By RAEGAN NEUFELD
Tiger Media Network
Self-care can mean many things, including taking the time to get outside and be active.
In honor of Mental Illness Awareness Week and to promote the connection between physical activity and mental health, the Fort Hays Psychology Club and the National Alliance on Mental Illness Golden Plains affiliate hosted the second annual Walk for Wellness on Wednesday. Participants started in Frontier Park, walked along the dike on the south side of campus and ended across the street from Hammond Hall. Encouraging messages were written on the trail for them to read.
“Your mental health is so linked with your physical health,” said Nevaeh Copenhaver, the NAMI On Campus president. “They feed into each other, and so that’s why we say, ‘Let’s go on a walk.’ It helps your mind, it helps your body and it helps your soul.”
One of the main ideas behind Walk for Wellness is that going on a walk is a simple way to take a break from the stress of being a college student.
“Too many of us spend too much time doing homework or worrying about any and every thing that we possibly could,” said Tyler Heise, president of the Psychology Club. “This is a welcome excuse from doing homework, but it’s also great to just get outside, walk and care for yourself.”
For Copenhaver, the link between physical activity and mental health is about being intentional.
“Sometimes you kind of need that push to say, ‘I’m going to intentionally take a break and I’m going to go outside, connect with people and just move my feet,’ ” she said.
With more than 20 participants, there were plenty of opportunities for students to connect with one another. According to Heise, attendance increased from last year, and the two organizations are looking to do the Walk for Wellness once a semester rather than once a year.
“This year specifically we’ve had a huge push to make psychology as hands-on as possible, so events like this are a great opportunity to do so,” he said.
In addition to meetings every other Wednesday, the Psychology Club is also hosting a mental health first-aid course at the beginning of November. Participants will learn how to take care of someone going through a mental health crisis.
Two more events are happening on campus for Mental Health Awareness Week: Rock Painting and Your Brain on Bikes.
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