Personal Wellness Module

February RAD Assignment

Presented by the RA Development Series Committee

RAs,
Please complete the following module for
your February RAD assignment. From the
Table of Contents, you will be able to click
on individual pages. Items in the module
with a
symbol can be clicked on to
link to external or internal content.
Please view and complete the assignment
for TWO of the topics listed on the Table
of Contents.

Table of Contents :
Over view
Table of Contents
Stress Management
Health and Nutrition
Community Ser vice
Spiritual Development

page 2
page 3
page 4
page 10
page 12
page 17

Stress Management
This module is about evaluating your own personal level
of stress, exploring the physiological effects of stress
on your body (you may be surprised by what you learn!),
and creating your own action plan for managing stress
in your daily life.
Begin by t aking t he C ollege Students Stressful
Event Checklist: https://eoss.asu.edu/sites/default/
les/StressChecklist.pdf
Next, watch t his Ted Talk by
Psychologist Kelly McGonigal:

(If you prefer reading to watching a

video, click the transcript button to
read the content.)

Stress Management
Now, read t he f ollowing i nformation f rom t he Belmont
Counseling Services website regarding different
strategies for reducing and relieving stress:
If you wait u ntil youre f eeling s tressed b efore you e mploy
some technique f or m anaging s tress, i ts a lready t oo l ate.
You need to have a bag of tricks that you can deploy
proactively. If you turn to them throughout the day, that
changes your threshold of stress tolerance.
What you dont want t o do i s resort t o q uick xes t hat h ave
no staying power,. Smoking, drinking alcohol, binging on
food; t hese a re s ure-re s tress f ailures. They m ay g ive t he
impression that they are relieving tension, but they will
not work over time and sooner or later you will be right
back where you started.
It is also advised for those who feel stressed to
avoid coffee and high-fat foods. Caffeine
is a stimulant and foods high in fat make
the body work overtime to digest them, so
both will probably add to your level of stress.

Stress Management
Got 20-40 minutes? Try Mindfulness Meditation!
At many stress management clinics, patients are taught
mindfulness meditation. Practitioners set aside 20 to 40
minutes a day when they focus on calming and becoming
aware of their bodies with the aim of catching themand
interrupting themin the act of responding to stress.
Other forms of meditation use other devices to bring on
moments of quiet contemplation, but all are designed to
get you to focus on your body. The most important thing is
becoming aware of your body so you can sense when you
are getting stressed.
Headspace.com is a unique website where users can learn a
practical approach to mindfulness meditation, no crossedlegs or Ohms required! The creators designed the content
as a series of 10-minute meditation sessions that
can be done anywhere with your phone, tablet,
computer, etc...
Click HERE to learn more and to
sign up for a FREE 10 day trial to check it
out for yourself!

A Smorgasbord of Stress-Stoppers:
Simple Tips t hat Fit i nto Your B usy S chedule
Relaxation Response
Sit or recline comfortably. Close your eyes if you can, and relax your muscles.
Breathe deeply. To m ake s ure t hat you a re b reathing deeply, p lace o ne h and o n
your a bdomen, t he o ther o n your c hest. Breathe i n s lowly t hrough your n ose,
and as you do you should feel your abdomen (not your chest) rise. Slowly exhale.
As you do, focus on your breathing. Some people do better if they silently
repeat the word one as they exhale; it helps clear the mind. If thoughts
intrude, do not dwell on them; allow them to pass on and return to focusing on
your breathing.
Cleansing Breath
Take a huge breath in. Hold it for three to four seconds. Then let it out v-e-r-y
s-l-o-w-l-y. As you blow out, blow out all the tension in your body.
Relaxing Postures
Relax your shoulders so that they are comfortably rounded. Allow your arms
to drop by your sides. Rest your hands, palm side up, on top of your thighs. With
your knees comfortably bent, extend your legs and allow your feet, supported
on the heels, to fall gently out ward. Let your jaw drop. Close your eyes and
breathe deeply for a minute or t wo.
Passive Stretches

Its p ossible t o relax muscles w ithout e ffort; g ravity c an do i t a ll. Start

with your neck a nd let your h ead f all f or ward t o t he r ight. Breathe i n
and out normally. With every breath out, allow your head to
fall more. Do the same for shoulders, arms, back.

