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8 Dimensions of Wellness

Your well-being is the foundation for academic success, personal growth, and overall happiness. This page is designed to provide you with a wide array of resources, tips, and strategies to support your wellness journey as a student. Each dimension of wellness—emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual—plays a vital role in creating a balanced life.

Explore the links and guidance provided here to discover ways to enhance your wellness, connect with campus resources, and find support tailored to your needs. Remember, your journey is unique, and small, intentional steps can lead to lasting positive change.

Campus Resources

  1. Counseling Center
  2. Behavioral Health Center
  3. Faculty Staff Assistant Program (GradTerps with an assistantship) 
  4. Graduate Academic Counselor
  5. Accessibility Disability Service

Best Practices and Resources to Support Emotional Wellness

  1. Be patient with yourself
  2. Connect with others
  3. Engage in self-care
  4. Review options to seek support
  5. Meditation
  6. Move for your mood 
  7. Writing and journaling
  8. Engaging in play and/or a joyful hobby
  9. Set healthy boundaries
  10. Develop plans and goals

Campus Resources

  1. Sustainable UMD
  2. UMD Arboretum and Botanical Garden

Best Practices and Resources to Support Environmental Wellness

  1. Incorporate sustainability into your events
  2. Go Green at home
  3. Explore green spaces, gardens and trails
  4. Cope with climate crisis 
  5. Give sustainable gifts 

Campus Resources

  1. Graduate Legal Aid Office 
  2. Campus Pantry 
  3. Student Crisis Fund 
  4. Graduate Assistantships 
  5. TerpTax 
  6. Glacier Tax Preparation 

Best Practices and Resources to Support Financial Wellness

  1. Know your expenses each month
  2. Avoid delaying getting a handle on your situation 
  3. Financial Literacy Seminars
  4. Alternative sources of graduate funding 
  5. Available part-time jobs
  6. GradSense assists with enhancing your financial education 
  7. Develop a budget 
  8. Utilize TerpTax to file taxes

Campus Resources

  1. Teaching and Learning Transformation Center
  2. University Career Center 
  3. Smith Careers
  4. Engineering Career Services 
  5. Careers in Public Policy 
  6. Career and Professional Developments for doctoral students and postdocs of any disciplines

Best Practices and Resources to Support Occupational/Work-Life Balance

  1. Utilize State of Mutual Expectations (SME)
  2. Utilize Individual Development Plan 
  3. Obtain mentorship via multiple mentors 
  4. Work with a mental health profession to assist with assertiveness training 
  5. Understand grievance resources via Graduate Students Ombudsman, Bias Incident Support Service and Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct 
  6. Stay focused on learning 
  7. Learn how to take good notes and be an active listener
  8. Read smart
  9. Connect with classmates
  10. Get involved
  11. Keep in contact with your professors
  12. Research
  13. Manage your time
  14. Destress
  15. Pick a quality mentor(s)

Campus Resources

  1. Utilize Health Center 
  2. UMD RecWell

Best Practices and Resources to Support Physical Health

  1. Create a sleep routine
  2. Sit or walk for 15 minutes
  3. Develop an exercise or movement routines that works for you 
  4. Eat nutritious foods that fuel your body

Campus Resources

  1. Graduate Student Life (Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, Newsletters)
  2. Graduate Student Government
  3. Multicultural Involvement & Community Advocacy (MICA)
  4. Interfaith Programs and Spiritual Diversity
  5. LGBTQ+ Equity Center
  6. Student Organizations:
    1. Asian American & Pacific Islander Student Organizations
    2. Black Graduate Student Union
    3. Latinx Graduate Student Association (LGSA)
    4. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Student Involvement 
    5. Multiracial & Multicultural Involvement
    6. Native & Indigenous Student Involvement and Advocacy

Best Practices and Resources to Support Social Wellness

  1. Connect with others
  2. For students who are distant-learners, try hosting a digital movie or game night, learn where fellow students are located and start a group chat for your graduate program 
  3. For students who are on campus often, form a study group, organize a potluck, host a game night, attend sporting events, explore local attractions and restaurants and get involved in with professional organizations

On Campus Resources

  1. Meet UMD Chaplains
  2. Multi Faith Religious Calendar

Best Practices and Resources to Support Spiritual Wellness

  1. Reflect on the role of spirituality in reference to the purpose and meaning of your life 
  2. Assess your spiritual wellness:
    1. What gives you comfort during times of sorrow?
    2. Who or what do you turn to when looking for hope?
    3. Do you find that you tolerate the beliefs and viewpoints of others?
    4. What values and beliefs guide your decisions?
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