Weekly Wellness November 2016 Volume 1 Camille Janin

A familiar face to our volunteers and interns and a Dog Therapy Day regular, Sammy the Golden Retriever always makes people smile.

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The Weekly Wellness

Your Favorite Furry Friends Are Back!

In This Issue:

Page 1: Your Favorite Furry Friends Are Back! Page 2: Rejuvenation Station, Staff Spotlight & Mindfulness Page 3: Student Spotlights & Yoga Nights Page 4: Upcoming Events

The Weekly Wellness is the official newsletter of UCSB’s Everyday Health and Wellness campus organization. Health and Wellness promotes the mental, physical, and social health of all students by enhancing individual skills and positive relationships with families, peers, and the UCSB/Isla Vista community.

The Weekly Wellness is your #1 source for Health and Wellness news!

Each year, our Health and Wellness team brings certified Service Dogs to campus during our most popular event of the quarter, Dog Therapy Day. The dogs we bring to campus are trained to offer companionship, comfort, and other services to their owners, and they share their friendly mannerism with all the Gauchos that attend the event.

Each year, Dog Therapy Day attracts over 3,000 UCSB students - please note that while Health and Wellness does open many of their events to the Isla Vista community, this event is reserved for the UCSB student and faculty body only. Each quarter, students flock from all over campus to the Student Resource Building lawn for a chance to pet and take pictures with these playful dogs.

As if simply interacting with sweet puppies wasn’t enticing enough, there are plenty of other reasons as to why you should come to this event. The owners of the dogs make for great conversation and interactions as well, and many give students free collectable baseball cards with their dogs photo and information on it. Talk about an adorable souvenir from the event! How many can you collect?

Dog Therapy Day is also a great way to reconnect with your friends outside of the classroom or library. We all know that one person who completely hunkers down in the library during Dead Week and rarely takes any breaks from studying. Whether this describes you or a friend of yours, our event is a great excuse is break out of that cycle, get some fresh air, and hangout with friends for a little bit.

This year, the event will be on December 1st from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm. Can’t make it right when the event starts at 11 am? Don’t worry, there are plenty of dogs to go around! We bring between 15-20 dogs to Dog Therapy Day due to its popularity and to keep student waiting times down to a minimum. Many students stop by on their way to class, so even if you’re busy or just passing by, you will still be able to play with one of the puppies even if it’s

just for 5 minutes.

This year, the pups are coming back to campus right before everyone settles in for finals week. What better way is there to ease into the end of the quarter than by playing with some sweet and playful pups? Don’t worry, you can thank us later.

Be on the lookout for the Facebook event page; once you see it, make sure you invite all your friends for a day of fun at Dog Therapy Day. See you all then!

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We Love Yoga!

Grab your yoga mat, slip on your Lulu’s, and bring a friend to our

weekly yoga sessions.

See pg 3 for more details

Practice Mindfulness & Meditation

Continued on page 3

Say Hello to This Week’s Staff Spotlight: Sharleen O’Brain

This month’s staff spotlight goes to the Director of Health and Wellness, Sharleen O’Brain, Psy.D. Dr. O’Brian grew up in Petaluma, CA and received her doctorate from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, where she focused on integration of eastern and western perspectives in the study of clinical psychology. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and has worked in the Santa Barbara/Goleta community for the past ten years.

Her previous work includes Core Faculty and Director of Clinical Training at Antioch University, Clinical Director at New Beginnings Counseling Center, and Project Manager at Santa Barbara County Alcohol, Drug, & Mental Health Services.

Dr. O’Brien brings a deep commitment to promoting well-being in our UCSB community. She brings her administrative and management expertise to her role as the Director of Health and Wellness. Sharleen is excited to contribute to campus-wide initiatives that will support and promote thriving at UCSB and in the Isla Vista community.

In Need of Some Rest & Relaxation During Dead Week? We Gaucho Back!

It’s that time of the quarter again….Dead Week is upon us! One of the keys to success is having a well rested body and mind, which can be especially hard to attain in bustling Isla Vista. But fear not, Gauchos, as Health and Wellness is bringing you the quarterly Rejuvenation Station this week!

Come to the Student Resource Building on Tuesday, November 29th from 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm for your free 15 minute massage from a certified massage therapist. Sign in at the reception desk and let the rest and relaxation begin. Long line ahead of you? No problem - help yourself to a fresh cup of cucumber infused water and head over to our designated meditation and waiting area, and your massage therapist will come get you shortly.