Bonus:
All of these can be done while on duty or at the desk!

A Smorgasbord of Stress-Stoppers
Imagery
Find a comfortable posture and close your eyes. Imagine the most relaxed place
youve e ver b een. We a ll h ave a p lace l ike t his a nd c an c all i t t o m ind a nywhere,
any time. For everyone it is different. It may be a lake. It may be a mountain. It
may be a cottage at the beach. Are you there?
FiveCount Em, FiveTricks
Since you can never have too many tricks in your little bag, here are some
proven stress-busters from Paul Rosch, M.D., president of the American
Institute of Stress:
1. Curl your toes against the soles of your feet as hard as you can for 15
seconds, then relax them. Progressively tense and relax the muscles in your
legs, stomach, back, shoulders, neck.
2. Visualize lying on a beach, listening to waves coming in and feeling the warm
sun and gentle breezes on your back. Or, if you prefer, imagine a fantasy or
picture yourself in whatever situation makes you happiest.
3. Set aside 20 to 30 minutes a day to do anything you wanteven nothing.
4. Take a brisk walk.
5. Keep a music player handy and loaded with relaxing, enjoyable music.

Bonus:
Most all of these can be done while on duty or at the desk!

Assignment
1.
What was the result of your Stressful Event
Checklist? Is your stress level more, less, or about the same
as you expected? How does being an RA affect your stress
level?
2. What t wo m ain s trategies did K elly McGonigals
video reveal as ways of managing the effect of stress on
your b ody? What did you nd most i nteresting a bout h er
presentation? Most applicable to you as an RA?
3. What a re s ome s pecic ways you h ave dealt w ith
stress i n t he p ast? Do you nd t hem b e e ffective
strategies?
4. Considering e verything youve learned f rom t his
module as well as outside information you may already
know, l ist 5 s pecic s tress m anagement s trategies you
believe will be effective for managing your stress:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Email your completed assignment to
your RD and your RAD Committee RD!

Health and Nutrition

This module is designed to help you evaulate your own
personal health and nutrition habits and provide
information on how to maintain personal wellness from a
nutrition perspective during your time in college.
To complete this module, please do the following:
Complete Sections 1, 2, and 3 of the MyPlate on Campus
Ambassador Training Module.
You do not have to complete section four.
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/MyPlateOnCampus/downloads/TrainingModule.pdf

Assignment
1.
What, if anything, surprised you about the answers
to the Portion Distortion quiz in section 1 of the module?
2. After reviewing slide 20, which of these topics do you
think Belmont residents nd t he most c hallenging t o
complete and why?
3.
Use the Food-a-Pedia weblink on slide 27 to compare
the n utrition f acts o f ve i tems you h ave i n your residence
hall room o r ve f ood i tems you h ave c onsumed i n t he l ast
week. Record your total calories versus empty calories for
each food.
4.
Why is it important for college students to
understand the basics of nutrition?
5.
What goals can you set for yourself in order to
improve your overall physical activity and nutrition?

Email your completed assignment to

your RD and your RAD Committee RD!

Community Ser vice

This module is designed to help you realize the power of
volunteerism and community ser vice and determine the
best way for you to be involved in your community and
your world.
To complete this module, please do the following:
Watch the following YouTube video on
The Power of Volunteering:

(You dont h ave t o f ollow t he l ink at t he e nd!)

