Habits That Stick
Bauer Embedded CAPS Counselor Shares Wellness Tips
When it comes to maintaining healthy habits, C. T. Bauer College of Business Embedded CAPS Clinician Kia Batiste is reminding students that mental health is foundational to physical health.
No matter the time of year, Batiste encourages students to keep wellness in mind while pursuing goals. If students neglect their mental wellness, Batiste said it may be harder to accomplish their other aspirations. If students don’t know where to start, Batiste shared some tips of simple wellness practices to incorporate.
“Check in with yourself emotionally through tools like journaling or reflecting on challenges and successes,” Batiste said. “You can prioritize those healthy and supportive relationships through maintaining social connections.”
She added: “Also set your boundaries between rest, school and extracurricular activities. Lastly, you can incorporate practices such as deep breathing, meditation and grounding techniques to promote relaxation.”
Students can further learn about these techniques through free app resources offered by CAPS, including Togetherall and Welltrack Boost. In order to make mental health habits stick, Batiste recommends embedding brief practices, like short walks or deep breathes, into daily routines.
“Keep in mind that what you implement should be sustainable and attainable,” she said. “Starting off too big, too soon could be overwhelming, which is not what we want. The idea is to start slowly, take those baby steps and be realistic about what you're asking of yourself.”
Kia's Top Tips
- Check in with yourself emotionally
- Set boundaries between rest, school and other activities
- Incorporate grounding techniques
- Use free resources offered through CAPS
- Prioritize a few attainable goals
- Meet with a licensed clinician through the Let's Talk program
If students are feeling overwhelmed by their goals, Batiste encourages them to reflect on what adjustments could make the goals more incorporable. She also suggests that students prioritize the few goals that are currently most important to them.
“You could break down those larger goals into smaller, more manageable ones,” she said. “Another great tool to utilize is dropping into Let's Talk to review some of these goals with a licensed clinician in a confidential space, so that you can get real-time feedback.”
Bauer College students can visit Batiste’s drop-in hours on Mondays from 2-5 p.m. in Melcher Hall (Room 305).
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