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Wellness Bulletin Winter 2012

Page 1

W i nte r

2012

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs

The winter season may be filled with ski getaways and snowball fights in the quad. For others the season seems to drag as the winter blues set in! Winter in New England is cold and unpredictable. Leaving your warm bed to go to class or attend events may be last thing you want to do on a day that is below freezing. Here are some quick tips to beat the winter blues.

3– Reconnect with a Friend or Family Member: If you

1– Exercise and Stay Active: Check out the exercise

4– Eat Consciously: Make healthy dietary choices and

classes offered at Simmons or the Simmons pool hours. Make a training appointment with Ron in Athletics or go for a walk. 2– Pray or Meditate: You do not have to be religious to give yourself 10 minutes a day INSIDE THIS ISSUE to relax, re-center Research Spot light: Stress and and to breathe. Disordered Eating in College ..…….........2 Check out the Negative and Positive Body Image..…....2 Busy Person’s A Quick Minute with Professor Weiss…..2 Moment offered by campus Gaining Control of Your Emotions.……..3 ministry. Enhance Your Motivation….………...…..3

haven’t seen a friend from high school in a while, consider planning a visit to his or her school or home town. avoid emotional eating.

5– Live in the Present: Focus on the positive things or people in your life right now. Work on letting go of the past and stop projecting too far into the future. 6– Have Fun! Make time to do nothing or to hang out with a friend. The goal is to strike a balance between work and play.

7– Get Involved in the Community: Boost your self-esteem and help others at the same time by serving in your community. See Deirdre in Campus Ministry for volunteer opportunities in the Boston area. Even an hour a week is great!

In and Around the COF……........……....4 Single on Valentines Day? ……………...4

Logo created by Allie Hoffman


The American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) identifies three categories of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Briefly, anorexia is described as self starvation, an obsessive desire to lose weight and a disordered body image. Bulimia is described as consuming large amounts of food or over eating followed by purging or using laxatives to rid your body of the calories. Lastly, binge eating disorder is characterized by a cycles of overeating in the absence of purging. Eating disorders have three components: psychological (i.e.

obsession, unstable environment, stress is related to eating disorders. emotional issues), behavioral (i.e. The researchers suggest students over eating, restricted eating, who are under stress turn to binging) and physical (i.e. brittle purging as a coping mechanism. nails, lose of hair, cardiac Stress was also related to excessive complications). thoughts about dieting and weight Shelton and gain. Interestingly, males NEDA ESTIMATES Valkyrie (2010) in this study were explored predictor more focused on THAT NEARLY 10 variables of eating thinness. MILLION FEMALES disorders in 362 This study links AND 1 MILLION college students at a stress and eating MALES CURRENTLY university in the disorders, suggesting STRUGGLE WITH southeast region of that increased stress ANXOREXIA OR the United States. In may be a precursor to their review of the eating disorders. It is BULIMIA literature, they report important to manage incidences of eating disorders have your stress in healthy ways increased in the last 30 years and rather than turning to harmful that 10% of female college students behaviors like purging. Being have some form disordered eating. aware of your ruminating thoughts This study examined the of weight and seeking support early relationship between variables like is one way to manage your stress, self-esteem, depression, stress and depression and/or anxiety before anxiety, and eating disorders your health is compromised. If you symptoms (i.e. drive for thinness, feel you may have symptoms of an body dissatisfaction and bulimic eating disorder please come to the symptoms). Counseling Center for support and Shelton and Valkyrie (2010) possible referral. identified that the experience of Shelton, V.L. & Valkyrie, K.T. (2010). College student stress: A predictor of eating disorder precursor behaviors. The Alabama Counseling Association Journal, 35, 2, 14-27.

Eating Disorder Resources: 

Multiservice Eating Disorder Association: 92 Pearl St., Newton, Ma, Phone: 617-558-1881

      

Online support: Nationaleatingdisorder.org

Swanson® Sensational Chicken Noodle Soup: 4 cups chicken broth dash ground black pepper 1 medium carrot, sliced 1 stalk celery, sliced 1/2 cup uncooked extra wide egg noodles 1 cup shredded cooked chicken or turkey (rotisserie chicken is the best!) Preparation: Heat broth, black pepper, carrot and celery in 2-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Stir noodles and chicken in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 10 min. or until noodles are tender, stirring often.

