The Laney College Health Center held their latest segment of their Wellness Wednesday workshops highlighting movement, meditation, discussion and stress management. The event was once again hosted by Laney College Health Services Coordinator, Indra Thadani, otherwise known as “Mz. T”.
The event began as always with a nice stretch, accompanied by music and some guided meditation.
As the workshop progressed, we discussed the dimensions of wellness, a topic familiar to Wellness Wednesdays. Mz. T helped define interpersonal communication, while providing tips on how mental health ties into it. More specifically, the event delved deeper into social and emotional well-being. This included an explanation of verbal and nonverbal cues, as well as shared and nonshared symbols. Interpersonal communication means the exchange between two or more people and also includes verbal and nonverbal cues, along with shared and nonshared symbols. This week’s topic covered various wellness dimensions such as sleep, diet and nutrition, while also recommending that students meet with Laney’s mental health counselor to talk about COVID fatigue.
By having good emotional health and wellness, people have the ability to express their emotions more appropriately and clearly. Many times when people are struggling with their mental health, they may have a difficult time recognizing their emotions and communicating honestly. When speaking to others, try to focus on being assertive, actively listening and establishing eye contact with whomever you decide to share your emotions with, while building a verbal understanding.
Overall there were many takeaways from the latest Wellness Wednesday, with everything having a clear explanation behind it. There was so much to soak in and take away, the most significant being that mental health is incredibly important.
Personally this opened my eyes to how I didn’t know about interpersonal communication and how it stimulates your well-being and having that ability to be assertive. During the session, we did small activities surrounding assertiveness and a lot stuck out to me. These tips seemed very helpful and can be useful for anybody who may feel the need for this type of mental guidance.
Considering all of the things happening in the world right now, taking an hour to relax was very helpful and calming in finding a peaceful headspace. This was my first time attending a Wellness Wednesday, and there is so much more that can be said about mental health, emotional assertiveness and communication.
While this month will come to a close, more workshops are scheduled to begin after Spring Break. The next Wellness Wednesday session will be on April 7 from 12-1pm, this next workshop will focus on alcohol and substance use. For a current list of the upcoming sessions, visit Wellness Wednesdays Workshop – Health Center Health Center (laney.edu). For all questions and information inquiries contact Indra Thadani at [email protected].
