Student Wellness

Well-being

Posted on by Adeline McDonald
Biology major Roxy Urso sitting on a campus bench

This article is part of a running series with Rowan University’s Wellness Center. This collaboration aims to educate students about personal well-being options. For further updates, follow @RowanUWellness on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Roxy Urso sits outside of Wilson Hall.Meet Roxy Urso, senior Biology major, who wrote this article with the inspiration of the Rowan Thrive campaign that has been around campus this semester. Roxy shares: “Oftentimes, people get caught up in the idea of mental health and the awareness of it, and while it is extremely important, mental health has many other factors that play into it to make a total person. As college students, our lives are always crazy, so by taking a step back and working on different aspects of wellness on a small scale, we will have a greater impact on our mental health and ourselves overall.” 

Over and over again it has been stressed to college students to practice good mental health, to have a strong mindset in the chaos that is the world of academia. Topics of a person’s wellness and well-being are constantly thrown in with these ideas to make it sound like these topics are no more than mental health. However, people often forget that a strong mental well-being is hard to achieve without all elements of well-being having their own presence.

Well-being is an encapsulation of a person through all aspects of their life, as they work together to create an individual, no matter the mindset. However, the more positive each area is on their own, the more likely the individual will have an overall positive well-being. These eight areas of well-being include: emotional, financial, social, spiritual/purpose, occupational, physical, intellectual and environmental. Understanding that well-being is not just a mental state, but the state of a person that is developed by each of these eight areas, can allow a person to work on each one, ultimately working on all, to better themselves as a whole.

For example, by setting a goal to study everyday for a class, a person would be working not only on their intellectual well-being, but their sense of purpose by preparing more for school to be able to graduate, and their occupational because they are most likely trying to graduate to find a job.

Although the idea of working on eight areas of a person’s life may seem overwhelming, it only takes small steps towards each to reach a state that not only betters their mental state, but their person as a whole.

Like what you see? Learn more about our healthy campus initiatives.

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Story by:
Roxy Urso, senior biology major, Wellness Center intern

Photography by:
Alyssa Bauer, senior public relations major

References

Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. (n.d.). Eight Dimensions of Wellness. Retrieved from https://cpr.bu.edu/living-well/eight-dimensions-of-wellness/

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The Importance of a Good Night’s Sleep

Posted on by Adeline McDonald
Autumn Vilches-Cruz, junior Psychology major, sitting on a bench outside on Rowan's campus
This article is part of a running series with Rowan University’s Wellness Center. This collaboration aims to educate students about personal well-being options. For further updates, follow @RowanUWellness on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
Meet Autumn Vilches-Cruz, junior Psychology major, who finds receiving an adequate amount of sleep is super important for college students. She explains how busy schedules require enough energy that life demands. 
She hopes this article will help the Rowan community by making students understand that without a good amount of sleep each day, there can be harmful effects that impact your physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Sleep is a fundamental part of our everyday lives. It’s what helps humans Autumn Vilches-Cruz, junior Psychology major at Rowan, posing upstairs in the Chamberlain Student Center.function, grow and recharge within just hours. When students decide to go into the next step in their lives and go to college, one of the things students lose is sleep. Most college students get an average of six hours of sleep each night, while the recommended amount of sleep for young adults is 7-9 hours a night (MayoClinic). When a person doesn’t get enough sleep each night, it can come with consequences.

Why do we need sleep? Not getting enough sleep can result in things like feeling physically, mentally and emotionally drained, along with weight gain, lower academic performance and more. All of these things can be detrimental to the mind and body, and here’s why. When people don’t get enough sleep, there is a lack of focus and alertness. This can cause things like lower academic performance and car accidents. Someone who doesn’t get enough sleep is more likely to gain weight because it causes changes to hormones that regulate hunger and appetite. The hormone leptin helps to regulate energy balance by restraining hunger. When there is a lack of sleep, this causes leptin to encourage the body to eat more, which leads to weight gain. Overall, getting a good night’s sleep can help humans function and live an overall better life.