A Quick Minute with Professor Bette Weiss, Professor Weiss is a faculty member in the Biology “If you have a Department and she teaches a course on Nutrition. balanced diet, you feel better Professor Weiss believes that the key to eating healthy is physically and maintaining a balanced diet and including a variety of have a greater foods in every meal. Foods have different sense of nutritional values. In general we need to wellbeing.” eat a variety of vegetables and fruits (2-3 servings a day), whole grains and proteins. This does not mean we cut out the foods we love, rather it is about portion control. She also believes students need to be wise consumers of food products. We need to be more diligent about reading packaging labels and should look beyond fat or calorie content.

How do I know I am eating well? Professor Weiss recommends checking out this free website (www.choosemyplate.gov). The site allows you to plug in what you eat and calculates if you are meeting your recommended nutritional intake. The website is very revealing and will help you create a balanced diet.


1- Know your emotions and pay attention to the range of moods you experience in a given day. 2- Recognize that emotions do not appear out of the blue. Subconsciously, you may feel at the mercy of your moods. If we pay attention to our emotions and recognize how they relate to our thinking and behavior, our emotions are much more controllable. 3- Notice the thoughts that go through your mind when you feel an emotion. 4- Write down your thoughts and look at which thoughts lead to negative emotions and which ones lead to positive emotions. 5- Learn to reframe your thoughts or look at the situation in a more It is important to control your rational or balanced way. emotions. However, there is a 6- Examine what behavioral choices you have – what can you do now? Do you want to react or do nothing? Try to think of a few ways you could difference between denying and respond to the situation and pick the response that leads to a better suppressing them. In the long run, emotional state. denial can lead to more problems. 7- There is a difference between emotional reasoning and cognitive The key is to raise awareness and reasoning. Just because you feel something does not mean it is true. Do to understand how your behavior not assume negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things are. and thoughts lead to emotions. There are healthy ways of processing and expressing

Achieving a goal can often be so daunting that we are unable to motivate ourselves to begin. We can be as talented as we like, but without motivation, any goal we desire to achieve may as well be impossible. As many athletes know, there are two types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is a strong desire to achieve a set goal (Medic et al., 2007). It means having the discipline to form good habits and develop effective skills to overcome an obstacle. It is doing the lay-up until it’s flawless, practicing the putt late into the evening, or rehearsing the dance until it’s second nature. The greatest benefit of intrinsic motivation is the sense of pride and accomplishment gained in practicing the skill. Athletes who most enjoy their sport tend to be those who are intrinsically motivated. Michael Jordan, given his failure to make the high school basketball team, was most likely very intrinsically motivated. He now attributes his success to his deep passion for his

sport, as well as an intense training regimen (Vallerand et al., 2006). Extrinsic motivation originates from a source outside of the athlete or performer (Morris & Summers, 2004). People or things that encourage excellent performance can be tangible, such as a medal, money, or a more finely tuned physique. Motivators can also be intangible, such as praise, pride, or recognition (Motivation, 2012). The first step to getting motivated is setting achievable goals. When setting a goal be sure that it is realistic, exciting, and measurable. Set small, frequent goals for yourself that are directed toward a final achievement. Most importantly, persist! Remember, “hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.”

emotion.

Medic, N., Mack, D. E., Wilson, P. M., & Starkes, J. L. (2007). The Effects of Athletic Scholarships on Motivation in Sport. Journal of Sport Behavior, 30(3), 292-306. Morris, T, & Summers, J (2004). Sport Psychology Theory, Applications and Issues.Milton: John Wiley & Sons Australia. Motivation. (2012). Retrieved January 20, 2012, from http://teachpe.com/sports_psychology/ motivation.php Vallerand, R.J., Mageau, G.A., Elliot, A.J., Dumais, A., Demers, M., & Rousseau, F. (2006). Passion and Performance Attainment in Sport. 9, 373-392.

Eliminate Underlying Beliefs That Decrease Confidence  Set up realistic expectations and goals Avoid “should” thoughts like “I should be better”. Don’t set yourself up for failure by believing you should be perfect or be loved by everyone”.  Watch your all or nothing thinking – I must be perfect or I am a failure at everything  Don’t overgeneralize – if one person treats me unfairly, everyone will take advantage of me or this happened in the past therefore it will happen again  Avoid cognitive distortions that make things look worse than they are – magnification or minimization  Stop disqualifying the positive  Avoid labels – I am a loser or I am ugly  Personalization – not everything is about you or because of you. Do not blame yourself for something that is out of your control 


