Incorporating movement is a great way to alleviate stress, find community and give students a moment to check in with their mental health. NC State’s WellRec creates opportunities for students to work on their mental and physical health through getting active.
Alexis Steptoe is the assistant director of ThriveWell at WellRec where she finds ways to enhance the campus communities well-being through strategic planning and creative programming.
“Take care of yourself in ways that bring you joy,” Steptoe said. “Move your body in ways that feel good to not only your body, but to your mind. [At WellRec,] we just want to make it as simple as possible.”
Steptoe said movement is an important pillar of stress management and overall wellness.
“A lot of the research that’s out there that will show you that movement is an integral part to a healthy lifestyle,” Steptoe said. “Stress gets trapped in the body and we experience it, we carry it with us. It gets in our neck, it winds up in our mind, we might feel it in our bellies — we’ve got all of this stress that’s kind of trapped in the body. Movement offers an out.”
Lulu Black, a fourth-year in sports management and nonprofit studies, is a student athlete. She is also a part of the ThriveWell team, serving as a wellness assistant providing educational resources to students.
“Movement has served as an outlet for me for as long as I can remember,” Black said. “It’s helped me combat some of the most difficult challenges I have faced, especially in college.”
WellRec creates opportunities for movement for students to utilize, from private fitness studios to fitness classes and wellness coaches that help students navigate challenges through movement. Black wishes students knew more about resources like Wellness Coaching.
“Wellness Coaching provided by ThriveWell is a great resource that often gets overlooked by students at our university,” Black said. “The beauty of this resource is that Wellness Coaches can assist students with whatever it is they need guidance with, including physical well-being, mental well-being, financial well-being, forming new friendships, setting career goals and so much more. Each student at the University has access to four free Wellness Coaching sessions per semester.”
Not everyone is down for a sweat session at WellRec and that’s OK, Steptoe said. There are many ways to get the benefits of moving without doing a hardcore workout.
“We can get movement all throughout our day,” Steptoe said. “Whether you’re an outdoorsy person and you love to go for a walk on the Greenway or if you love to do tai chi out on the lawn — whatever ways help you kind of achieve that balance. Moving in a way that brings you joy allows your body to breathe and clears the cobwebs of the mind.”
Black said finding new ways to incorporate movement is important for enjoyment.
“I believe it’s important for me to discover other ways I like to move,” Black said. “This helps prevent burnout from running, allows me to connect with different people across campus and also enables me to try something new and develop new hobbies.”
Steptoe said it isn’t until we’re presented with challenges that we truly understand the importance of prioritizing our well-being.
“These are the same things that we’ve been talking about for years,” Steptoe said. “I think right now is just an opportune time for us to amplify those messages and be really firm and strong in the fact that we advocate for those things [that make us feel good].”
Physical exercise and movement is a great way to handle stress and can be an important part of a holistic strategy for mental health. Check out the WellRec website to learn more.
