“Health and Wellness is a really big topic,” shares Ella Walker ’23. “When someone is thinking about their own wellness journey, they sometimes just needvto know where to start.” Each October, O’Dowd’s Health and Wellness Leaders lead a week of activities promoting mental health. This year, the focus was self-care. “Self-care can be a variety of things,” explains Ella. “We wanted to give our peers different tools to use when they feel stressed or need to realign.”
Throughout the week, Health and Wellness leaders guided students to think about small ways to take care of themselves, including play, sleep, connecting with nature, checking priorities, investing in relationships, and asking for help. At lunchtime, students enjoyed parachute games, making slime and friendship bracelets, and writing gratitude grams to peers and faculty. “Fun activities are a great way for students to begin prioritizing self-care,” explains Mark Lederer, Director of Health and Wellness. “When students experience the joy in these small things, they are more likely to continue the practice and build healthy habits.”
