Wellness Blog and Resources
Wind Phones
Wind Phones: Speaking Grief to the Wind In the middle of a hilltop garden in Otsuchi, Japan, sits an old-style phone booth with a disconnected rotary phone and notebook. People from all walks of life, from the countryside and from the bustling metropolis, travel to this phone booth to dial the number of people they…
3, 33, or 75?
3, 33, or 75? New year. New semester. Time for new goals, right? It’s pretty common to hear that New Year’s Resolutions have fallen out of favor. Truth be told, they don’t really work. We start with our resolve and a healthy dose of enthusiasm to do something positive or stop something negative, only to…
Fall Back… to Sleep!
Fall Back… to Sleep! This past weekend Daylight Savings Time ended… and we got one extra hour overnight. We are all bummed that it is dark a lot earlier now. On the flip side, morning is lighter sooner. At this time in the semester, sleep can feel like a rare commodity. Several students have been…
Why Coaching?
Why Coaching? When I first heard about health coaching, I was skeptical. I wasn’t sure if it was some sort of workout cheerleader, or someone who would tell me to eat my vegetables. So, I did some research. That research led me to eventually not only begin using health and life coaching, but to be…
How We Talk to Ourselves.
How We Talk to Ourselves I had a conversation with my daughter recently, who is taking a psychopathology course at her University. They were discussing seasonal affective disorder (which she struggled with last year). She learned that people in higher latitudes (she is in school in Vermont) are at higher risk (less daylight). She also…
Simple Soups for Cold Weather
Simple Soups for Cold Weather As the weather begins to cool, we are heading into soup season! Soups are perfect to cook in one gigantic pot and live off its warm, comforting contents for the better part of a week. Recipes are helpful, but with a core set of ingredients and knowhow, it’s super simple…
Best Semester Yet!
Here we are at the beginning of a new semester. Whenever we are at the beginning: the beginning of a race, a game, a relationship, a semester… we usually are both optimistic and hopeful about how things will turn out. That’s actually a good thing! It gives us the motivation to start new things. Our…
Paddle On, Badgers!
Going for a paddle on one of Madison’s lakes is a great way to get outdoors and enjoy some quiet time by yourself or have fun with friends. If you have your own kayak or paddleboard, getting out on the water is easy enough. But there are also several inexpensive rental options close to campus;…
Eat Well During the Holidays
Fall and winter holiday season is upon us! For many people, the celebrations from Thanksgiving through the New Year are synonymous with food — and it also might mean family gatherings, shopping sprees, or catching up on sleep, Netflix, and laundry. Whether you are alone, celebrating with friends, or sitting down to a real feast,…
Sleep — Your Secret Sauce
Sleep — Your Secret Sauce Sleep is one of the most overlooked areas of wellness, especially on college campuses. I would argue that sleep is your secret sauce that can help you thrive. I know there is a certain “cool” factor to bragging about how little sleep you are getting. Course work is in high…
Rethinking Rule-Based Eating
Rethinking Rule-Based Eating How do you decide what to eat? It’s a choice we make constantly, affected by all kinds of factors like what’s available, time, money, what our stomachs and taste buds are begging for. There are background voices, too: a lifetime of seeing food ads, media about the latest diet craze or a…
Filling Up The Tank
Filling Up The Tank OK, everyone. Time for a check in. Fill in the blank: “I’m feeling _____________, and I don’t know why.” Happy? Grateful? Peaceful? Hmm. Maybe: Tired. Cranky. Worried. Sad. Mad? It’s possible at different moments you could be feeling any of these things. Some days you may notice you are struggling more…
Lessons From a Hinge: Change is Possible
Lessons From a Hinge: Change is Possible By: Ginger Morgan Let’s face it: our lives are not perfect. We may have a lot of things going right. (We should celebrate that!) Those are the things we can be grateful for. On the other hand, there are other areas of our lives that we may NOT…
Mindset Reset
Mindset Reset: Use your mind for more than studying. Have you ever noticed that you can be getting good grades, or exercising regularly, or eating a healthy diet and some part of you still won’t let you catch a break? I often hear from students that they can be pretty hard on themselves. They aren’t…
Setting Yourself Up for Success
We all have tried to start healthy habits or stop doing something we think isn’t good for us. The impulse is good: we want to grow as a person. You enrolled at UW with the goal of growing and self-improvement: getting an education, developing your “adulting” skills, and (hopefully) positioning yourself for what comes next. …
