Wellness and Health Advocacy

Emotional wellness

The ability to share and understand feelings of fear, anger, sadness or stress, hope, love, joy and happiness

Components of Emotional Wellness:

• Subjective sense of well-being: ability to recognize and appropriately express a wide range of emotions (such as anger, fear, happiness, disgust, sadness, and surprise)
• Awareness: recognizing your feelings, as well as the feelings of others
• Acceptance: Understanding the normality of human emotion and realistically assessing personal abilities and limitations
• Management: The ability to manage or cope with personal feelings and knowing how to seek interpersonal support when necessary

Resources on campus:

• Counseling & Testing Center  (2106 Centennial Hall; 608.785.8073) 
  The Counseling & Testing Center offers individual, group, and couples counseling for UWL students that can help students recognize, express, and cope with feelings. Stop by the Relaxation Room, located in the Counseling & Testing office, to learn powerful relaxation methods that can combat stress and anxiety and help manage difficult feelings.
• Student Health Center  (1st floor Health Science Center; 608.785.8558) 
  Providers at the Student Health Center can help you manage feelings through medical treatment and by improving physical wellness (exercise, sleep, eating habits) that could impact your emotional health.
• Office of Student Life  (149 GRAFF HALL; 608.785.8062) 
  The Student Life Office provides advising and referral services, communication with faculty regarding student absences, conflict resolution, and legal services. Staff at the Student Life Office can help advocate for you if you are experiencing emotional health problems. The Student Life Office also oversees withdrawals from the university.
• Pride Center  (PC, 2216 Student Union; pridecenter@uwlax.edu) 
  The Pride Center shall foster a safe environment for LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff, educate the campus and community on issues and advocate for student success and inclusivity. Staff at the Pride Center can support emotional health for LGBTQ+ members.
• Violence Prevention & Wellness Office  (149 Graff Hall; 608.785.8062) 
  UW-La Crosse recognizes that violence in any form interferes with the work and learning taking place in our community. Someone who experiences sexual assault, violence or abuse in a relationship, or stalking often finds that they have difficulty focusing on work or on their studies.  The Student Life Violence Prevention Specialist is here to assist individuals with advocacy, information and support, so that they can make informed choices about the options available to them in these situations.  Services are free, confidential, and available to all UWL students, faculty, and staff members.
• Office of Multicultural Student Services  (OMSS, 1101 Centennial Hall; 608.785.8225) 
  OMSS provides services for UWL multicultural students, including leadership, advocacy, advising, programming, and support. Staff at OMSS can support your emotional health by promoting human understanding, shared values, and respect for individual differences and similarities.  
• Office of International Education  (1209 Centennial Hall; 608.785.8016) 
  The Office of International Education oversees international programs at UWL, including recruiting, advising, and supporting international students and coordinating study abroad programs. Staff at the Office of International Education can support emotional health for international students and students studying abroad.
•   It Make$ Cents!  Money Management Center (2103 Centennial Hall; 608.785.8852) 
  It Make$ Cents! Money Management Center encourages students to get to know us and learn how we can help grow their personal financial awareness. Our goal is to provide students with the necessary financial life-skills needed for life and for their own financial well-being. We offer weekly workshops that teach money management skills including: budgeting, student loans, saving, managing credit, banking, investing, and preventing identity theft. We have IMC! Peer Mentors that are here to answer any financial questions or concerns that you have.
• Leadership and Involvement Center  (221 Cartwright Center; 608.785.6600) 
  The Leadership and Involvement Center provides opportunities to enrich your life through participation in student organizations and volunteer projects. Getting involved can result in personal growth and boost your emotional wellness. To get involved with activities that you enjoy, email the Leadership and Involvement Center (LIC) at, involvement@uwlax.edu; join the LIC on MyOrgs; follow the LIC on Twitter, @uwl_involvement; and "Like" UWL Leadership and Involvement Center on Facebook!
• Recreational Eagle Center  (608.785.5225) 
  Exercise is a key component to reducing stress and maintaining emotional health. The Rec offers facilities for exercise, fitness classes, intramural sports, and personal training.
• Active Minds
  Active Minds is a UWL student organization that promotes awareness of mental health issues and reduction of stigma about mental health. Active Minds promotes emotional wellness for college students and lives out their motto of "Laugh More".

Resources in the community:

• Gundersen Lutheran Behavioral Health Services  |  Onalaska
  Gundersen Lutheran clinics in La Crosse and Onalaska provide individual counseling services that can help you recognize, express, and cope with feelings.  
• Mayo Clinic Behavioral Health Services  |  Onalaska
  Mayo clinics in in La Crosse and Onalaska provide individual counseling services that can help you recognize, express, and cope with feelings.  
• Coulee Council on Addictions
  Coulee Council offers substance abuse counseling for individuals concerned about alcohol and/or drug use. They also provide information about local support groups (e.g., AA, NA).
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
  The National Alliance on Mental Illness La Crosse Chapter focuses on improving emotional health and providing support to individuals with family or friends that experience emotional health problems.
• Great Rivers 2-1-1
  24/7 hotline that provides information about community resources, referrals, and crisis counseling.