Community Ser vice Statistics

Stats
By age, 35- t o 44-year-olds were most l ikely t o
volunteer (30.6 percent). Volunteer rates were lowest
among 20- to 24-year-olds (18.5 percent).
For e very h our o f s er vice p erformed, $22 i s added
back into the community
44% o f s tudents p articipated i n s ome f orm o f
community engagement during the 20112012 academic
year, c ontributing a n e stimated $9.7 billion i n s er vice t o
their communities.
Students w ho p articipated i n s chool required
community service were 22 percentage points more likely
to graduate from college than those that did not.
Similarly, s tudents w ho p erformed v oluntary
community s ervice were 19 p ercentage p oints more l ikely
to graduate from college than those that did not.

Community Ser vice

Instead o f f ocusing o n e pisodic v olunteering, t here
needs to be a stronger emphasis on regular volunteering
what are some ways to make this a consistent thing in our
lives?
o
Know your passion
o
Find an organization that connects that
passion
o
There could be potential to get a job with
the organization someday
A h igher amount o f p articipation i n c ommunity
service in college will lead to a higher amount of ser vice
participation in later adult life

Is community service something you are interested

in? Do you know where to get involved here in your


Belmont o r N ashville c ommunity?
Keep reading for a list of great places to
volunteer right here!

Community Ser vice

Types of Volunteer Work here in Nashville

Nature/Environment: R adnor L ake, Urban Farm

(educational as well), Farming/Community Gardening
projects
Education/Kids: Afterschool L iteracy Programs,
Operation Christmas Child,
Housing/Homlessness: R oom at t he I nn, N ashville
Rescue Mission, Habitat for Humanity
Healthcare: H ospice Volunteer, donating blood

Assignment
Part 1: Reect o n a t ime w hen youve p articipated i n
community service. How did it make you feel? Who all was
impacted by the help you provided?
Part 2: H ow c ould you t urn c ommunity s er vice i nto a oor
program (Passive or Active programming)? Are there ways
you could encourage your residents to become involved with
local organizations here in Nashville? How have you done
this or plan to do this in the future?
Part 3: Describe h ow you c an use w hat youve learned i n
this module t o i nuence your c ommunity s er vice
programming a s a n R A ( KIVA, i ntoNashville, LABS, Do
Something, etc...). How will you create buy in with your
residents for these initiatives?
Email your assignment to your RD and your
RAD Committee RD!

Spiritual Development
This module is designed to assess your spiritual wellness
and to provide an opportunity for you to create
opportunities o r t ools t o rell your s pirital b ucket w hen
needed.
To complete this module, please do the following:
First, watch this introductory spiritual leadership YouTube
video:

Spiritual Development
Reect o n t he f ollowing:
How do you provide spiritual leadership to others?
Are t here t imes w here i t i s difcult t o p rovide s piritual
leadership to others when you feel like your own spiritual
development is halted or your faith bucket is not full?

Spiritual Development
Author Ryan Shaw lists 10 key ideas for maintaining
spiritual steadfastness for those who are called to lead or
serve others:
1 Being S aturated w ith t he Powerful
Presence of God
2 Embracing Humility
3 Hungering and Thirsting for God
4 Being C lothed w ith G ods Word
5 D iscerning G ods G uidance a nd R evelation
6 Pursuing a Lifestyle of Prayer
7 C ooperating w ith G ods Two-Fold Purpose
8 Understanding the Times and Seasons of God
9 Persevering w ith Steadfastness a nd Stability
10 Pursuing a Focused Life
Think about each of these keys...
what do you think they mean?
Which key(s) stand out to you?
Which would be most revelant in
your role as an RA?
Interested in reading more about these ideas? Check out this book:

Assignment
Write a s piritual devotional o r reection p iece t hat you c an
use when you feel your bucket is empty, incorporating one
of the spiritual keys that speaks to you.
Reect o n h ow you a re b est a ble t o b e a s piritual resource
to others through your service as an RA.
How can you use what you learned to help residents in their
spiritual journey?
Email your completed assignment to your
RD and your RAD Committee RD!

Thanks for completing your

RAD Assignment!