Here are some tips on how to get a good night’s rest!

  1. Reduce daytime naps: While naps feel great and assist in recharging when an individual hasn’t had enough sleep, it actually causes a decrease in the amount of sleep individuals receive each night. A power nap of up to 30 minutes is not totally detrimental to sleep, but longer nap periods can throw off a person’s normal sleep schedule. 
  2. Wake up earlier, and go to bed early: Waking up an hour earlier before the normal school day begins can help individuals wake up and start the day right. Waking up an hour early can make it easier to fall asleep at night because the hour a person woke up is one hour of sleep lost. This makes it easier to fall asleep because then people come to bed ready to sleep. 
  3. Crack the window open or sleep with a fan: It is proven that lower temperatures aid in sleeping! This means a fan or overall cold air can help put people to sleep faster. 
  4. Limit electronic usage: Limiting phone use before bed can help individuals fall asleep. If a person turns off the lights and immediately plays on a phone/tablet/computer, this is exposing them to blue light, which limits the melatonin hormone from doing its job of making people fall asleep!

For a college student, perfect sleep can be hard to achieve, but there are many ways to help aid in getting a good night’s sleep! 

Like what you see? Learn more about our healthy campus initiatives. 

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Story by:
Autumn Vilches-Cruz, junior psychology major, Wellness Center intern

Photography by:
Alyssa Bauer, senior public relations major

References

“How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Need?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 6 June 2019, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/how-many-hours-of-sleep-are-enough/faq-20057898

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Quit Vaping

Posted on by Adeline McDonald
Mariana Cardenas, a senior Psychology major at Rowan, pictured in the Chamberlain Student Center

This article is part of a running series with Rowan University’s Wellness Center. This collaboration aims to educate students about personal well-being options. For further updates, follow @RowanUWellness on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Mariana Cardenas, a senior Psychology major at Rowan, pictured in the Chamberlain Student Center

Meet Mariana Cardenas, senior Psychology major, who wrote this article because of what she’s observed around her. She explains, “I have seen my friends go from saying that they vape because it is just water vapor (it’s not) to then being worried from seeing others in hospitals over vaping and wanting to quit so badly. But many struggle with quitting because they don’t know how to start or they have attempted many times but it being too difficult to deal with the nicotine withdrawals.”

Know it is time to quit vaping, but don’t know where to start?

At this point, we have all seen the social media posts of friends in hospitals vowing to quit vaping. It may have been unclear in the past of the effects that these devices could have on our bodies. Older people talking about the effects just seemed ridiculous. But the research is out now, and it has become apparent that the stuff coming out of vapes should not be going anywhere in our bodies.  

Along with all too well known physical effects the chemicals in vapes have on our bodies, there are also several behavioral effects. This includes anxiety and permanently lowered impulse control (thetruth.com).

You may be in a mindset where you know you should ditch the vape, but not know how to start. For some, quitting can feel overwhelming. It may be difficult to imagine yourself without your vape (teen.smokefree.gov).

First, set up a plan and take on your quit journey one step at a time. Most importantly, establish a support system, which can be as simple as letting your friends know about your plans to quit. 

Do not be discouraged by slip-ups; instead, celebrate the progress you have made.

Identify triggers and try to avoid them if possible — feelings, things, people or places that give you the urge to vape. 

Get ready for withdrawals. Mood changes due to nicotine withdrawal are typically temporary while your body adjusts to being nicotine-free. Keep in mind that the longer you go without nicotine, the better you will feel. When you are having an especially tough day, think back to why you chose to quit in the first place. 

Create a simple phrase of your reason for quitting. Write it down somewhere you will constantly see, like your phone’s lock screen, to remind you of your goals. 

These are all suggestions. Some of these steps may work well for you and others may not. Do not compare your quit journey to others because all our bodies work differently. 

Best of wishes to you in your future healthier life. 