Improve Your Mindset by Practicing Gratitude
Improve Your Mindset by Practicing Gratitude Physical exercise, a balanced diet, and 7-8 hours of sleep usually top the list of ways to be and stay healthy. There’s no denying how important these things are, but sometimes it’s overwhelming to try to fit them all into your hectic student schedule. Thankfully, there’s an even simpler…
A Realistic Approach to Healthy Eating During the Holidays
The holidays are just around the corner, and you know what that means — ‘tis the season of INCREDIBLE food. We’re talking sweet treats, savory sensations, and an abundance of snacks. Sign us up! Of course…there is another side to the holiday season. The relentless exam schedule, the abundance of end-of-year deadlines, and the rush…
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Everyone’s Talking About…Mental Health This Month
Being a college student isn’t easy. It’s challenging to leave home, manage a full-time course load, and establish a completely new network of support. Those challenges can often lead to experiences of anxiety, sadness, and loneliness. Those feelings and experiences are a normal part of adjusting to a new environment. Contrary to what we may…
How to Stay Safe on Campus: A Practical Guide
Don’t worry — the goal of this guide is not to instill panic. Your college career will be filled with wonderful memories and positive interactions. But with any new scenario, it’s important to take stock of your surroundings and understand some basic safety tips to protect yourself and those around you. Growing up, we often…
Unplug at Holy Wisdom Monastery
Unplug at Holy Wisdom Monastery Located just twenty minutes northwest of the UW-Madison campus, Holy Wisdom Monastery is a place of prayer and hospitality, committed to environmental justice and respect for people of all walks of life. Holy Wisdom Monastery has a little bit of everything. You can explore forest trails, walk through prairies of…
Forming Healthy Relationships
Some things in life come with guidance: operating a car, enrolling in classes, making store-bought ramen. But when it comes to building and maintaining healthy relationships, we often end up learning what works and what doesn’t through trial and error. We all know that managing college is stressful. So it makes sense that the relationships…
Money Mindset: Be Aware of Your Spending
Finances can be overwhelming, especially in college. Between tuition payments, textbook charges, rent deposits, food, and the occasional bit of fun, it feels like money slips right through your fingers. Where does it all go? One of the most important parts of financial management is simply understanding where you spend most of your funds. Once…
How to Get “Back to Normal” — At Your Own Pace
How to Get “Back to Normal” — At Your Own Pace A year and a half ago, most of us were barely giving “the COVID-19 thing” any thought at all. Then we found ourselves thrust into a culture shock of isolation in March 2020, spending months staying home, wearing masks, logging on to virtual meetings…
Saving the Planet, Preserving My Health, and Saving Money? Sign me up!!
Saving the Planet, Preserving My Health, and Saving Money? Sign me up!! Life gets crazy sometimes, and if you are like me that craziness can lead to eating foods that may not be the best choice. I am a perpetual snacker, so having some nutritious options at my fingertips really helps me reduce the stress…
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De-Stressing Money
De-Stressing Money Money can be one of the greatest sources of stress in our lives. Do we have enough now? Will we have enough in the future? If we have enough, what do we do with it? This may be especially true if you are a student struggling to get by or will soon be…
Better Late Than Never?
Better Late Than Never? Procrastination and Perfection Did you know that February was Time Management Awareness Month? I did. I wanted to write a blog about it. Now it’s almost the end of March. Where did the time go?? So. It’s true. I’ll confess it here: I sometimes struggle with procrastination. My spouse calls it…
#BlackLivesMatter & Wellness
#BlackLivesMatter & Wellness As we turn our collective attention to the celebration of contributions of African Americans during the month of February (and hopefully beyond the month), we must also face the depth of pain and injury caused by racist attitudes, behaviors and policies in the United States brought to light (most recently) through the…
Snowshoeing around Madison
Candid Corner: Snowshoeing around Madison Yes, it may be cold. But the deep winter in Madison is also beautiful! And there are plenty of ways to get outside and enjoy it. Remaining active and getting outside is especially important during the pandemic that limits our options for recreation, exercise, and connection with others. Snowshoeing hits…
It’s Cross-Country Ski Season!
