CHC Wellness Week: A Mid-Semester Reminder to Care for Yourself

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From March 30 to April 3, Commonwealth Honors College is hosting the inaugural CHC Wellness Week, an opportunity for Honors students to focus on their mental, physical, and emotional well-being through a variety of activities tailored to student success. 

“Wellness Week is about reminding students that success in the Honors College doesn’t have to come at the expense of well-being,” Kya Ransom, a senior psychology major and one of the CHC student success assistants who planned this initiative, said. “The goal is to create a space for students to reconnect with themselves, with each other, and with the resources that help them thrive academically and personally.”

Ransom shared that some of her personal wellness practices include going on walks with her son, spending time outdoors, stepping away from her laptop, and doing reflective writing or creative projects.

"From our own experience and from observing other CHC students, Kya and I have felt that being Honors students leaves us with the potential to feel more stressed out than the average UMass student," Rowan Boyer, also a psychology major and CHC student success assistant, said.

“We wanted to pull back and show there are ways to balance this sensation,” Boyer continued. “You can be successful and feel well while also maintaining these standards we hold ourselves to.”

Boyer shared that some of her personal wellness practices look like reading books for pleasure instead of just for class, walking around campus, hanging out with friends, and doing art.

Taking place in the heart of midterm season, Wellness Week will come not a moment too soon. There are ten events spread over five days, and the first twenty CHC students to go to five events will get a $50 UMass Dining meal card, so you can pick and choose what events you’re most interested in.

Each day of Wellness Week has a different wellness theme, with each event relating to the day’s theme:

• Monday’s theme is Connection and Belonging
• Tuesday’s theme is Body and Movement
• Wednesday’s theme is Academic Skills and Career Prep
• Thursday’s theme is Mindful Creativity
• Friday’s theme is Financial Wellness

One of the events on the docket for Thursday’s Mindful Creativity is Piecing Together Success, an opportunity for CHC students to reflect on and break down what makes them successful. Boyer is adapting this activity from "Piecing Together Recovery", an exercise that she has done in her work as a substance abuse counselor in the Berkshires. 

Some other eye-catching events include CHC Board Game Night, Therapy Dogs, A Mindful Zine-Making Activity, and Scholarships, Fellowships, and Grants Explained. Visit the CHC Wellness Week events page to browse the full list of events with more information.

In the past, Honors College student success assistants have developed a variety of important academic resources for students to take advantage of, such as Thesis Tuesdays and the Thesis Toolkit on Canvas. Wellness Week will be an exciting opportunity to continue building a culture of care and success together in the CHC community.

“Wellness Week is meant to help students discover practical strategies they can carry forward beyond the week itself,” Ransom said, “whether that’s building community, developing academic skills, or learning new ways to manage stress and academic-life balance.”