ResLife has teamed up with Kali Funk, Life Coach and Certified Counselor, who has developed a series of mental health topics to introduce to our students and provide some valuable programming. The design of the program is to educate students about themselves, their minds, their emotions, and how to manage it all in this fast-paced and demanding world.
On Monday, students met with Kali in small groups for about an hour as they tackled the challenging questioning of how to live a balanced but optimized life. Each group shared their personal experiences and exchanged some good ideas. Kali introduced the idea that a student's academic career was more like a sprinter than a marathon runner. Students should have moments of stress and high activity, but it should be balanced with moments of rest and recovery. She emphasized that too often we miss out on the opportunity to recover as we continue to give our energy out instead of caring for ourselves. This leads to burnout and, in the end, a less productive you. Kali's positive approach enabled the students to really see how maintaining themselves can actually help deepen their engagement and success in all aspects of their life. There were many who found the one-hour session not enough time to truly dive into the topic, so they are taking advantage of the follow-up 4-part series offered over the next few weeks.
The goal of the program is to get students talking. Mental health is an important topic, but one that is often more difficult to discuss. Kali does a great job at getting students to a comfortable place to begin talking and the break-out sessions will on continue that process. We are glad to have Kali as a partner and look forward to the next introductory series presented in late April.~ Dean Topodas, Residential Life Director