was no shortage of wellness opportunities offered to students during the second annual Wellness Day held Jan. 24.

 

“今年 we added some new activities so t在这里 were some 40 workshops scattered throughout campus, so students were able to experience different self-care activities to support their mental health,艾米·拉斯金德说, 威斯敏斯特精神健康项目协调员.

 

今年, Raskind said she also circulated a survey to keep a finger on the pulse of the community’s mental health and determine how to better support it.

 

“The fair is a way to give the students practical coping strategies to help them manage the stress they might feel from the day-to-day rigors of being a student at Westminster,拉斯金德说.

 

学生们选择参加两个小时的上午课程, 其中包括放松的活动，如瑜伽, letter writing and coloring to high-energy exercises like shadow boxing, 跳舞和躲避球.

 

校长 伊莲白 once again invited students to Pratt House w在这里 she helped them create ice cream cakes — a popular session. 没那么美味但同样受欢迎的是一个制作黏液的作坊. Not only was it a nostalgic experience for students who might remember making slime as a child, but the gooey stuff is something they manipulate with their hands to relieve stress.

 

在armor学术中心(AAC)的巴克斯特画廊, students cuddled with baby rabbits and kittens from a visiting petting zoo and in AAC’s Armstrong Atrium students communed with three visiting therapy dogs.

 

尽管天气下着毛毛雨, students socialized around the fire pits on Keyes Patio or took campus dogs on a walk. 教师 members led baking sessions for students with a sweet tooth who wanted to learn basic cooking skills. Classical music set the mood during a soothing watercolor session during which students painted landscapes. “This is bringing me back into art and it is really relaxing," said Cricket Beard ’25.

 

今年 the school’s planetarium was open for stargazing and the chapel was the site of a unique sound therapy session.

 

Students began the therapy session by laying down and slowing their breath, allowing the frequency of the sound waves ease them into a state of meditation. 在整个会议期间, a sound healing practitioner played a variety of instruments including wind chimes, 唱歌的碗和锣.

 

这次寒冷的跳水引起了学生们热烈的评论. Studies have shown that this type of cold water experience can trigger neurotransmitters that help regulate emotions and stress, 导致大脑中调节情绪的化学物质增加, 例如多巴胺. 尽管如此，这对一些学生来说仍然是一个挑战.

 

Head Prefect Robert Yalda ’24, still shivering from the experience, said the dunk was well worth it. “It was really cold, but I did get a natural high from it,” he said.