Mental Health and Self-Care
At Shippensburg University, you will always find someone in your corner. The Counseling Center provides individual, couples and group counseling, crisis intervention and psychiatric services for undergraduate and graduate students. The Raider Wellness Resource Center provides resources, programming, and services centered in holistic wellness in collaboration with students, staff, and faculty.
The Counseling and Wellness Resource Centers use the Wellness Wheel, a tool and visual guide to help you understand your overall well-being by identifying and integrating different aspects of wellness.
This holistic approach to wellness involves a continuous and active process of developing an optimal state of well-being, in which you become aware of and makes choices towards a more whole-self lifestyle.
The 8 Dimensions of Wellness
Using the 8 dimensions of wellness, you can begin to
- Identify areas of your life that may need more attention
- Strengthen areas of life that may need improvement
- Understand how different areas of life affect each other
- Align your values with your choices
- Understand how identities, strengths, and experiences affect wellness
These 8 dimension goals are:
Social-Cultural
Develop an understanding of your personal and cultural identity as well as appreciate and respect the cultures of others and foster relational connection, belonging, and support systems.
Emotional
Develop your emotional awareness and ability to express thoughts and feelings, which includes coping effectively with stress and cultivating relationships based in empathy and understanding.
Physical
Develop an awareness of the broad aspects of physical health and engage in practices which help to improve critical aspects such as sleep, physical activity, nutrition, stress management, and prevention of illness.
Environmental
Value the relationship between yourself, the spaces you live and work in, and the planet. This includes recognizing and understanding how your surroundings impact your thoughts and feelings, and also how your actions impact your surroundings in order to promote sustainability and respect for your community.
Spiritual
Foster a sense of purpose and meaning in life including your morals, values, and ethics, which may or may not include religious activities.
Intellectual
Value learning and expanding your knowledge and skills. This is may be fostered through having a sense of curiosity, being open minded and creative, thinking critically, engaging in problem solving, and utilizing available resources.
Career
Build a foundation of knowledge, skills, and competencies to address career-related goals to ensure a successful transition into the workforce.
Financial
Understanding your financial situation and successfully manage and budget your expenses. It involves living within your financial means and practicing short and long-term financial management and planning.