Remember mental health, too! - The Student at Wake Forest University
By: Katie Varga, contributing writer
The school year has begun on the Wake Forest campus, and students are taking advantage of Winston-Salem?s early fall weather by going for jogs on the Reynolda trails or participating in intramural sports in the evenings. Any day of the week, at any time of the day, students can be seen running along the sidewalks lining the academic buildings or getting in some laps around the track. Even professors will joke about the student population?s dedication to physical activity, claiming that Wake Forest students are significantly more concerned with fitness than they were when they were in college. Although this increase in physical awareness may just be a sign of the times, it also may be attributed to Wake Forest?s student life in general. Intramural sports are popular among a majority of students, whether it is flag football in the fall or water polo in the winter. Regardless of whether students know it or not, their involvement in these activities is just another way that Wake Forest students prove that physical activity is important in their day-to-day life. Students constantly request a renovation to the Miller Center, hoping that one day the building will hold more machines and provide more space for students to work out.
In addition to the students? increasing participation in physical activity, they have also shown healthy initiative by requesting healthier food options in campus dining areas. The Pit now houses a variety of healthier food options, including meats that are grilled and baked as opposed to fried, and a ?World?s Fare? area that serves a rotating choice of ethnic foods. The Sundry has introduced a selection of quick, healthy salads and sandwiches that students can grab on the go, and apparently these changes all began with the requests of the students themselves. The stereotypical EasyMac-eating college kid is slowly on its way out, and the adventurous, nutritional eater may be taking its place.
Wake Forest students go above and beyond when it comes to fitness and nutrition, but an aspect of health that may be forgotten in the lives of Wake?s busy scholars is mental health. Stress levels climb around midterm and final exams, but other influential factors about the fall semester may lead to an increased level of anxiety as well; freshman are experiencing their first year away from a familiar environment, seniors are beginning to put thought into their post-graduation plans, and sophomores and juniors attempt to organize their class schedule in order to fulfill requirements. Extracurricular activities can also cause stress levels to skyrocket if too many obligations overlap. Involvement and dedication to academia is important at Wake Forest, but students shouldn?t forget about the resources offered to keep not only their bodies, but also their minds healthy and happy. The Counseling Center is an easily accessible and entirely confidential resource located on-campus. The Learning Assistance Center helps students adapt to the busy college academic schedule, and also offers peer tutoring in almost all subjects.
Students at Wake are becoming more and more concerned with physical health and fitness, which is quite a feat considering the amount of coursework and extracurricular activities which populate the average student?s Daytimer. But aside from physical health, mental health is imperative to a successful school year, so be sure to remember the resources that Wake has made available?and keep your body and mind happy and healthy.
Source: http://wakestudent.com/2011/10/02/remember-mental-health-too/
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