GSU’s Homecoming Week highlighted several ways for students and staff to engage and invigorate school spirit. The Pause For a Moment Event emphasized the importance of mental health care.  

The Counseling and Wellness Center and College of Education brought students and staff relaxation and self-care tips to students at Engbretson Hall on Oct. 22.   

Mental Health Clinician Joy Grange of GSU’s Counseling and Wellness Center stressed the importance for students to take care of themselves.   

“We need to give ourselves a moment, to feel calm, to feel centered, and a moment to take our time,” she said. “Suppose we don’t give ourselves the time to tap into small tasks or activities that we enjoy, to care for ourselves, because of how busy life can be. In that case, we are not acknowledging how we are feeling.”  

The event provided an interactive workshop designed to encourage students to recognize the importance of setting time to grasp and learn areas of self-care. Stations were set for participants to develop a personalized self-care wheel and self-care plan, in addition to crafting glitter jars, to help promote calmness and relaxation. Each station explored blocks to self-care and how to set goals to improve self-care. 

Grange focused on the importance of prioritizing stressors, saying it’s imperative to approach our stressors in a healthy and productive way. More often than not, there are some things that are more important than others, and those need to be done first. When we’ve completed the essential things, we automatically feel better.   

She also recommended approaching one task at a time, so you don’t get overwhelmed. When you break a significant stressor into small steps to combat it, it may not seem as scary and, in return, becomes an incentive alone—a powerful one. 

In addition to the workshop, a yoga session was provided for students and staff to take a moment to unwind, reduce stress and anxiety. The event focused on the importance of our mood and overall sense of well-being but, most importantly, resources available to us right on campus if we find ourselves struggling.