UNC Healthy Heels

At this point in the year, many of us know Carolina as a place full of things to do. Sports games? Check. Clubs, music concerts, shows? Absolutely. Homework? Unfortunately, yes. You may be asking yourself, “How can I find time for doing things I love while keeping up with classes and taking care of myself?” We know that it can be hard, but it might help to focus on balancing three things: Time, Stress and Sleep. Focusing on these three aspects of your life can help identify priorities, ensure time for self care and make space for the many things that UNC-Chapel Hill has to offer. Read on for tips!

Find Time

It’s common to feel like there’s not enough time in the day to get everything done. Our responsibilities to school, friends, and family can be enjoyable, but can also become stressful. Here are some tips for prioritizing and balancing these responsibilities:

• Block out time in your schedule for well-being activities, study sessions, and daily tasks like eating/sleeping.
• Sit down and list all of the things you need to get done in the upcoming week. It might be helpful to assign certain tasks to specific days of the week.
• For each item on your list, apply the following “test:” Is this something I must get done, should get done, or could complete? Assign each task to a category according to its priority.

Manage Stress

It’s normal to feel stress in our daily lives. But when stress builds up and we don’t have ways to cope with it, we can feel exhausted. Here are some tips for coping with stress that might help the next time you are feeling overwhelmed.

• Plan something to look forward to
• Take a walk outside
• Unplug from social media for one night per week
• Write down your thoughts and feelings
• Meditate, do yoga, move your body
• Watch a favorite movie or TV show
• Treat yourself to something special

At the end of the day, do whatever helps you to calm your mind and feel refreshed. If you are still struggling with stress, feel free to reach out to CAPS or look for resources on the Heels Care Network.

Prioritize Sleep

With everything going on in our lives, it can be easy to put sleep on the back-burner and prioritize our relationships and work. But the reality is, without sleep, it’s much harder for us to function. Our health, relationships, and work all suffer with minimal sleep, keeping us from being our best selves. Follow these tips for better sleep:

• Set up a sleeping environment that works best for you. Many people benefit from cool, dark, quiet rooms. You can use things like blackout curtains or a white noise machine if that is helpful.
• Set consistent wake-up times and bedtimes. This helps your body regulate its natural sleep cycles and will help you feel energized and ready for the day.
• Try to avoid stressful activities immediately before bed. Having a relaxing routine, such as reading a favorite book or taking a hot shower right before bed can help calm your mind.
• Prioritize sleep. At the end of the day, there will always be more things to do. Making sleep a priority will help you get the amount of rest that your body needs – over time, you will learn to complete your work around your sleep schedule. After all, the most important thing is taking care of yourself.

As we start this new semester, set yourself up for success. You’ll quickly have lots of things on your plate, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and forget to make time for yourself. Remember – you don’t have to do everything! Keep your physical health, mental health, and well-being at the top of your priority list with these strategies:Schedule time for physical activity, healthy eating, and relaxation. If you schedule it into your day now, you’re less likely to skip it later. Find time for social support too. You could join an intramural or club team, or schedule fun fitness activities with friends. Use an app or planner to help.

Find and explore spaces to help you stay healthy like Campus Rec, Dining Services, and Campus Health. You are welcome to visit these spaces and look around. Don’t be afraid to just explore the campus a bit this week while you’re reconnecting. 

Connect to a primary care provider and pharmacy in the area. You’ve already paid for services at Campus Health through tuition and fees, so you can come to see a provider there at no further cost to you. Visit one of the two on-campus pharmacies – Campus Health Pharmacy or Student Stores Pharmacy to transfer prescriptions and get over-the-counter items you need. Over-the-counter pharmacy items are also available in the Healthy Heels 2 Go vending machines in the Carolina Union and Rams Head Recreation.

Mental health matters! The Heels Care Network website offers trainings and resources to help you help your friends and yourself with mental health – including a live Peer Chat staffed by LSN. 

Seek professional help as soon as you start to feel overwhelmed. Initial visits to Counseling and Psychological Services are available Monday – Friday from 9 am-12 pm and 1-4 pm. These services have already been paid for in tuition and fees.

Get involved in campus organizations that interest you. Search for what fits you using Heel Life. Some of your soon-to-be lifelong friends are among the people in student organizations on campus. 

Find support academically. Yes, it’s challenging. Yes, you can do it. Yes, you have help. This handout on How to Succeed at Carolina can help you plan for the best possible start to your new year. 
We know you want to stay healthy at Carolina, and we are here to help! Reach out if you have questions @UNCHealthyHeels or healthyheels@unc.edu.

Reading fiction goes beyond a favorite pastime. It serves as a healthy outlet for emotional expression and a productive way to cope with the academic stress that college students face in the classroom and outside of it.

Keeps your mind active

Reading requires your brain to work, unlike passive hobbies like watching television. Reading:

• Demands concentration and boosts your memory;
• Develops your critical thinking skills;
• Enhances your cognitive abilities;
• Reduces the risk of cognitive decline and mortality in later life.

Improves sleep quality

Reading fiction aids a good night’s sleep. Establishing a pre-sleep routine, like reading, signals to your body that it’s time to wind down and go to bed. It helps you disconnect from the stress and worries of your day. Reading a physical book or an e-reader that doesn’t emit blue light is best because blue light can interfere with your sleep.