Candid Corner: It’s Cross-Country Ski Season! It is December! That means winter is truly here in Wisconsin. And snow is just around the corner. With snow, comes the chance to get out for some cross-country (nordic) skiing. And there are some good options for cross-country skiing right here in Madison. One of the first resources…
Take a Walk in Nature, Right Here in Madison
Candid Corner: Take a Walk in Nature, Right Here in Madison One of the best ways to attend to our physical and mental health is to simply take a walk. Pausing in the midst of studying and stress to get out in fresh air and move is a fantastic way to reset and refocus. It…
Taking Care of your Financial Well-Being
Candid hosted Renae Sigall from UW Credit Union for a Candid Class webinar on personal budgeting on October 22, 2020. Renae shared these resources to help you take care of your financial well-being.
The Beautiful, Storied UW Lakeshore Preserve
Candid Corner: The Beautiful, Storied UW Lakeshore Preserve Along the shore of Lake Mendota, few natural spaces are as iconic as Picnic Point. The near-panorama lake view makes the peninsula tip feel a world away, even with the Capitol and campus buildings on the horizon. If you spend time at UW-Madison, you may know Picnic…
Ride Your Bike in One of the Top Cycling Cities in the Nation
Candid Corner: Ride Your Bike in One of the Top Cycling Cities in the Nation Did you know that Madison is considered one of the five best cities in the nation for riding a bike?! And we have a platinum designation from the League of American Bicyclists. Cycling is a fantastic way to exercise, enjoy…
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COVID-19 Hasn’t Disappeared: Keep Practicing These Precautions
COVID-19 Hasn’t Disappeared: Keep Practicing These Precautions In the past few weeks, the sentiment surrounding the coronavirus pandemic has started to change. Wisconsin’s Safer-At-Home order is lifted, many businesses are reopening their doors, and students are gathering with increasing frequency. We’re thrilled that some restrictions have been able to be safely scaled back, and we’re…
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Productivity in Isolation: How to Stay Balanced During a Global Crisis
Productivity in Isolation: How to Stay Balanced During a Global Crisis Now that we’ve been “Safer at Home” for over a month — and it looks to stay that way for a while longer— we’re seeing the impacts of self-isolating firsthand. Everyone is dealing with this global crisis differently. For some, it’s a welcome reprieve…
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How to Manage When Things Get Tough
How to Manage When Things Get Tough By: Ginger Morgan, Director of Candid. I am not sure how things are going for you, but I can say that I am feeling pretty worn down by #saferathome by now. The first month we were all adjusting, things were unfolding fast and felt new and our brains…
How to Work Through the Culture Shock of Physical Isolation
How to Work Through the Culture Shock of Physical Isolation We’ve found ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic, news stories and Facebook posts swirling through our society about a novel virus that’s quickly taken the world by storm. And despite the chorus of “we’re in this together” from businesses, bosses, and teachers alike…
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Self Care for the Long Haul
Self Care for the Long Haul By Ginger Morgan, Director of Candid I don’t know about you, but for me it’s beginning to sink in that we may be doing this “Safer At Home” thing for a while. One of the unsettling things about navigating this new normal is that we don’t really know how…
Make the Most of Your Virtual Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Make the Most of Your Virtual Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic In the past few weeks, responses to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have swept through the globe and landed in Madison — canceling in-person class meetings and forcing college students everywhere to finish the semester virtually. This is an understandably stressful time for everyone: students,…
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Connecting Is Key
Connecting is Key By: Ginger Morgan I started writing this blog a couple of weeks ago. Seems like almost another lifetime. In the time before. Before. Before COVID-19 took over the 24-hour news cycle and before we knew anything about social distancing. One of the things you will notice about Candid is that while we…
Welcome to Candid!
Welcome to Candid! Welcome to Candid, a wellness initiative sponsored by Pres House at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Candid supports young adults who are interested in wellness, while being… well, students! Whether you are just learning to navigate college or slogging through the latter stages of a graduate program, Candid can support you taking…