The Beach Health Blog

With the end of the fifth week of school and midterms coming our way, we know that our stress levels are increasing. Student Health Services understands that balancing multiple back to back classes, along with work and family relationships, is becoming overwhelming. In order to relieve some of the stress that is piling on our students, the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs Program at the Health Resource Center hosted the Art and Soul Fair at the Speakers Platform on Thursday, September 27, 2017 from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. Those of you who missed this amazing opportunity to de-stress need not to worry because Art and Soul Fair comes around to relieve some stress off students each semester. Each semester, the ATOD Program invites all students to take a break from their daily school life for an hour or two and try to connect with their creative side. Additionally, the event provides an opportunity to learn more about the various resources offered through the ATOD Program. T...

Have you ever been concerned about or seen a situation where you wanted to help, but didn’t know how? Here are some tips on how someone can be a PAUSEitive bystander and help prevent an unsafe situation from happening! First off, what does the PAUSE in PAUSEitive bystander stand for? And what do they do? PAUSE is a bystander intervention program and it stands for Prevention Awareness Uniting Students with Empowerment! The PAUSE program teaches students the importance of intervening when someone might be in need of help by recognizing potentially harmful situations. PAUSE teaches the necessary skills and knowledge to communicate with others ways to remove a person from a dangerous situation. So here are three steps to follow a plan of action! 1. SEE Observing the behavior/ incident before you can help 2. THINK Is this violence?   Is it safe to do something?   What technique can I use? 3. ACT Carry out an intervention technique from the 3 D’s known ...

With winter just around the corner, the last thing you need to be worrying about is getting sick with a cold or the flu! There are three easy steps that you can take to prevent catching either of these illnesses. 1. Focus on Your Hands! Every day your hands come into contact with hundreds of bacteria-ridden surfaces: hand rails, keyboards, door knobs, you name it! Ensuring that you take time to properly disinfect your hands (with thorough hand washing and/or alcohol-based hand sanitizer) can significantly lower your risk of contracting and spreading illnesses. In addition to disinfecting your hands, limiting the amount of times you touch your eyes, face, nose, and mouth can also prevent bacteria and viruses from entering your body. 2. Get Your Shots Even though you probably wouldn’t describe a trip to your doctor’s office as a fun weekday activity, it might just be your best defense against the flu. The Centers for Disease C ontrol and Prevention recommends that everyone ...

Did you know that exercise can provide significant benefits to help us breeze through classes, improve our grades, and feel better during midterms. No matter the level of intensity, or length of time, such as a cardio kickboxing class, or a walk around campus, just moving is important. Here are some exercise benefits: 1. Improved Mood When we exercise, hormones get released that make us happier and feel relaxed. Exercising more can also help with one’s opinion of their appearance, which can lead to improved self-esteem. Feeling good about ourselves can give us the confidence to persevere through those pesky writing intensive courses. 2. More Energy Exercising naturally makes your heart beat faster. As this happens, more blood and oxygen flow to the body. The increased amount of blood and oxygen in the important organs of the body creates a more energetic feeling overall. With midterms gradually approaching, everyone could use an extra amount. So, put down that energy drink a...

Quick Ways to De-Stress   That time has returned; the time of late night study sessions and not being able to sleep, in fear that you might miss your alarm. With the return of school, so does stress! Believe it or not, stress can have a negative effect on one’s health. If you have ever experienced a stomachache before a big presentation, you now know of the impact of even minor stress. Here are 5 tips for you to quickly reduce stress (all of which you can do between classes). Take a breather!  Find a nice shady spot, take a seat (if wet, put down a jacket or towel if you carry one around), and close your eyes. Try the grassy area in front of the bookstore! Sit still and pay attention to your breathing. Notice your breathing. Is it fast and shallow? Slow your breath down, count to 5 on the inhale and 5 on the exhale, or even say to yourself “in” on the inhale and “out” on the exhale, breathing in deeply and breathing completely out. Exercise! When you exercise, ...