Browsing: health and wellness

Amid a nationwide blood shortage, Baylor students are donating at a campus blood drive this week — and every drop could save a life in Central Texas.

Dr. Ed Rogers, assistant director, training director and senior psychologist for the Counseling Center, said too much exposure to negative news affects one’s mental health. These effects occur because the human brain struggles to distinguish between remote and current threats.

The HHS website cites the prevalence of unhealthy Americans under these guidelines as a reason for introducing the flipped pyramid. According to the website, the new guidelines focus on prioritizing protein, avoiding highly processed food and sugars and allowing healthy fats.

“We’re seeing not only the upper respiratory elements, but also seeing some lower gastrointestinal manifestations, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea associated with it,” Hess said. “So it seems to be sort of hitting both above the belt and below the belt, so to speak.”

After being on break, students find new obstacles they must adjust their sleep schedule around.

April showers may bring May flowers, but December weather and Seasonal Affective Disorder can arrive together. For students going through finals this season, SAD poses a unique challenge.

According to the NeuroMental Wellness Facebook page, the services listed include meditation, yoga for kids, adults and beginners and sound therapy.

Pennington, N.J., junior Gianna Dominique, president of the club, said she founded Gather Dance this semester to give students a space to learn a variety of dance genres in a relaxed setting.

“There are a lot of people who don’t like to run by themselves, and so this is an opportunity to make some new friendships and get out there and do a community run, and maybe you guys can get some run buddies,” Uriah Yarbrough, Health Services staff nurse and outreach coordinator, said.

“We wanted to create something that freshmen and people of all grades could come in, find their people, have a little community that’s aside from everything else that we can just move our bodies, get our mental health up,” Piede said.

Female students can strengthen their body and brain with Mind and Motion at Baylor, an all-women’s wellness organization.

“Of course, Baylor may be a winner, TCU may be a winner, but it’s the people receiving the blood at the end, they’re the winners,” Frisco junior Abhi Rajkumar said.

For a quick, convenient way to prevent a long battle with the flu, Health Services is offering mobile flu vaccine clinics to students and staff.

Balloons popped, coins dropped and students stopped as the Counseling Center and a variety of other organizations created campus connections for Mental Health Awareness Day.

Dr. Burritt Hess graduated from Baylor in 1995 and has served as the residency program director for Waco Family Medicine since 2023. On Oct. 6, Hess will start as the Baylor medical director.

The McLane Student Life Center (SLC) was abuzz with birthday festivities on Friday afternoon when it turned 26 years old. The center celebrated its “golden birthday” on Sept. 26.

“It’s a really cool opportunity to be a support person and to be somebody that I would have wanted when I was going through my recovery journey,” Lufkin senior Luke Langston said.

The Counseling Center is introducing a therapy group called UnStuck: Living Beyond OCD to help students break the cyclical symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder in an open and informative environment.

Results from an online survey presented by Active Minds and TimelyCare showed that 64.7% of college students reported feeling lonely in 2024.
Vice President for Student Life Sharra Hynes said Baylor is working to combat this issue by emphasizing community on campus, especially for freshmen, who Hynes said are among the most vulnerable to loneliness.

Student health and wellness, the department of communication, students and staff across campus worked together to create HealthyBearsTXT, a new text-message-based initiative for students.

Lilia Gonzalez, director of nurses, said Health Services would remain available to monitor potential measles outbreaks and help students. Though the Texas measles outbreak has ended, Health Services continues providing preventative measures for other potential outbreaks.

To make the jump into college life less overwhelming, the Counseling Center offers advice and resources to help struggling students, including group and individual therapy sessions, dietetics for students needing a personalized meal plan and crisis appointments.

“As students get to college, they all ask the question, ‘Who am I, who are my people and where do I belong?’” Jose Vallejo, assistant director for Collegiate Recovery said. “We tend to attach ourselves to certain groups and situations where we feel validated, accepted, loved and valued, and at times, those situations can involve substance misuse, especially in the college culture.”

If you’re stuck in Waco for spring break, have no fear — there’s still fun to be had. Whether you need a day strolling in the sun at the Silos or a good plate of barbecue, make your spring break one to remember with these events.

The variety of workouts is something GAIN heavily emphasizes, Schippers said. The organization offers them to entice women of all different fitness backgrounds to join the club without leaving anyone high and dry.

As college students juggle academic pressures, social expectations and newfound independence, eating disorders have become a growing concern on campuses nationwide.

“This subject is extremely relevant to students and the need to always be aware of your surroundings, whether you are in the dorms, on campus or traveling,” Childers said. “A student’s best defense in staying safe is maintaining a heightened sense of awareness.”

Baylor Health Services offers flu shots on the second floor of the McLane Student Life Center to ensure that students stay safe and healthy during the holiday session.

As first-year students settle into college life, many encounter an unexpected challenge: the so-called “freshman 15.”

Late nights cramming for exams, early morning classes and constant screen time are leaving many college students running on empty due to the lack of sleep received in the constant chaos of college life.