Take on your finals with a clear mind and rested body. We bring top massage therapists to campus just for you at this quarterly event, so tell your friends and come get relaxed.

Snack goodie bags, stress balls, hot tea, and other refreshments are always provided - the only thing that’s missing is you!

Find out what it’s like to work for Health and Wellness in our latest Student Spotlight!

See pg 3 for how to get involved, and more

Practice Mindfulness & Meditation - Namaste, Gauchos

What comes to your mind when you hear the word mindfulness? Interest, watchfulness, enthusiasm, conscientiousness…do any of these ring a bell? Mindfulness is a pretty straightforward word, and it suggests that the mind is fully attending to what is happening around you, to what you’re doing, and to the space you’re moving through. Why is being mindful good? Why is it important for you to practice it?

As students and in our everyday life, daily stresses make our minds take flight, causing us to lose touch with our bodies and leave us feeling engrossed in obsessive thoughts about things that just happened, have happened in the past, or worrying about the future. All of this causes anxiety, which can be very detrimental to our wellbeing.

When practiced, mindfulness has the power to become a transformative social phenomenon. It brings awareness and caring into everything we do, and it cuts down on needless stress - even practicing a little has the power to make our lives better!

Here are a few things you should know about mindfulness: • Anyone can do it - that means yes, even you can • It’s a way of living • It’s evidence based - both science and experience

demonstrates its positive benefits on our health, happiness, work, and relationships

• It sparks innovation - it can lead us to effective, resilient, low-cost responses to seemingly unshakeable problems

While mindfulness is natural, this practice can be cultivated through proven techniques such as seated, walking, or standing meditation. It’s important to remember that meditation begins, and ends in the body: it involves taking the time to pay attention to where we are and what’s going on, and that starts with being aware of our body.

Never meditated before? Don’t worry, our guided sessions will cover all the basics you need to know to start practicing. Practice makes perfect, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t feel enlightened or fulfilled after your first try. Meditation may seem easy, but it does require patience and practice.

Lexi, left, and Noelle, right, recently accompanied over 20 UCSB students on an organized field trip to our local Lane Pumpkin Patch.

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Practice Mindfulness & Meditation - Continued From Page 2

Here are a few tips to begin practicing meditation: • Sit down in a comfortable position • Straighten your upper body • Situate your upper arms parallel to your upper body • Drop your chin & let your gaze fall gently downward • Relax - be there for a few moments

If you’re still feeling hesitant about attending one of our guided sessions, check out some of these scientifically proven benefits of mindfulness and meditation: • Connect better with others • Lower your stress levels • Focus your mind • Reduce brain chatter • Understand any pain you may be experiencing

At Health and Wellness, we strive to foster optimal student wellbeing, and in light of this commitment, we are excited to bring you our weekly mindfulness meditation sessions. If you’re ready to gain some control over your stress and anxiety, then grab your yoga mat and come to the Student Resource Building’s multi-purpose room every Tuesday from 6:00 - 7:30 pm to get your zen on.

Gaucho Spotlights - What’s It Like To Work For Us? A Chat with Lexi and Noelle

Lexi, a 4th year Biopsychology major, has been a part of Health and Wellness since her Sophomore year. Ever the busy collegiate, we were able to have a few words with her about what she likes most about working with us:

Q: What exactly do you do here at Health and Wellness? A: Well, I’m an intern for the organization, so that means I get to participate in tabling events, I get to help organize and coordinate special events such as our free HIV testing day, and our field trips. The most recent event I helped coordinate and chaperon was our field trip to Lane Pumpkin Patch, where students got to spend the day getting to know each other, taking pictures at the patch, and doing the corn maze. It was a ton of fun.

Q: How did you first hear about Health and Wellness? A: I first heard about the organization during my freshman year when student volunteers came to my dorm (Santa Catalina) during the Week of Welcome to talk to us about how we were adjusting to life away from home, and to talk to us about all the resources they have to offer UCSB students. I could tell that they really cared about us, and from then on I tried to attend as many of their events as possible because I really wanted to get involved with them.