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Story by:
Mariana Cardenas, senior psychology major, Wellness Center intern

Photography by:
Alyssa Bauer, senior public relations major

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Eat More, It’s Good for You

Posted on by Adeline McDonald
Grace Van Cleef posing on a bench on Rowan University's campus.

This article is part of a running series with Rowan University’s Wellness Center. This collaboration aims to educate students about personal well-being options. For further updates, follow @RowanUWellness on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Meet Grace Van Cleef, senior Psychology and Communication Studies double major, who wrote this article because she recently started consistently meal prepping. She shares, “My meals are more consistent and healthy now, and I think about my diet in a way I never did before. I know a lot of college students who skip meals simply because they don’t have the time or money to eat, and I wanted to write something addressing that.”

We’ve all been there. It’s 8 p.m., you just got home after a long day Grace Van Cleef posing on a bench on Rowan University's campus.of classes, and a complaint from your stomach reminds you that you haven’t eaten a meal since last night. Sometimes class schedules cut straight through normal meal times. Sometimes homework that’s due in a few hours takes priority over finding time to eat. Sometimes the 10-a-week meal plan just doesn’t cut it. But one way or another, sometimes we fill up on our morning coffee and don’t eat a meal for 18 hours or more. Perhaps the meals were replaced with snacks: a granola bar, goldfish, maybe a banana. Oh, well. It can’t be that unhealthy, right? Our culture is always pushing diets that rely on intermittent fasting and calorie cutting. Using this logic, it’s easy to justify skipping meals as healthy. 

But how does skipping meals truly influence your health? According to the Health Sciences Center at the University of Louisville, skipping meals is not a good tactic for weight management. In fact, it can have several negative impacts on overall health, both physically and mentally. Skipping meals means the body has less energy to run on, because bodies get their fuel from food. This can cause headaches and feelings of fatigue, sluggishness, weakness, or shakiness. Then, skipping meals can lead to getting — so hungry that all the brain can think about is food. However, this means that once eating is finally an option, our bodies and brains push us to overeat or choose whatever is fast and easy, which usually isn’t very healthy. Finally, as a response to not eating for long periods of time, the body lowers its metabolism and conserves energy by burning fewer calories. This means that eating a large, unhealthy, meal at the end of a day of involuntary fasting will retain more of those calories and actually cause weight gain, contrary to the goal of popular diets such as intermittent fasting. Skipping meals can lead to all sorts of health detriments, and worst of all, it feels terrible. 

As a busy, broke college student, skipping meals might feel necessary just to get through the week. However, there are a number of ways to manage a busy schedule while still eating well. First, it is important to understand what to eat in order to stay satisfied longer. A good meal will have a combination of protein, carbs and fats, and will satisfy hunger for 4-6 hours. Fruits and vegetables are important for the vitamins and fiber they contain as well. Bodies need all of these components to create blood sugar, and when blood sugar drops too low, it contributes to feelings of hunger. If meals or snacks lack one of these components, blood sugar will drop sooner and our bodies won’t be satisfied for as long. For example, eating a banana alone will only satisfy hunger for an hour or two, while eating a banana on toast (a carb) with peanut butter (which contains protein and fat) will satisfy hunger for much longer. In order to stay satisfied on a busy schedule, make sure every meal contains these components.

Plan classes around meal times so there’s time to use Tapingo. Alternatively, plan meals and snacks in advance to take to class or work. Having a well fed, well fueled body means more energy and strength to make it through a long day of running from class to class. Eating consistently is healthier and feels better than skipping meals. 

Like what you see? Learn more about our healthy campus initiatives. 

