By: Whitney Hopler, Communications Manager, Center for the Advancement of Well-Being
Our center helps people at Mason and beyond thrive together. Let us help you strengthen your well-being through a diverse variety of resources. Whether you’re looking to build community, take care of your mind and body, manage stress, discover meaning, or pursue your purpose, we can help you. We’re here for you on your well-being journey!
Here are 5 ways you can boost your well-being through Mason’s well-being resources:
- Connect with your community: We all need healthy relationships, and at Mason, our community helps each other thrive together. Discover how our diversity makes us strong, through powerful conversations in Rx Racial Healing Circles. Join the kindness revolution happening at Mason through Mason Chooses Kindness.
- Take care of your mental health: Pay attention to your mental health to maintain a mindset that promotes learning and enjoyment. Check out resources from Mason’s Counseling and Psychological Services to strengthen your mental health, and learn how to help others through Mental Health First Aid.
- Take care of your physical health: Help your body thrive through daily habits such as exercising, eating well, taking rest breaks between activities, and getting enough sleep. For example, Mason offers lots of fun ways to strengthen your physical fitness — online classes through Mason BurnAlong, in-person offerings from Mason Recreation, and the Mason Nation Thriving Together 5K.
- Strengthen your ability to manage stress: Learn how to navigate stress by earning your Resilience Badge, a flexible, online program designed to help you adapt to your new environment and thrive in your future. Mindfulness meditation offers many well-being benefits — from less stress to more concentration — so join us for Mindful Mason Moments sessions online or in person.
- Discover meaning and purpose: Put your core values into action by participating in campus organizations featured on Mason 360, including campus ministry and social justice groups. Through Mason’s Strengths Academy, you can find your personal top 5 strengths, and plan how to use those strengths for success in every part of your life.
Research and Resources
Connecting with your community offers a wide variety of benefits, studies show. This Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report explains why people in socially connected communities are more likely than others to thrive.
It’s vital to take care of your mental health in order to experience well-being, research reveals. The National Institute of Mental Health’s website contains a wealth of information about why mental health is important, and how to care for your mental health.
Taking care of your physical health also fuels your well-being. This Mayo Clinic article describes the benefits of exercise, and this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention article explains the benefits of eating well.
Managing stress well becomes easier the more you develop resilience. These Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration resources feature the connections between resilience and stress management.
This Conversation.com article highlights the well-being benefits of discovering meaning. These Greater Good Science Center resources on purpose are backed by well-being science research.
Learn more from our center’s Thriving Together Series articles.
Write one of these Thriving Together Series features! We’re looking for contributions on all topics related to well-being. Read other Thriving Together Series articles here and contact us at cwb@gmu.edu for guidelines. Thank you for helping our Mason community thrive together online!