The student life seems to be one of extremes, and perhaps that is what makes it so glamorous. The stereotypical displays of exaggeration include inordinate amounts of drinking during parties, barely existent amounts of sleep during midterm and final season, the seemingly infinite amounts of reading, the excessive stress and anxiety...All of this tends to lead towards exhaustion and burnout.
But nobody boasts about moderation: “Hey! Guess who has been moderately drinking at parties, and getting enough sleep to wake up in the morning to feel refreshed and motivated to study?”
I think it’s because students equate moderation with mediocrity, which is simply not true. Moderation helps with maintaining equilibrium while mediocrity doesn’t get you very far in university.
That must be a student of interest. And I take credit for all these puns.
The reason I talk about being balanced is because of its centrality to student health and wellness. Student health and wellness are important because they affect every aspect of life, including the non-academic part.
My goal as the Health & Wellness blogger is to explore and experiment with different ways of staying healthy and well as a student. The point is, going to school doesn’t have to be painful, and nor should it be.
I finish this post then, with the World Health Organization’s definition of “health” and the National Wellness Institute’s definition of “wellness”. These definitions correspond with my personal definitions of these concepts.
Health:
a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.1
Wellness:
Wellness is an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence.2
What is your definition of health and wellness? How do they differ from mine?
Cheers,
Gloria
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