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Story by:
Grace Van Cleef, senior psychology and communication studies major, Wellness Center intern

Photography by:
Alyssa Bauer, senior public relations major

References

University of Louisville Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine. (2005). Perils of Skipping Meals [Pamphlet]. Retrieved from https://louisville.edu/medicine/departments/familymedicine/files/L081611.pdf

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Toxic Friend Groups

Posted on by Adeline McDonald
Jessica Hassell, a Higher Education Administration track graduate student and author of story, sits in woods on Rowan University's campus

This article is part of a running series with Rowan University’s Wellness Center. This collaboration aims to educate students about personal well-being options. For further updates, follow @RowanUWellness on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Meet Jessica Hassell, a second-year Higher Education Administration track graduate student who wrote this article to start a discussion about toxic friendships. She shares, “I hope that this article will help Rowan University students become more conscious about how they are treated by others and whether or not they like that treatment.”

College students tend to not think much about the health of their relationships. When building friend groups, individuals can find Higher Education Administration track graduate student Jessica Hassell sits near a bush on Rowan University's campus.themselves displaying patterns of behaviors that may or may not reflect their values. 

Friend groups are social relationships that have complex dynamics, where everyone plays a role. There are some friends who play positive roles that help keep the group active and engaging. These friends act as the initiator; the one that always suggests something fun to do, or the consensus tester who checks to see how everyone feels about the next course of action (Benne, 1948). However, there are also friends who aggressors who dominate, degrade or distract others to get what they want out of the group. It is important for young people to be able to recognize toxic friendships that can negatively impact their wellbeing.  

There is minimal research on toxic friendships, but there are a multitude of tactics that toxic individuals use to control others. Some of these tactics include being passive-aggressive to make the victim change without having an open dialogue, never apologizing when they overstep boundaries, and even holding grudges and using past favors or mistakes to guilt the victim into changing their behaviors (“Types of Abuse – Loveisrespect,” 2017). It is helpful for every person in a social circle to think about how these relationships make them feel and evaluate which members of that friend group make them feel empowered and disempowered.  

Higher Education Administration track graduate student Jessica Hassell (left) talks to another student on Rowan Boulevard. Often, it is easier for young people to recognize abuse in intimate partnerships than in their immediate social circles. Commonly referenced in literature surrounding domestic abuse is the power and control wheel developed by the Domestic Abuse and Intervention Project in Duluth Minnesota (“Power and Control Wheels,” 2017). It details eight methods of power and control: coercion/threats, intimidation, emotional abuse, isolation, obfuscation, economic abuse, using children and using male privilege. While some elements of the Power and Control wheel may only apply to heteronormative intimate partnerships, others can be applied to all relationships.  

Although many college friend groups may not have to worry about physical abuse or children, issues surrounding digital abuse, financial abuse, and emotional/verbal abuse can cause anxiety and be signs of toxic friendship. Many people have online access and digital abuse means using online means to take away an individual’s autonomy. It can include directly or indirectly putting someone down in status, spreading rumors online or video recording someone without their consent. Regarding financial abuse, it can include someone watching over another friend’s finances.

By one friend asking for money repeatedly or another friend using money to hold power over another person’s actions, or a friend making another feel guilty about their purchases — these are ways of controlling others. Even exerting emotional/verbal abuse can manifest itself in friend groups as individuals within the group tell members what to do or who to talk to, name-call and allow individuals to be degraded, or even those that make any member feel like their feelings are unimportant (“Types of Abuse – Loveisrespect,” 2017). Once an individual recognizes these toxic behaviors, they can speak out or exit.  

College is full opportunities. If an individual finds themselves in a toxic friend group, it’s simple to create distance between oneself and the unhealthy relationship to find new friends elsewhere. Others might choose to use this time to practice their communication skills and attempt to confront the behaviors that make them feel controlled and powerless. No matter the choice, everyone should consider the role that they play in their friend group, take time to consider the health of their social circle and the impact that these relationships are having on their wellbeing.  

Like what you see? Learn more about our healthy campus initiatives. 

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Story by:
Jessica Hassell, second-year higher education administration graduate student, Wellness Center intern

Photography by:
Alyssa Bauer, senior public relations major

References

Benne, Kenneth D, and Sheats, Paul. “Functional Roles of Group Members.” Journal of Social Issues. 4.2 (1948): 41–49. Web.

