The UMKC Counseling Center will host the Kansas City chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for a free event called Living With Bipolar Disorder on May 1 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm in Pierson Auditorium in the Atterbury Student Success Center.
The event includes a screening of the film Living with Bipolar Disorder followed by a facilitated discussion. The film features stories of people who have been treated for bipolar disorder or whose loved ones have had been affected. Everyone interested in learning more about Bipolar Disorder is invited, especially students and anyone who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or who knows someone with this diagnosis.
For questions about the program, please contact Dr. Rachel Pierce at piercerac@umkc.edu or 235-5186.
For many students, with finals just a few weeks away, stress is at its peak. Although you may be itching to get outside and soak up some sun (which is a great natural stress-reliever!), spring can still give us bad weather.
So what can you do when you need a quick break to clear your mind and refresh yourself? The list below gives ideas for fun, relaxing activities without having to rely on the weather!
- Go to a lunch-time concert (the Conservatory has many free concerts this time of year–check out their events calendar)
- Visit the MindBody Connection in the Student Success Center
- Play pool in the Student Union
- Bake a treat for your neighbors or cook dinner for you and your roommates
- Visit a museum–there are three near campus, including the Nelson-Atkins Museum, the Toy & Miniature Museum, and the Kemper Museum
- Go see a movie
- Get in a quick workout or walk the indoor track at Swinney Recreation Center
- Have a lunch with friends- off campus!
- Meditate, stretch, or try yoga for a half hour
- Volunteer a few hours on the weekend
- Clean- it gets your mind off school, and you feel much better when you’re done! It’s also easier for most people to focus on their studies in a clean environment.
But don’t confuse stress-relief with plain old procrastination! Stick to a schedule (another way to curb stress) and remember that these ideas are meant to be short breaks to relax and unwind so you feel energized and more focused on your school work.
The UMKC Violence Prevention and Response Project will host the university’s 7th annual Take Back the Night Rally and March on Thursday, April 18.
The Rally starts at 6:30 p.m. in the UMKC Quad. At 7:30, participants March to the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain on the Country Club Plaza. At 8 p.m., sexual assault survivors will speak about their transitions from victims to survivors.
Take Back the Night is an annual event that coincides with Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The event provides an annual opportunity to promote awareness of sexual violence and its prevention.
All of UMKC’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month events are free and open to the public; no RSVP is required. Take Back the Night is a collaboration with the UMKC Women’s Center, Office of Student Involvement, the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault, the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project, and other campus and community organizations.
[This tip provided by Kendra Williams, senior Communications Study major.]
As the semester progresses, many students tend to become stressed out with seemingly overwhelming amounts of homework and other course requirements.
Well stress no more! While some stress of course is motivating, it certainly helps to know how to recognize and manage stress.
Here are some tips to help keep the stress away, or simply relieve stress:
- Make sure you are getting enough rest at night. Or, if you aren’t able to do so, and depending on what you have to do the next day, schedule some time in your day to take a power nap, for no more than two hours. But only if you can.
- Eat something within an hour after you awake, especially in the morning. And if you’re the type of person who tends to become hungry often; bring a lunchbox with you in order to eat snacks throughout the day. The ideal snacks to eat should be high in nutritious value also. A soda and a Milky Way bar are not recommended. Fruit and vegetables are handy snacks and healthy for you, too.
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes daily. Sure, walking is a great way to stay fit, but doing a series of jumping jacks, or running on the treadmill will enhance your level of fitness. So if you aren’t able to go to Swinney Recreation Center once a day, try and go at least twice a week. Or look-up a few at-home workout routines on YouTube.
- Keep track of tasks needed for completion. In other words, make a to-do list weekly, daily, or nightly before the following day. It may sound unnecessary, but it really does help to have a list of all the things you need to do, at your fingertips. Whether it is electronically available on your iPad or written the old fashioned way with a pen and paper. It helps tremendously! And it feels great to check tasks off the list!
- The MindBody Connection offers a great place to relax and learn more about coping with stress. The MBC has a relaxation station, featuring a massage chair, relaxation recordings, and a place for prayer and meditation. It also hosts Wii hours of the day where you can use Wii sports, Wii play, and Wii fit to get your body moving and also have some fun! Also check out MBC2Go for quick tips, apps, self-reflection, and other great tips!
- Treat yourself! Once you have completed a goal, pat yourself on the back. Whether it is going to see a movie you’ve been dying to see in the theaters, or getting tickets to go see a comedy show. Do it. Because you deserve it!
Nate Stodghill, a Kansas City area native and cast member of the ‘Real World: San Diego’ will speak about suicide prevention on Monday, March 18 at 7 pm in Student Union Multipurpose Room.
His message is based on his own experience in high school of losing a friend to suicide. He will share his story and discuss how you can help a friend who may be struggling. Stay after for the chance to meet Nate in person.
In the last year, 16% of UMKC students (and 19.9% of UMKC males) had suicidal thoughts – that’s about 2,500 students. Of those, 47.8% sought help first from friends or family (60% for males with suicidal thoughts). YOU may be the one a friend comes to when they are struggling. Find out how to help them get the help they need!
More information can be found at http://www.umkc.edu/counselingcenter/documents/nate_stodghill_event_flyer.pdf.
Sponsored by the Counseling Center, Missouri Partners in Prevention, UMKC Psi Chi/Psychology Club, and UMKC Student Veterans Organization. Data from 2012 Missouri College Health Behavior Survey
Shane J. Lopez, Ph.D., one of the world’s leading experts on leveraging hope to achieve personal success, will be on-campus for a daylong series of lectures and conversations Thursday, March 21.
Lopez’s visit will include two keynote addresses:
“Hope for Tomorrow Pays off for Students Today” — 9 a.m. in the Student Union Theater
“Ripples of Hope” — 6 p.m. in Pierson Auditorium at the Atterbury Student Success Center
Lopez researches the links between hope, strengths development, academic success, and overall well-being and collaborates with scholars around the world on these issues. He specializes in hope and strengths enhancement for students from preschool through college graduation. According to Lopez, “how we think about the future is a key determinant of success in school, work and life. Hope matters. Hope is a choice that can be learned and spread to others.”
“The science of hope shows that how we think about the future is a key determinant of success in school, work, and life,” Lopez has written. “Hopeful thoughts and behavior are crucial for well-being and success, regardless of income level or IQ. To put this in practical terms, a group of typical high-hope students scores a letter grade better on a final exam than their low-hope peers. High-hope people are just plain happier.”
Lopez is a Gallup senior scientist and research director for the Clifton Strengths Institute, and author of nine books including the just-published “Making Hope Happen: Create the Future You Want for Yourself and Others”. He is Chief Architect of the Gallup Student Poll, a measure of hope, engagement, and well-being that taps into the hearts and minds of U.S. public school students to determine what drives achievement.
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