Unwind Your Mind, Bro.

I’m a student. You, you might be a student. Being a student, and it being December, means it is nearly finals. For some, finals start now. For others, finals start seemingly forever from now. For other others, they have other circumstances. But the stress is real. So is Unwind Your Mind.

Both mental and physical wellness (or, just wellness in general) are very serious, and often ignored issues. It’s finals. You wake up. You study. You skip leg day (bro!). You eat coffee. You go to bed. You go on reddit. You go back to bed. You watch season 3 of Archer. You go to school. 

Brutal.


But the team responsible for Unwind Your Mind (shout out to Melissa and her crack squad of awesome people) are teaming up with libraries to bring the wellness to you. I sat down with them to get a sneak peek into UYM and left actually excited for finals. The programming is freaking fantastic, and better yet, it’s everywhere. Running from December 1st to the 12th, librarians, student service staff, and over 50 volunteers are going to be dishing out granola bars and puppies to help you (and me) have a more enjoyable finals season. 

Don’t have time to hit the gym? Well don’t freak out about it, because Melissa and the gang are going to hit YOU with the gym. “Actually?” YES ACTUALLY. You’re not going find a squat rack on first floor Cameron, but you will find a yoga class happening basically every day. What else? How about blind folded painting. Or wisdom corners – where you might get help with your writing, or learn something about meditation (depending on the day).  The programming is super extensive, so I’ll just leave this link here and let you figure out what you want to do. 

http://uofa.ualberta.ca/current-students/healthy-campus-unit/unwind-your-mind

The idea behind Unwind Your Mind is great, and as a student, I appreciate it. Generally speaking, a lot of us, drop “us” when finals come around. We forget to do what makes everyday life so great. We stop working out. We don’t eat well. We stop seeing friends. Again – I say generally, so don’t get all offended. UYM is just looking to help bring that stuff back. And what’s even nicer to hear is that the already awesome librarians are incredibly “stoked” to be helping – and can’t wait to see your faces.

Mmmm... pillows and snacks.

So a shout out to all the partners helping with UYM, and to Melissa, Juanita, and the whole UYM squad. Also, there’s going to be a photo contest, where if you take a photo doing something UYM, post it somewhere, and hashtag #UYM, you could win some stuff. Melissa also mentioned trying to help develop tools for faculties and other groups to make UYM a year-round thing. Really, Unwind Your Mind should be year-round. Students always start University on such a high, and end on such a low. This helps makes that high part of the end, and not just the beginning. Good luck with your finals y’all: I hope to see you at the “learn to knit” class. 

----About the Author

Shadi

Hey readers! My name is Shadi and I'm currently doing a double major in Mathematics and Economics - an amalgamation of the two most enjoyable fields fathomable.  

Now - pull up an ear and listen reader: there lives a thriving ecosystem of academia addicts and campus-culture aficionados throughout the U of A, and I'm hoping to get these stories to you. I'm hoping we can on some level create more pride in our university through what really matters: the students. Me? Yes - you! You matter. I want people to hear of what academic triumphs students are achieving, and what new initiatives leaders across campus are championing. Also, from time to time, I’ll try to make you smile with “humor”. I'm looking forward to the semester and being a part of this team, as well as learning more about what's happening across our campus!