“Power and Control Wheels.” Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs, 2017, https://www.theduluthmodel.org/wheels/.

“Types of Abuse – Loveisrespect.” Loveisrespect.org, National Domestic Violence Hotline, 2017, https://www.loveisrespect.org/is-this-abuse/types-of-abuse/.

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The Importance Of Recognizing Disordered Eating Behaviors

Posted on by Adeline McDonald
Rowan psychology major Caleb Jones stands in front of a footbridge on campus

This article is part of a running series with Rowan University’s Wellness Center. This collaboration aims to educate students about personal well-being options. For further updates, follow @RowanUWellness on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Meet Caleb Jones, junior Psychology major, who wrote this article to bring awareness to an issue not often talked about. He shares, “There is increased recognition and destiRowan psychology major Caleb Jones sits outside of Savitz Hall.gmatization of eating disorders, but still little discussion about disordered eating behaviors that may not seem so obvious or extreme.” 

At least 30 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder in the U.S. (Hudson, Hiripi, Pope & Kessler, 2007). In recent years, various groups have been working to end the stigma associated with eating disorders. Many of us are aware of the types of eating disorders there are and their symptoms. However, we rarely discuss disordered eating behaviors. Those who partake in disordered eating behaviors may not fit all criteria necessary to be diagnosed with an eating disorder, but this does not mean that these behaviors should be ignored.

It is also possible that individuals may not even recognize their disordered eating behaviors, especially if these practices have been a part of their lives for a long period of time. This is why it is important for us all to check in with ourselves when it comes to how we think about food. What are our attitudes, opinions and feelings about what we put in our bodies? How does this relate to how we feel about ourselves? 

Disordered eating behaviors may include but are not limited to: restricting, excessive calorie and macronutrient counting, rigid rituals and routines surrounding food and exercise, shame and guilt associated with eating, and hyperfixation on weight and appearance. It is important to note these patterns in ourselves as they may be a sign that we have the potential for developing a full-blown eating disorder.

Recognizing these behaviors before they get worse gives us the opportunity to protect our mental and physical health from declining before things spiral out of control. There is no shame in struggling with an eating disorder, nor disordered eating behaviors, and everybody deserves the support or treatment they need in regards to bettering their relationship with food.

Like what you see? Learn more about our healthy campus initiatives.

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Story by:
Caleb Jones, junior psychology major, Wellness Center intern

Photography by:
Alyssa Bauer, senior public relations major

References

Hudson, J. I., Hiripi, E., Pope, H. G., & Kessler, R.C. (2007). The prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in the national comorbidity survey replication. Biological Psychiatry, 61(3), 348–358.

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The Mental Health Benefits of Cosplay

Posted on by Adeline McDonald

This article is part of a running series with Rowan University’s Wellness Center. This collaboration aims to educate students about personal well-being options. For further updates, follow @RowanUWellness on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Meet Allison Niemiec, a first year graduate student in the Higher Education Administrative Track program, who wrote this article because cosplay has been […]

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Success For All: Support Systems at Rowan and Where to Find Them

Posted on by Adeline McDonald

If your student has a documented disability, sending them to college without an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) may feel downright scary. 

Lisa Wilner, parent of a College of Education graduate student in the Higher Education program, wants to flip the script. 

“[Parents] need to understand that universities are not abandoning the IEP resources that your child had,” she said. “Your job is to teach your child to use the resources that exist and to find the proper university for your major that has the resources. Rowan has them.” 

Lisa is a featured speaker for the Academic Success Center’s College Prep Transition Conference and a parent network member with Rowan’s Autism PATH program, which aims to strengthen employment outcomes and networking opportunities for neurodiverse students and alumni. 

Lisa’s tips, gleaned from five years at Rowan with her son, Ben — who also earned his undergraduate degree in Music from the College of Performing Arts — offer a parent’s take into the university’s academic and wellness resources.

