Emotional Wellness

Emotional Wellness is accepting a wide range of emotions and effectively coping through challenges. Below are some ideas of what emotional wellness means to our GV community.

Emotional Wellness Collage

Be Emotionally Well

9 Characteristics of Emotionally Well People

  • Self-Awareness: look at self to navigate distress or elation and redirect emotions if necessary
  • Self-Acceptance: Accept themselves. Know when to provide room for themselves to process emotions.
  • Self-Care: Both self-compassion and physical care are practiced regularly
  • Emotional Agility: Able to thrive even during emotional setbacks.
  • Coping Skills: Practice makes perfect so when you need them you can use them.
  • Kindness; They approach those around them with compassion.
  • Integrity: They move through the world without the expectation of reward.
  • Living with Purpose: Focus on how their experiences serve others rather than getting stuck within them.
  • Manage stress: They can recognize stress and have go-to activities/skills to manage it.

Improving Emotional Wellness

  1. Mindfulness
  2. Social Connections
  3. Manage Stress
  4. Appropriately Express Emotions
  5. Improve Self-Awareness

Want more tools? Request WIT's Emotional Wellness Presentation!


Resources

On Campus

This online resource serves as a toolbox to assist anyone in the eight dimensions of wellness: emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, physical, occupational, social, and spiritual. It provides a list of GVSU resources for students in each of the dimensions.

  • Send Kindness Cards to other people (available to print or send virtually)
  • Participate in Emotional Strength Training
  • Learn how to use mindfulness to manage your emotions
  • Find self-help resources covering a variety of topics pertaining to mental and emotional health
  • Schedule an appointment to talk with a counselor 
  • Join one of their many group counseling options
  • Hop on Let's Talk, no appointment necessary virtual one-on-one counseling

Here's just a few student organizations focused especifically on emotional wellness. For more student organizations visit Laker Link.

  • Self Care on Campus - focused on teaching stress reduction strategies and prioritizing mental health
  • Meditation and Mindfulness - focused on promoting acceptance and mindfulness through meditation
  • The Warrior Movement - focused on ending the stigma associated with mental illness
  • Active Minds - focused on encouraging open discussion about mental health to build stronger communities

Off Campus

The University Counseling Center has a wonderful index of community providers. You can filter by insurances, services and specialties.

Online

Visit the Greater Good in Action website.

  • Happiness, resilience, connection, and kindness are skills that can be taught and developed over time—with practice.
  • This is a collection of the best research-based methods for a happier, more meaningful life.

Visit the Koru Mindfulness website.

  • Stream free guided meditations to help with relaxation and mindfulness. 
  • Watch tutorial videos about breathing techniques to help with anxiety.
  • Read their blog for more tips and strategies for emotional wellness. 

Visit the Positive Psychology website.

  • Find mindfulness exercises, techniques, and activities that you can do anywhere.
  • Complete worksheets that focus on topics such as self compassion.
  • Try a variety of techniques to see which method works best for you.

Take the Science of Well-Being Course.

  • Yale’s most popular course ever.
  • The course is all about happiness.
  • It is free and offered online.


Page last modified March 1, 2024