Life presents us with many changes, some of which are uncomfortable. These changes can include taking final exams, going home for the holidays, or ending the semester. Whatever changes you are facing, there are concrete actions you can take to protect and nourish your emotional well-being.

What Is Emotional Well-Being?

Managing your emotions in healthy and constructive ways to cope with life’s challenges.

Maintain Your Emotional Well-Being

When managing your emotional well-being, it’s okay to start small. Try out a few of the exercises below to start on your well-being journey.

• Realistic Locus of Control
  • We all feel varying amounts of control over what is important to us. Feeling too responsible for factors outside of your control can lead to self-blame for things that aren’t your fault. Feeling too little control can lead to feelings of helplessness. If you are facing a difficult change, it can be helpful to journal about that change, and to reflect on the amount of control you realistically have over the outcome. Often, acknowledging the control we do and don’t have can allow us to relax and set realistic expectations.
• Meditation on Connection
  • Changes are stressful, and it is difficult to undergo stress alone. When caught up in the thick of things, it is easy to forget all the people in your present and past who have shown you that they are on your side. Making a list of all of the people you know who have shown you care can remind you of how special and valued you really are. Often, once we remember the people on our side, we feel empowered to handle all sorts of changes.
• Stillness
  • When there are many changes in our life, it is easy to become unfocused and over-whelmed. Meditation can help to focus our minds, even in a short time. Sitting quietly for just 3 minutes can focus your mind and help you to make better choices as you go through life.

Do: Surprise Yourself

Take 4 minutes to write down all the things you enjoy doing. Whether it's scrambling eggs or lying on the floor, don't leave anything out. Once you have a list, number them, and use a random number generator  to randomly select which activitiy you'll do that day. You might be surprised how much delight can come from a little surprise!

Do: Grounding Excercise

Listen: A Student-Run Podcast 

The next episode of the Student Well-Being Podcast features a conversation with Coach Michael Donnellan, a strength coach for the University of Miami spirit squads. Topics that are mentioned include the power of consistency, a schedule, and what body-image can look like for young athletes.

Engage With Your Well-Being

• (De)Stress Fest | Thursday, Dec. 8 | Noon - 3 p.m. | Rock Plaza | Learn More

Check your email every Wednesday for Ibis News to see upcoming events for the week, and view the University events calendarfor a complete listing of on-campus events and programs.