  • “If you have a student with a disability, you should register them with the Academic Success Center, even if you don’t think they’ll need it. If they think they can get extra test-taking time at the Testing Center, and they didn’t register and they ask the professor, they’re still going to have to take that test. It’s not like they can change it instantly. To register with the Academic Success Center, they need their senior year or [most recent] documentation of disability.” 

  • “I highly recommend the College Compass [transition to college] program. Students come in early, before the rest of freshmen students, and they get familiar with the school. They get comfortable, before everything starts to happen. And whether your student is on the [autism] spectrum, has ADD, has emotional issues, no matter what challenges, it gives them a comfort zone within the school.”

  • “Register with Academic Success Center to work with an academic coach. I look at it as an insurance policy. If they never use it, that’s wonderful. But if they need it and you didn’t register them, you’re going to have issues because you can’t go backwards.”

  • “This is for all students — drop-in and math tutoring and writing labs, all students have [access to] those. We just have to teach our children to utilize the services.” 

  • “[Students] have to build relationship with professors. Meet your professors. They have to know who you are by name. They have to go to their office hours. Get their email. When your student gets their accommodation letter, give it to the professor on day one, trust your student to do that.”

  • “Your student needs to utilize Blackboard and check their email. I get more calls from parents saying my son’s crashing because he never checked his email. Some students are really good about that, others aren’t. A lot of professors [also] communicate through smartphones.” 

  • “The first two weeks of the semester and right before finals, your student will be freaking out. They will be a stress mess. So whatever their stress relief is, tell them to do it … it could be the gym or to just breathe. Rowan has something that is very unique — they have one counselor [at the Wellness Center] who specializes with working with students on the [autism] spectrum, ADD and such.”
Lisa Ann Wilner with son Ben Wilner at home
Lisa Ann Wilner with son Ben (left) at home.

Lisa’s final tips: “Your student knows more than you think they know. You just have to get them to advocate for themselves. At this point, we’re letting the student go. We’re their emotional support and their encouragement. Rowan is their scholastic support.”

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Three Tips on Dealing with Social Anxiety and Meeting Friends in College

Posted on by Adeline McDonald
Iman sits on the Bunce steps with her bookbag

Here’s a secret that no one bothered telling me: it is not easy to meet people in college if you aren’t a social butterfly. Dealing with social anxiety is both increasingly common and increasingly difficult as college progresses. I’m almost done with my first semester of sophomore year and I still don’t talk to very […]

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#DearRowan: a storytelling event

Posted on by Adeline McDonald
Two students sit at a table speaking to each other about the event.

Nationally recognized Dear World, a portrait and storytelling organization, came to Rowan. Featured on USA Today, NBC, CNN, and Buzzfeed, Dear World focuses on uniqueness and individualization. The event was split into two different parts. The first was an informational session that provoked students to think about the story they’d like to tell. Each participant was […]

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5 Things I Wish My Residents Knew: An RA Perspective

Posted on by Adeline McDonald

As I continue to move through my senior year at Rowan, I find myself reflecting on my experience as a resident assistant on campus. Working in the position for three years, I’ve seen how residents’ concerns and problems evolve throughout the year. In the beginning, most express concern over their living environments. But as the […]

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#PROFspective PROS Edition: Philosophy Major Donald C Roberts III

Posted on by Adeline McDonald
rowan pros member giving tour

Today, we speak with Donald C Roberts III, a junior philosophy major from Irvington, NJ, who lives on campus in Edgewood Park Apartments. Donald will give us insight on his career as being a member of Rowan PROS and will share his #PROFspective with us on what it’s like to be a Rowan University student […]

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Rowan Students Receive Prestigious National Awards [VIDEO]

Posted on by Adeline McDonald
bronze sculpture Knowledge is Power outside of James Hall

This spring Rowan University has had the extraordinary distinction of seven of our students being selected for highly competitive, national awards. We currently have two Fulbright Scholar winners and one alternate, as well as two summer Fulbrights. Fulbright is considered one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world and offers merit-based grants for international educational […]

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