Summer is a great time to relax from academic stress and a time to recharge. Spiritual well-being is one way we can recharge and take care of ourselves. Spiritual well-being can be thought of in many ways, but we’re going to define it as how we find meaning and purpose in life, which can be ... [Read more...]
The self-care movement has gained momentum in recent years, with popular sayings like “treat yo’ self”. However, at times, there seems to be confusion about what self-care is and how it is not selfishness. At the core of it, self-care is replenishing your resources without depleting someone else’s. Compared to selfishness, which can be thought ... [Read more...]
Sleep in college can be a roller coaster. From assignment deadlines to spending time with friends, there are a number of things that can impact how much sleep you are getting. What you need is a consistent sleep schedule. The dream goal is 8 hours of sleep a night, but if this isn’t feasible, start ... [Read more...]
One of the biggest ways we increase our own stress, anxiety, and guilt is through procrastination – and college students are especially great at procrastination. 🙂 When you procrastinate, you have a weight on your shoulders, and you may repeatedly think about the assignment or work that you are procrastinating. In fact, you may spend ... [Read more...]
There is a lot of hype around substance use on college campuses. Alcohol and marijuana are the top two substances of choice among college students, with almost 50% of college students (18-22 years old) reporting drinking alcohol in the past month and 39% reporting marijuana use. While yes, you are doing your brain a favor ... [Read more...]
Over the past eight weeks we’ve covered all the core components of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). These six core processes (contacting the present moment, defusion, acceptance, values, committed action, and the self-as-context) all work to help create and build psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility is the ability to be fully open to our experiences while ... [Read more...]
In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), there are “senses of self” – There is the thinking self, or the conceptualized self. This is the part of you that makes judgments, plans, and has beliefs and memories. This is also that part of you that generates thoughts about yourself. For example, “I am… young, kind, compassionate, ... [Read more...]
Last week we explored values and how these can guide your life. Values can give you direction and help you to live a more meaningful life. This is easier said than done! Just identifying your values won’t help you to walk down a valued path – you have to commit to action. Committing to action ... [Read more...]
Values are talked about a lot in regards to mental health and wellness, however, values are not always defined the same way. As one of the core components of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, values are how we want to act on an ongoing basis, and this lets us walk down a valued path. This might ... [Read more...]