Sleepy faces and numb bodies could have been the greatest enemies for speakers at the Keene State College’s Eighth Biennial Symposium. However, Assistant Professor of Health Science Jeanelle Boyer and Coordinator of Wellness Education, Tiffany Mathews, held a conference with the intention that no students would show tiredness, or even have a chance to get sleepy.
Combining healthy lifestyle tips, interactive activities and a brief yoga session, the panelists addressed some of the most common causes of stress for KSC students.
‘Balancing Work and Personal Life: What Can Individuals and Institutions Do to Take Wellness Beyond Direct Measures of Population Health?’ The conference was held in Madison Street Lounge Tuesday, November 5. The presenters covered how students as individuals and KSC as an institution can make positive changes to help balance work life while maintaining a healthy life.
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“I think that we just tried to bring our own experience and our own personal and professional experience to the session. Maybe, people are more aware of what they might be faced with later,” Mathews said about the event.
Even though most people who attended this event were students not yet in the workplace, the advice given to the audience was geared toward preparing those for balancing work life and health later on.
Mathews advised students that in order to remain active, students need to find a balance between, “school, becoming involved and taking on student leadership positions and not just spending all your chunk of time in one area. All of this, college, is in preparation for later, to be in the working world,” Mathews said.
To begin the event, Mathews and Boyer had the audience create a pie chart of what their daily lives consisted of and how much time they spend on certain activities.
The pie charts varied from person-to-person, and generally involved activities like sleep, work, leisure, social, fitness and screen time.
“I liked doing the pie chart activity. That was really helpful and I think I can definitely figure out different ways to manage time, or even do a daily pie chart from day to day,” Jen Wiemers, a health science senior said about the activity.
About halfway through the symposium event, Boyer and Mathews offered a small yoga and stretching session for the audience to participate in.
Mathews spoke of the importance of incorporating this into the event. “I think that some of us in our culture—we’re just so used to […] sticking it out and being done with this. But I think that taking that break just gave people an example of what we try to do in our own lives. And, maybe, that’s what’s makes us healthy and successful,” Mathews said.
Boyer also mentioned the quote, “sitting is the new smoking,” to reiterate the harms of being sedentary and not taking these breaks to stretch, walk, or do yoga like Mathews and Boyer had practiced during the event.
Mathews explained how the “5210” rule is a small step but a grand one in helping those achieve a healthier lifestyle.“Getting at least five fruits and veggies during the day, no more than two hours of screen time, get at least one hour of exercise on a daily basis and zero sugary drinks and beverages,” Mathews said.
To conclude the event, Mathews and Boyer presented the pie chart again and asked the audience to create an ideal chart, instead of one based on current daily activities.
“It just kind of helped balance my time, to see the full perspective of what my life consists of right now, and I think that definitely there’s some stuff I could improve on,” Kaitlin McClellan, another KSC senior in the health science field, said.
However, perhaps it is the little things students, employees, employers, or community members need to do in order to begin living a healthy lifestyle while controlling a work life as well.
KSC students McClellan and Wiemers explained what they learned from the event and what they can start doing to balance their lives.
“To set an hour, no matter what you have to do, just set an hour for yourself to relax. Even just watch TV for an hour, or just do something to disconnect you from all the stress you’re feeling,” McClellan said.
“Do something at the beginning and end of the day. So, like myself, I exercise in the morning and then at night I can give myself thirty minutes to do something. Doesn’t always happen but that’s okay,” Wiemers added.
“Stress doesn’t stand alone. Stress is the number one health issue among college students and it’s not different here at Keene State,” Mathews said to end this symposium event about balancing work and personal life.
Annelise Kloster can be contacted at akloster@keene-equinox.com