BYU–Hawaii students share what they do personally to take care of their mental and physical wellness
Health and wellness looks different to everyone. For some BYUH students, it’s taking a nap, journaling or eating balanced food. According to an article by Abbie Attwood on Substack, health and wellness is not just one story and one rule about one body—it varies.
Although the blog says that health and wellness does not have a definitive answer as it varies from person to person, it still emphasizes that health and wellness can be considered—in physical and mental aspects—as nourished, rested and even fed.
“Mind and body wellness means balancing both as they should be at the same level, like harmonizing with each other,” said Nance Micabini, a hospitality tourism management senior from the Philippines. He said being healthy or having a balanced wellness is not about perfection. “It should come with consistency in habits that you should do in your body and mind,” he explained.
Believing that mind and body wellness are connected, Julia Aunai, a communications, media and culture sophomore from California, said being physically active keeps one’s mental health good. Even if she does not know the whole science behind it, she noticed first-hand with herself how truly connected the mind and body is, especially when taken care of, she continued. “I believe that when you’re mentally okay, you’re more inclined to do physical things because you feel good about yourself and vice versa,” she said.
By finding harmony with mind and body, individuals can create habits that will last for a long time, for our own benefit. So, check out some personal wellness activities BYU–Hawaii students practice regarding mind and body wellness below.
Mind & Body
Nyah Wallwork, an applied mathematics sophomore from Washington State. Healthy communication with others. Wallwork said it is healthy to communicate with others or vent out when she is feeling mad or sad. “It helps relieve my stress,” she continued. She said by communicating, it brings things like unspoken conflict to light which makes it easier to heal rather than keeping your thoughts in the dark, which tends to hurt more.
Wallwork said apart from walking and going to the gym, listening to one’s body is needed to survive. “By listening to your body, you listen to what it wants by giving it nutrients like vegetables, fiber and proteins,” she said. She continued that another big thing when listening to your body was knowing when to stop when it does not want anything.
Nance Micabani, hospitality tourism management senior from the Philippines. Daily journaling. Micabani said it has helped him to validate his feelings and reflect on what happened throughout the day. “Through writing, I can be aware of my feelings and thought process and how they work at the same time,” he shared.
As a training supervisor in the guest services department in Polynesian Cultural Center, Micabani said he does not move as much as he did before when he was not promoted yet. “It’s not as tiring as before but it was unhealthy for me [to just sit], so I move as much as I can to stretch my muscles and make the blood flow in my body,” he shared.
Dipeek Reddy, business finance and intercultural peacebuilding senior from Fiji. Time management, power nap and comedic movies. Reddy said through time management, he has been able to do his homework and job in a reasonable amount of time. He said it was a struggle for him to do time management especially with his new born baby. However, he said one thing that supported him in his time management was having a power nap, as he believed sleep is important.
“By doing power naps, I’ve been able to stay up as much as I can throughout the night to do my homework and take care of the baby while my wife rests,” Reddy explained. He added that watching comedy movies are also a big help as it helps him feel relaxed and at ease
As a first time father, exercise is not something that Reddy can do consistently, he said. He continued that he was thinking of other things to keep his body moving such as doing bench press, sit ups or walking with his family around the campus. Reddy also said he makes sure him and his family eat healthy. “I always make sure that my food has vegetables and fruits to have a balanced diet. I also need to make sure my wife eats healthy as she is still breastfeeding,” he said.
Julia Aunai, communications, media and culture sophomore from California. Listening to music. Aunai said she tries to go on walks pretty often as she considers herself an introvert. “It is my time to recoup with myself, so listening to music and walking around the campus or temple keeps my mind active,” she shared. She continued that one of the benefits she saw by doing these is she feels less stressed out and she can think more clearly.
Aunai said accomplishing 10,000 steps every chance she gets allows her to be active physically. “I also go to the gym with my friends and I find it a lot of fun to workout with other people too,” she shared. Aunai said she believed that moving is good for the body.