Skip to Main Content

Knight-Capron Library Blog

Five Easy Ways to Improve Your Wellness

by Logan Dalton on 2021-03-18T10:00:00-04:00 in General, Health & Physical Education, Health Sciences | 0 Comments

Happy Friday Hornets! We hope you’ve had a good week and also found time to relax and enjoy the people and things you are passionate about. This upcoming Wednesday, March 24, is our third Wellness Day of the semester, and the library is getting in on the fun. 

One our librarians, Abby, is hosting “Stretch Your Stress Away in Knight-Capron” at 3 PM on March 24 where you can relieve your mid-term anxiety with 30 minutes of pilates-inspired stretching. You should wear comfortable clothing, but no equipment or experience is necessary. This is an in-person event in the Capron wing of the library, and attendance will be capped at 12. You can RSVP for the event at this link.

However, if you can’t make the class, here are five quick, easy things you can do to help both your physical and mental health that don’t involve fancy equipment, expensive memberships, or eating only a specific kind of grass for an entire week.

5. Have a cup of tea.

According to this 2019 Healthline article, there are 25 kinds of tea that reduce stress and anxiety. Some popular ones are peppermint, chamomile, and lavender. And the great thing about tea is that it pairs well with most of the other wellness activities in this blog post.

So, grab a cuppa from the Burton Dining Hall, Brewed by the Muse, the grocery store, or even a local coffee shop! 

4. Try out a sleep app.

With all of our responsibilities as well as things like caffeine and the blue light from the various screens that we have to look at to fulfill these responsibilities, it can be hard to get any kind of decent sleep and rest. One way to get better sleep is to use a sleep app on your phone, tablet, computer, or Amazon Alexa device.

There are lots of apps out there, but one of our favorites is Endel. Endel uses pentatonic scales in its ambient sounds and complements your body’s own Circadian rhythms to help you relax. There is even an AI Lullaby function that adjusts based on location, weather, and the amount of light you’re exposed to. Finally, Endel’s soundscapes are created by professional musicians like Grimes, Empress Of, and Washed Out.

3. Write (or draw) your thoughts.

A great way to get your feelings out is to write about them in a journal, blog, or even the Notes app on your phone. You can also depict them visually if that’s more to your lking. This kind of writing isn’t for a grade so don’t get bogged down by spelling, grammar, or sentence structure and just relax.

You can even use William S. Burroughs’ cut-up technique and mix and match pieces of your writing to make something new and creative. This is how David Bowie created a lot of his lyrics.

2. Do something in nature.

One of the perks of living in Lynchburg is its proximity to great natural beauty. You don’t even have to leave the city to check out  the Percival’s Island and Blackwater Creek nature areas. Also, the university is about a 45 minute drive from the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains and hiking opportunities like Peaks of Otter.

However, even if the weather is bad or if you’re not feeling like a hike or a long walk, just looking at pictures of nature or greenery online can help improve your mood according to a 2015 public health journal article so take a Google Images/Maps road trip.

1. Read a book or watch a movie.

Sometimes, you need to escape from the stressful reality of work, school, grades, relationships, and lose yourself in a fictional world for an hour. (Or 24) A 2013 neuroscientific journal article found out that if readers were “emotionally transported” into a story that it could make them more empathetic so reading can help you become a better person too. 

And the library’s here to help you with over a million electronic books and our Browsing Collection that features recent fiction and non-fiction best-sellers. You can check out the Browsing Collection in person on the first floor or look at the books online at this link. You can check out our new DVDs here, and we also have a wide selection of streaming documentaries.


 Add a Comment

0 Comments.

  Subscribe



Enter your e-mail address to receive notifications of new posts by e-mail.


  Archive



  Follow Us



  Facebook
  Twitter
  Instagram
  Return to Blog
This post is closed for further discussion.

title
Loading...