Online Resources:

• Learn About Emotional Wellness
  This list of self-help resources can be a starting point to learning about emotional wellness as well as common strategies to improve emotional wellness.
• http://www.investigatinghealthyminds.org/
  Learn about research being conducted at UW-Madison to explore healthy attributes of well-being, such as compassion and mindfulness.
• http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx
  Learn about resilience (where people adapt to difficult situations) and how to increase your own resilience.
• http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201205/the-complete-guide-understanding-your-emotions
  Understand how emotions work.
• http://www.bringchange2mind.org/
  This movement works to end the stigma against mental illness.
• Test Your Emotional Wellness
  This resource provides information about happiness, work-life balance, and managing stress and improving emotional health. Also, you can complete questionnaires regarding your emotional intelligence.
• http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx
  Learn about Positive Psychology, which is an area of psychology that focuses on emotional well-being. You can complete questionnaires regarding your emotional health and strengths.
• http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/screening/ADMHN
  Complete anonymous screening questionnaires about common mental health problems.
• http://www.ulifeline.org/uwlax/self_evaluator
  Complete anonymous screening questionnaires about common mental health problems. 
• Suicide Prevention
  This resource provides information about suicide prevention and 24/7 crisis counseling via phone or internet.
• www.thetrevorproject.org
  This resource provides crisis counseling and suicide prevention services to LGBT students through phone, online chat, or text message.
• http://www.greatrivers211.org/
  This 24/7 hotline provides information about La Crosse area community resources, referrals, and also provides crisis counseling.
• http://www.lacrossesuicideprevention.org/
  This resource provides information about La Crosse area suicide prevention initiatives.
• http://www.suicidology.org/resources/mutlimedia-resources/suicide-warning-signs
  Learn the warning signs of suicide.
• Relax and Become Inspired
  Use this website to learn simple relaxation and meditation techniques to reduce stress and increase emotional well-being.
• https://www.meditationoasis.com/
  Use this website to learn additional meditation techniques.
• https://www.ted.com/
  TED Talks provide inspiration and informational videos on a variety of topics related to emotional health and well-being.
• http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm
  Learn additional strategies to cope with stress.
• Provide Support to Others
  Complete anonymous screening questionnaires about the symptoms of someone you are concerned about (check the box indicating you are concerned about a friend).
• https://www.jedfoundation.org/mental-health-resource-center/
  Learn about common mental health struggles, warning signs of mental health struggles, and how to be supportive.
• http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/html/crisis.html
  Learn tips on what to do and what not to do if someone is in crisis.
• http://www.ulifeline.org/uwlax/help_a_friend
  Learn ways to help your friends, including how to respond to messages they share on social media websites.
• Join an Online Support Group
  Provides information about how to join an online depression and bipolar support group.
• http://psychcentral.com/
  Provides information about non-profit and free online forums about a variety of emotional health concerns.

Physical wellness

Optimal physical wellness requires exercising to improve strength, flexibility, & endurance; eating well, avoiding alcohol abuse & other harmful habits, taking care of one's sexual health, getting enough sleep, medical self-care & utilizing professional medical attention when needed, & taking steps to prevent injury. Feeling & looking good contribute to enhanced self-esteem & self-control.

Financial Wellness involves the process of learning how to successfully manage financial expenses.

Money plays a critical role in our lives and impacts our health and wellbeing as well as academic performance. Financial stress is repeatedly found to be a common source of stress, anxiety and fear for college students.

Tips for managing your financial wellness:

1. Keep track of expenses so you know where your money goes
2. Make a budget and stick to it 
3. Reach out to campus resources like the Financial Aid Office and It Make$ Cents! for help understanding your financial aid package, plan for student loans, and tips on personal budgeting

Spiritual wellness

Spiritual Wellness looks different for different people, but at its foundation, spiritual wellness is discovering a sense of meaningfulness in your life. It provides the capacity to love, have compassion for others, practice forgiveness, and feel joy and fulfillment. 

Many factors play a part in defining your spirituality- religious faith, personal beliefs, values, ethics, principles, and morals. Some people gain spirituality by growing their relationships with others or with a faith-based community, or through being at peace with nature. Just like our physical health, a healthy spirit is nurtured by practice; prayer, meditation, yoga, or mindfulness, to name a few. However you practice, spirituality allows us to find inner peace and build resilience in the face of difficulty.

