Physical wellness plays a large part in our lives by dictating what we can and cannot do through how we feel, and though less visible, mental health does so too.
Trevor Carter, program director of the Wellness Program and adjunct nutrition professor, has seen the importance of mental health for students firsthand. He states, “As a professor working for public health, understanding mental health really helps me to understand my students and where they are.”
“A lot of students sometimes can’t come to class . . . [and] if students are having a mental crisis, they are not going to come back to school, they are not going to graduate, they may not even finish a class,” said Carter. “So for the last couple years we have really focused on mental health as a university and seen what we could do to improve our efforts. We have made great strides”
As part of these strides, UVU has provided a new stress reduction room, free for all students. The room is located in the Student Life & Wellness Center, room 211. Carter explained the stress reduction room as, “A safe place for students to . . . take a break out of class, reconnect, reconfigure their brains, [and] just stop for a second.”
The room is described by the UVU Wellness website as, “A safe place for students to take a nap, meditate, practice mindfulness, yoga, light therapy, and aromatherapy.” Inside the room, students can expect to find “dim lighting and relaxing music” in addition to meditation and yoga mats, yoga DVDs, pillows, sand trays, sound machines, as well as other therapeutic services.
If students have any questions about the stress reduction room or mental wellness, Carter states that staff at the Wellness Center are a good place to start.
“I have this job because I am here to serve students. I am not just here for a paycheck. I chose this job because I love what I get to do at this place and so I would rather have students ask questions even if it is at the wrong place,” Carter said. “Just ask questions, and somebody will eventually get you to the right place.”
If you are a student who feels that these amenities would be helpful to you or you have other challenges that you feel need attention, please stop by the Student Wellness Center any time between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. No appointments are necessary.
