{"id":23319,"date":"2022-12-02T12:55:31","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T12:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=23319"},"modified":"2023-07-10T18:49:20","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T18:49:20","slug":"reducing-stress-for-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2022\/12\/02\/reducing-stress-for-success","title":{"rendered":"Reducing stress for success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The transition from high school to college, while exciting, can also be challenging. The pace is different, the faces are new. For some first-year students, it is the first time they have left home to live on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helping students to manage these challenges is at the core of Mental Health & Student Life: Integrating Well-Being and Academics. The new autumn quarter Discovery Core class was developed by Dr. Sunita Iyer and Dr. Mo West, associate teaching professors in the School of Nursing & Health Studies<\/a>. Their respective work in behavioral health drew them together and inspired them to find a new way to create safe spaces for students to process their stress and to build communities of support to help them throughout their time at the University of Washington Bothell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First-year students this autumn also had the added stressor of re-learning how to learn in person in an actual classroom, after spending their last two years of high school in online or hybrid environments. \u201cIn my NHS classes last year, students were in the classroom but not necessarily \u2018present\u2019,\u201d Iyer said. \u201cIt was almost like they were afraid to speak in class or to speak to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImagine what it must be like for a recent high school graduate to come to college.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designed to support first-year and pre-major students in forming connections with communities of peers and scholars, UW Bothell\u2019s Discovery Core (DCX) classes also help students develop fundamental skills needed to succeed in college, satisfy prerequisite requirements and learn about a range of topics they might consider studying during their academic journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning in community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Sunita Iyer, associate teaching professor, School of Nursing & Health Studies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In shaping the course, Iyer and West considered some of the characteristics unique to their students: UW Bothell is predominantly a commuter school; more than half of incoming students come from populations traditionally underrepresented in higher education; approximately 40% of first-year students are first-generation, meaning they will be the first in their immediate families to earn a four-year degree; almost a third come from lower-income families; and some also live in multigenerational households.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll these factors,\u201d Iyer said, \u201cimpact students\u2019 well-being and affect how they approach their studies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the first DCX course to focus specifically on student mental health. As such, Iyer and West are learning alongside their students about the best tools and activities to offer in the future. Before they could introduce modules such as mindfulness and meditation, for example, they realized they first had to address the fact that many students were coming to class after learning in virtual spaces for two years. \u201cWe had to do some teaching around what it means to be in community, to have face-to-face communication,\u201d said Iyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While overall it has been a refreshing experience for students to move away from being framed in a digital box, West said, \u201cthey had to re-learn how to look each other in the eye when they were in conversation. Body language, facial expressions, tone of voice were live and in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was disconcerting for some,\u201d she said, \u201cand this class has been a safe place for them to practice alongside their peers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being more mindful<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another key component to the class was having students explore together how to manage stress and stay focused through mindfulness \u2014 the practice of being fully present and aware of what is happening in the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here again, Iyer and West had to consider the experiences of their students and acknowledge the varying levels of comfort they could encounter. To some students, the work of pausing to take stock of their environment and be \u201cin the moment\u201d was a foreign concept while to others it was an established coping skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t want this exercise to feel overwhelming,\u201d said Iyer. \u201cMindfulness can be practiced throughout the day in ways that seem small but can be of great benefit to our physiological health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"walkway
As seen on the scavenger hunt: the walkway to the wetlands viewing platform, a perfect setting to de-stress<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As seen on the scavenger hunt: the walkway to the wetlands viewing platform, a perfect setting to de-stress<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key to managing stress, Iyer said, is learning \u201chow to turn the volume down\u201d when a situation is at a heightened state, whether at school or home. \u201cIt won\u2019t change the situation, but it will change how we react to it,\u201d she said. \u201cOften, the impact will be less severe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt school, being mindful will allow students to manage tasks, follow directions, be disciplined, complete and turn in assignments and most importantly, to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the ways students in the course have learned to be mindful include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Breathing with intention.
    \n\tFocus on your breath for one minute, three minutes, five minutes or more. This may not seem like a long time, but research has shown that there are measurable effects after even just one minute. \u201cAnd it\u2019s better than zero,\u201d said Iyer. \u201cThat\u2019s important.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Checking in with your body from head to toe.
    \n\tHow does it feel? Is your neck stiff? Are your shoulders up around your ears? Do your hips feel tight from sitting too long? Are your feet pinched? Your eyebrows? Your elbow? Bringing awareness back to your body can refocus ramped-up mental energy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Going back to the basics, such as brushing your teeth.
    \n\tWhile it seems silly, Iyer said, brushing our teeth is one of the first things we learned at about 15 months old and is one of the first ways we cared for ourselves. The simple act can be very calming \u2014 and can have an impact on the daily experiences and success of students.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Connecting with people<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"Mo
    Mo West, associate teaching professor, School of Nursing & Health Studies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Mo West, associate teaching professor, School of Nursing & Health Studies<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Managing stress also includes knowing the resources and supports that are available when situations arise. To familiarize students with UW Bothell services, Iyer and West invited staff from across campus to serve as guest lecturers. Representatives from the Activities & Recreation Center provided information about exercise equipment, classes and other campus activities. Counselors shared the services available in-person and online. Staff from Disability Resources for Students talked about access and accommodations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cStudents need to know where they can turn when they are in distress,\u201d Iyer said. \u201cWe want them to know that whatever they\u2019re going through \u2014 academically, emotionally, physically, financially \u2014 there are people here at UW Bothell who can help them or direct them to other services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To further help students become familiar with the resources, Iyer and West designed a scavenger hunt that would bring students to buildings and offices where they would find what they needed. Students took photos of themselves and shared them with the other students in class to deepen their connections to each other. \u201cWe made learning fun and productive,\u201d West, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The faculty also engage first-year students in group work, a foundational element in most UW Bothell classes. The class is divided into groups that are each assigned a chapter in the book, \u201cThe Mindful College Student\u201d by Eric Loucks, one of the sources for developing the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Each week, a different student in each group facilitates a class discussion, giving everyone opportunities to learn how to lead, listen, ask questions and engage an audience. \u201cThis sets them up for success in their other classes,\u201d said Iyer. \u201cWhether it\u2019s in another first-year class that involves group projects or in their final year working with a capstone team, practicing the dynamics of group work at the university level is highly beneficial.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Practicing what they teach<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    As autumn progressed, so did the learning and coping skills of the faculty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"The
    As seen on the scavenger hunt: the Health & Wellness Resource Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    At the beginning of the quarter, for example, West was in a car accident that is requiring a long recovery. \u201cYou can bet I\u2019ve used the mindfulness exercises at least as much as the students,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is the kind of thing we help them get through, these unexpected events that life sends our way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cI hope some of the modules are sticking with them so should they encounter difficulty big or small, they can step back and turn down the volume,\u201d West said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Adds Iyer, \u201cI always tell my students that I teach because I love to learn. I am learning so much from this and my own work has been transformed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A new Discovery Core course integrates information about both academics and well-being so that first-year students can build a community of support to help them throughout their time at UW Bothell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[202,229,197,204],"tags":[],"school":[420],"class_list":["post-23319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campus-news","category-faculty","category-news-releases","category-students","school-school-of-nhs"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"Contact Type","email":"sample@uwb.edu","phone":"(206) 999-9999","box":"Box 358500","address_line_1":"18115 Campus Way NE","address_line_2":"Bothell, WA 98011-8246","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nReducing stress for success - 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