Signs of spiritual wellness include:

• Having a sense of purpose in life
• Ability to spend reflective time alone
• Taking time to reflect on the meaning of events in life
• Having a clear sense of right and wrong and acting in accordance
• Caring and acting for the welfare of others and the environment
• Being able to practice forgiveness and compassion in life 

If you feel like your Spiritual Wellness could use some care and attention, there are resources on campus and in the La Crosse area for you to check out. You can also make an appointment with Wellness to talk more about ways to nurture your spiritual health. Email us at wellness@uwlax.edu to schedule an appointment.

Resources on campus:

• Common Ground Campus Ministry
• Diamond Way Buddhist Club
• CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ)
• Chinese Bible Study Fellowship
• Christian Collegians 
• Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS)
• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
• JC's Village
• Newman Catholic Students

Resources in the community:

• Hmong Faith Alliance 
• River of Life Assembly of God
• First Baptist Church
• First Evangelical Free Church
• St. Elias Eastern Orthodox Church
• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
• Faith Lutheran Church
• Island Park Baptist
• Christ Episcopal Church
• Roncalli Newman Center
• Congregation Sons of Abraham
• La Crosse Mosque
• First Presbyterian Church
• Seventh Day Adventist
• Society of Friends
• Point of Grace Community Church (Non-Denominational)
• Franciscan Spirituality Center
• Churches in La Crosse area

Social & cultural wellness

The ability to establish, relate, and connect with positively with other people (family, friends, co-workers, etc.)

Having a supportive social network, contributing to society, and valuing cultural diversity. 
The social dimension encourages contributing to one's environment and community. It emphasizes the interdependence between others and nature. As you travel a wellness path, you will become more aware of your importance in society as well as the impact you have on multiple environments. You will take an active part in improving our world by encouraging healthier living and initiating better communication with those around you. You will actively seek ways to preserve the beauty and balance of nature along the pathway as you discover the power to make willful choices to enhance personal relationships, important friendships, and build a better living space and community. Social wellness follows these tenets:

• It is better to contribute to the common welfare of our community than to think only of ourselves.
• It is better to live in harmony with others and our environment than to live in conflict with them.

Resources on campus:

• Student Organizations & Clubs

Environmental wellness

The ability to make a positive impact and be responsible for our air, water, and land.

Learning and contributing to the health of the planet and a sustainable lifestyle. The ability to recognize our responsibility for the quality of the air, the water and the land. The ability to make a positive impact on our environment, be it our homes, our communities or our planet. Helping to eliminate or reduce or protect one's self from exposure to toxic chemicals.

Resources on campus:

• Joint Committee on Environmental Sustainability

Resources in the community:

• Green La Crosse

Career & academic wellness

The desire to contribute in our careers to make a positive impact on the organizations we work in while still maintaining balance in our lives

The ability to get personal fulfillment from our jobs or our chosen career fields while still maintaining balance in our lives.

The occupational dimension recognizes personal satisfaction and enrichment in one's life through work. At the center of occupational wellness is the premise that occupational development is related to one's attitude about one's work. Traveling a path toward your occupational wellness, you will contribute your unique gifts, skills, and talents to work that are both personally meaningful and rewarding. You will convey your values through your involvement in activities that are gratifying for you. The choice of profession, job satisfaction, career ambitions, and personal performance are all important components of your path's terrain. Occupational wellness follows these tenets:

• It is better to choose a career which is consistent with our personal values, interests, and beliefs than to select one that is unrewarding to us.
• It is better to develop functional, transferable skills through structured involvement opportunities than to remain inactive and uninvolved.

Resources on campus

• Career Services  (1140 Centennial Hall)
• Cooperative Education & Internship Program http://www.uwlax.edu/Career-Services/Why-do-an-internship-/
    

   

Academic wellness

The ability to effectively learn and use information for personal, family and career development. Getting the most out of classes and education by asking questions, being open to new ideas, learning new skills, and studying effectively. The intellectual dimension recognizes one's creative, stimulating mental activities. A well person expands their knowledge and skills while discovering the potential for sharing their gifts with others. Using intellectual and cultural activities in the classroom and beyond the classroom combined with the human resources and learning resources available within the university community and the larger community, a well person cherishes intellectual growth and stimulation. Traveling a wellness path, you will explore issues related to problem solving, creativity, and learning. You will spend more time pursuing personal interests, reading books, magazines, and newspapers, while keeping abreast of current issues and ideas. As you develop your intellectual curiosity, you will actively strive to expand and challenge your mind with creative endeavors. Intellectual wellness follows these tenets:

• It is better to stretch and challenge our minds with intellectual and creative pursuits than to become self-satisfied and unproductive.
• It is better to identify potential problems and choose appropriate courses of action based on available information than to wait, worry, and contend with major concerns later.

Resources on campus:

• Counseling & Testing Center  (2106 Centennial Hall)
• Academic Advising Center http://www.uwlax.edu/academic-advising-center/
• Murphy Learning Center http://www.uwlax.edu/Murphy-Learning-Center/