MFA —is always FREE for COF Students. Check out the specific events at : http:// www.mfa.org/ Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum – Check out the Extension and Preservation Project! Museum Hours: Wednesday-Monday 11 am to 5 pm; Thursday until 9 pm Skating on the Boston Frog Pond! – Check out hours and more info at http://www.bostonfrogpond.com/ Off-campus Career Fair – Spring Expo: Wednesday, February 15, 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM at Boston University, George Sherman Student Union, (775 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston) The Wizard of Oz – At the Wheelock Family Theater now through February 26. Information and tickets available at http://www.wheelockfamilytheatre.org/. Cupcake Crawl around Boston – Check out these cupcake hotspots: Sweet Cupcakes (49 Massachusetts Ave., Boston), South End Buttery (314 Shawmut Ave. Boston), Party Favors (1356 Beacon St., Brookline), Monumental Cupcakes at JP Art Market (36 South St., Jamaica Plain), Lulu’s Sweet Shoppe (57 Salem St., Boston) Enjoy the hilarity and hijinks at the Improv Asylum – In the heart of the North End with shows every Tuesday through Sunday (216 Hanover Street, Boston) International Student Support Group: Thursday, February 9th, 2012 from 4:15 to 5:00 PM for our Information Session. Wentworth Institute of Technology, Alumni Room, Nelson Recreation Center 2nd Floor (Above the Tansey Gym). Grief Group for the COF— Friday, February 3 from 4:00pm-5:00pm, Admissions Presentation Room (Williston 113), Wentworth Institute of Technology.

CAPA International Education Information Table Thursday, February 2 to March 15th– Maureen Murphy Wilkens Science Center Busy Person's Moment—February 12 - 16, 2012 – Campus Ministry, Marian Hall 214 On-campus self-paced retreat is for all students, staff, and faculty. If you are interested in registering, email Jen Roy at royj@emmanuel.edu Sunday Service Group For more information or to sign-up Contact Deirdre Bradley-Turner at bradleyd@emmanuel.edu or 617-735-9753. Take48 Retreat for First-Year Students— February 24-26, 2012 – Craigville Retreat Center For more information or to register please contact Jen Roy at royj@emmanuel.edu. Young Emerging Professionals (YEP)— March 13-16 a week of events for junior and senior EC students to develop and improve professional skill sets. Black Catholic Choir— Sunday, March 18 at 8:00pm InterMission Retreat— Saturday, March 24 – Glastonbury Abbey For more information or to register please contact Jen Roy at royj@emmanuel.edu Take in an EC sporting event— Check out http://www.goecsaints.com/ for teams and schedules. RAD Self Defense Training— On Tuesdays February 7th– March 20th at 6-8 in alumnae Hall. Contact Brian Lilly via email lillybr@emmanuel.edu Eating Disorder Group– Counseling Center, March 1st at 12:15-1:15p Rm LIB G09 Time Management and Procrastination—ARC and Counseling, Tuesday Feb. 21st, 12:301:30p, Rm Lib G16 (see the ARC for more programs and events this semester). Study and Test taking Strategies— ARC and Counseling , Tuesday March 13, 12:30-1:30 p, Rm Lib G16 Life After Emmanuel— ICD, Tuesday Feb. 21, 5-7p, LIB lecture Hall (see ICD for more programs and events this semester).

Single on Valentine’s Day? When you’re in a relationship with Valentine’s Day coming up, it can be one of the most exciting feelings. However, when you are single on Valentine’s Day, it can be one of the most dreaded days of the year. While, sitting alone in your room or calling your ex probably aren’t the best ideas, here are some ideas 1. Have A Group Dinner: Invite all your single friends to get together that are sure to make it a great day 2. Have A Girls/Guys Night. Spend the evening watching romantic comedies and painting your for you… nails or playing video games and eating pizza! 3. Keep Hallmark In The Holiday: Show some love to the people who mean the most to you! Friends, family, etc. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david4. Treat Yourself: Buy a new outfit, get a massage, or buy a new video game… something that wygant/its-valentines-day-andyou don’t necessarily “need,” but want! yo_b_820559.html 5. Have each of your friends create a list of 10 things they are happy about. Help each other out http://www.apa.org/news/press/ releases/2011/02/valentine-tips.aspx with this one! Celebrate your accomplishments. 6. Go to the movies. Not ready for the romance? There are some great Oscar nominated films that are still in theatres. 7. Organize your life. Ok, probably not the most fun idea, but get that long list of things to do out of your head by accomplishing some of those tasks. 8. Have a date with yourself! Explore the many things that Boston has to offer for Valentine’s Day Singles.


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Wellness Bulletin Winter 2012 by Emmanuel College - Issuu