Explores new and diverse perspectives

With each book, you are exposed to different places, times, and characters Fiction presents stories from diverse perspectives, allows readers to emotionally connect with characters, often explores unique cultural settings, and involves layered characters that face ethical and moral dilemmas. Thus, reading helps you develop empathy, fosters greater cultural awareness, and reduces feelings of isolation.

Inspires new ideas and stimulates your imagination

Fiction gets readers to think beyond the confines of their lived experiences, sparking creativity, igniting new thoughts, and inspiring them to think differently. Whether you need a new idea for a project, a fresh approach to a problem, or a unique perspective on life, fiction has the potential to fuel your imagination.

Provides a sense of accomplishment and supports growth

Reading fiction offers a relaxing experience because it does not come with the intensity of exam prep. In addition, completing a novel provides a sense of accomplishment and broadens your comprehensive skills. When you finish a book, your understanding and knowledge of various subjects expand, contributing to your personal, academic, and intellectual growth. You may find yourself better engaged with your classes and study materials.

Reading fiction transcends a hobby and keeps your mind sharp, supports intellectual growth, improves sleep, develops one’s social connectedness, and provides a sense of satisfaction. Pick up a novel today and embark on a new adventure.

Paula Omokhomion, a public health senior with a minor in creative writing, shares her insights on the benefits of reading fiction. Paula is not only an avid reader but also a novelist. You can get a free copy of her novel on Inkitt.

Position Description:                                                                                                      

UNC Healthy Heels seeks a multimedia communication intern to join a cohort of students supporting Healthy Heels communication efforts. Healthy Heels is a collaboration between Campus Health, CAPS, Student Wellness, and the Heels Care Network and operates a variety of online platforms including Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, email newsletter, this blog, and websites. Interns help increase engagement and following on these platforms.

Interns should be able to work independently with minimal supervision, exercise strong judgement, take initiative, and be able to work collaboratively on projects.

The multimedia intern will script, film, and edit videos and photographs to support weekly TikTok/Reels/YouTube shorts about health and well-being at Carolina. Interns are supervised by the Special Projects and Communication Manager for Health and Well-being.

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities:

• Learns Healthy Heels mission, goals, objectives and services
• Supports strategic social media strategy on multiple channels including post planning, design and editing
• Competent in developing social media and website posts on variety of platforms with the support of Canva and/or Adobe Creative Suite
• Facilitates opportunities to increase reach of Healthy Heels communication using digital and in-person initiatives and outreach
• Effectively engages and collaborates with diverse student populations and staff to deliver inclusive, culturally competent communication to students
• Serves as representative of Healthy Heels, maintaining a professional and creative digital and in-person presence
• Serves on Marketing and Health Education committee for Campus Health (meets via zoom on the first Thursday of every other month at 8:15 am)
• Assumes other duties and responsibilities as needed

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ability to work 10 hours per week, including occasional weekend and evening hours
• Ability to work through Spring 2024, at minimum
• Competent in Adobe Creative Suite and Canva, or willingness to learn
• Willingness to learn new technologies, skillsets, and information
• Desire to support the health, well-being, and mental health of UNC-Chapel Hill students

Compensation:  $16 per hour

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until position has been filled; review of applications will begin immediately. To apply, please visit UNC JobX if you have work study award. If you do not have a work study award, please email healthyheels@unc.edu with a pdf file attached that includes

• a brief cover letter expressing
  • which role you are most interested in (events, multimedia, or digital communication)
  • what interests you and how you’re a good fit for the position
• your resume, and
• examples of (or links to) your communication work.

For more information:

• Campus Health campushealth.unc.edu
• Student Wellness studentwellness.unc.edu
• Counseling and Psychological Services caps.unc.edu
• Healthy Heels healthyheels.org
• Heels Care Network care.unc.edu
• Email healthyheels@unc.edu with questions

The University of North Carolina is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

These next few weeks can be a lot with the last day of class on Wednesday and finals beginning on Friday. Let’s get through this together! You can be the best kind of friend during finals and beyond.

Listen.

Feeling genuinely heard and accepted is one of our most important needs, and it doesn’t go away during finals. Providing empathy and acceptance is one of the most soothing things we can do for each other. Give people your full attention, listen non-judgmentally, reflect feelings, and be curious. Determine if your friend wants to be heard, helped or hugged, and then meet those needs.

Change the Narrative

How you handle the question “How are you doing?” matters. It’s important to be honest about your feelings, but you can also steer the conversation towards positive actions. Instead of a generic response, share how you’ve been working hard or how you’re taking care of yourself. You can then extend the conversation by asking your friend about their self-care practices. This approach contributes to fostering a culture of care that values both effort and well-being.

Support each other’s work.

We can help each other learn. Here are some ideas – you can find more on the Learning Center website.

• Use study groups to amplify learning.
• Teach each other the info you’ve learned.
• Quiz each other on info you’ll need to know.
• Proofread each other’s essays.
• Hold each other accountable to study goals.
• Walk together to study locations.
• Invite each other for healthy study breaks.

Affirm each other.

Support those around you through stressful times. Here are some healthy ways to offer help:

• Cook each other food.
• Move your body together.
• When you run errands, check to see if anyone needs anything while you go out.
• Create environments that help you study and connect.
• Find healthy ways to celebrate everyone’s efforts this semester.
• Be authentic with each other.
• Do something together that you enjoyed as kids.
• Be food inclusive and body-positive.
• Encourage sleep.
• Spend time together outside.

We’ve all experienced various ways of being supported. Tell us how you care for friends or what they have done for you on our Instagram story.