Q: What do you like most about working in Health and Wellness? A: To be honest, my favorite part is being able to access and attend all the awesome events we put on. That, coupled with getting to work with other students that care about health and wellbeing as much as I do is by far my favorite part about being an intern for this organization. Everyone that works here is so nice and fun; we’re definitely a goofy group, but we all work very well together and we make big things happen on campus.

Lulu’s, Yoga Mats, and Friends - Ole!

Noelle is a 4th year Econ. and Accounting major, and is a transfer student. We were able to have a moment to discuss why she feels Health and Wellness is a valuable organization to have here on campus:

“As a transfer student, no one tells you or prepares you for the sometimes difficult adjustment students go through during their transition from…” (Continued on pg 4)

As a part of our ongoing commitment to student wellbeing, we are excited to share with you that our weekly yoga nights are back! What better way to end your weeks than by practicing and perfecting your poses? Release the stress of your week and slip into your favorite pair of LuluLemon's, grab your yoga mat, and come to the Student Resource Building every Friday to work on your yoga.

Yoga has been proven time and time again to have numerous benefits. Here are some of our favorites: • Improves your flexibility • Builds muscle strength - because who doesn't want to tone

up? • Perfects your posture • Protects your spine • Drops your blood pressure • Makes you happier • Helps your focus

With so many more proven benefits to practicing yoga, what are you waiting for! Our weekly yoga sessions are held in the multi-purpose room of the Student Resource Building every Friday from 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm. Yoga runs from 5:00 - 6:00, and from 6:00 - 6:30 we have a student social where you can meet new fellow yogis and sip on some fresh hot tea while you socialize. Due to the size of the room, we cap our sessions at 50 students - so be sure you RSVP to each date you’re interested in attending on our Facebook page. We can’t wait to see you all there.

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Gaucho Spotlights: Noelle - Continued From Page 3

“…community college to the UC system. I can tell you from personal experience that I had a really difficult time adjusting to the quarter system, and I also struggled to make friends in my housing community.

When I came to UCSB, I honestly had never felt more alone, stressed out, and depressed in my entire life. After my first quarter here, I had enough of feeling like that, so I decided to research campus organizations that I could get involved with. I really was just looking for my niche, and I wanted to find a way I could help make a difference in the lives of other students that could be experiencing what I had gone through. No one deserves to feel that alone. I really wanted to help, and that’s how I found Health and Wellness.

I attended a few of their events and workshops, and it didn’t take long for me to decide that this was the organization I was looking for, and that this was where I belonged. I volunteered for a couple of their events and volunteered to participate in community outreach programs in Isla Vista, and the rest is history! I was offered a position as an intern, and here I am now.

So, to answer your question, I think Health and Wellness is extremely important to have here on campus because of the services we provide, and the resources we can connect students with. Our events are designed to bring students together and are designed to facilitate the creation of new friendships and the learning of important life skills. College can be really difficult for some people; everyone says that your college years should be the best years of your life, and Health and Wellness is here to make sure that that rings true for all our Gauchos.”

Keep An Eye Out For These Upcoming Events

Connect With Us - We Love Social Media

Instagram: ucsbHealthWellness Snapchat: ucsbWellness

Facebook: UCSB Health & Wellness Twitter: ucsbHealthWellness

Follow us on social media to stay up to date with our latest and greatest upcoming events. Be sure to read the description of each as some events have limited space and require you to RSVP online. Here are a few things to look out for next quarter (dates and times TBD): • DIY Mindfulness Jars • Wellness Workshops • Community Mindfulness Practice • U Can Sleep Better Challenge • Earth Day Tea Talk & Succulents • Hookups & Pizza Workshop • Free Zumba Class

Hear What Others Are Saying About Health & Wellness

“All I know about Health & Wellness is that they put on Dog Therapy Day, therefore they are awesome in my book.” - Parker, 18

“I always see volunteers out on campus holding signs telling students that we’re beautiful and that we are important. It’s a small thing to do but it makes a big difference in my day.” - Bianca, 21

“The power we hold to be able to make a lasting impact and difference in our students lives as a campus organization is what keeps me coming to work every day. This is what it’s all about. This is why I’m here.” - Cynthia, 34

Pins from the week of Body Positivity were distributed all over campus, each with encouraging notes on them.

Volunteers Crystal and Nate handing out flowers to the UCSB community during our Random Acts of Kindness event.

Health & Wellness’ 2016-2017 team of interns

Thanks for reading; we’ll see you back here next week! - Health & Wellness team