HealthierU · April 18, 2007

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, April 18 ~ 7:00pm ~ Steps of Olin Library
Vigil for Virginia Tech
Students have planned a vigil to remember the lives that were lost on Monday at Virginia Tech. We will come together in solidarity with the Virginia Tech community Wednesday at 7PM on the front steps of Olin Library to acknowledge the tremendous loss of life. All members of the University community are invited to join.

Tuesday, April 24 ~ 12:00pm to 1:00pm  ~ Woodhead Lounge 
Dream Big! You May Just Reach Your Own Summit
Presented by Ann Parmenter, Head Field Hockey Coach, Trinity College
Learn about Ann Parmenter's amazing mountaineering accomplishments, including her successful climbs of Mt. McKinley in Alaska, Ama Dblam in Nepal, Aconcagua in Argentina and her two epic attempts to summit Mt. Everest which is over 29,000 feet. Ann successfully summitted Mt. Everest on her second attempt in the Spring of 2006 and has great stories of this epic adventure along with a slide show. This presentation is part of the Wesleyan Adult Fitness Lunch and Learn Series. Students and employees are welcome to attend this event. Please RSVP to Heather Minetti at 860.685.2928.

Wednesday, April 25 ~ 7:00pm to 8:30pm ~ PAC 001
"Is Advertising Dead?"
Presented by Darren Kapelus '87, Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide
Can for-profit advertising work for the common good?  Have marketers suddenly developed a conscience?  Or is the threat of extinction the motivation for positive change? Darren Kapelus, Class of '87, and Senior Partner and Executive Group Director of the advertising agency, Ogilvy and Mather, Worldwide, will address the issue "Is Advertising Dead?"  In this enlightening conversation, Mr. Kapelus, whose world renowned agency has addressed issues of self esteem and beauty stereotypes with the Dove "Campaign for Real Beauty," will discuss how the advertising industry is shifting from talking at to listening to consumers. Sponsored by the CRC with support from the WesWELL Peer Health Advocates.  To RSVP, login to MyCRC.

Announcements
Office of Behavioral Health Grief Support Group
A student-led grief support group meets Mondays at the Davison Health Center in Room 212. It is intended to create a network of support for those who have experienced the death of a loved one. Please feel free to come and leave when it's convenient for you. For more information, contact Brittany at 914/439-0488 or Nick at 914/523-6682.

Last Days...
The last day for full annual GYN exams and sexual health lab testing is May 16.  Please call Health Services now at 860.685.2470 to schedule an appointment if you need these services before the end of the semester.

Community Needs Survey
WesWELL is seeking assistance from the student body in assessing the health education needs of various communities on campus. Please click here to complete this brief survey if you have not done so already.

Tips for a HealthierU
Friendships: Enrich your life and improve your health
The Mayo Clinic explains how and why

The lowdown on warts fromYale-New Haven Hospital
Click here to learn about the various types of warts

Research indicates certain foods take the taste out of cigarettes
Could eating certain foods help smokers quit?

Quote of the Week
"I gotta work out. I keep saying it all the time. I keep saying I gotta start working out. It's been about two months since I've worked out. And I just don't have the time. Which uh..is odd. Because I have the time to go out to dinner. And uh..and watch tv. And get a bone density test. And uh.. try to figure out what my phone number spells in words." ~ Ellen DeGeneres

Healthy Dose of Info on...Grief
Coping with a grief-inducing event, such as the loss of a loved one or this week's tragedy at Virginia Tech, can be difficult at best. The Mayo Clinic offers these insights into coping with grief more effectively. 

• Actively grieve and mourn. Grief combines the inner feelings of loss, sadness and emptiness. Mourning is the external or outward manifestation of that grief. You may wear black, cry or carry a somber demeanor. Both grief and mourning are natural and necessary parts of the healing process.
• If you don't face your grief, your wounds may never quite go away. Acknowledge the pain and know that it's part of the healing process. Unresolved grief can surface years later as headaches, intestinal problems, psychiatric difficulties, eating disorders or chemical dependency.
• We grieve alone, but we heal in community. A friend, a confidante, a clergy person can all help you along the journey of healing after a loss. We need community ? connectedness ? to heal. It helps to have someone to share feelings with or simply to be there when we cry, to share in our sorrow and listen in a non-judgmental way.
• Don't make major decisions. Grief clouds our ability to make sound decisions. So when you're grieving, try to defer major decisions. If possible, wait four to six months before making big decisions, such as moving, taking a new job or making major financial changes. If you must make decisions right away, seek the input of a trusted family member or friend for guidance.
• Take care of yourself. Grief drains our energy. Each of us handles problems in our own way. You may develop a tremendous appetite or not eat at all and lose weight. Try to get adequate sleep and continue to eat healthy. If at all possible, don't be alone during this time. Let others take care of you. Spending some time alone is fine, but isolation can become unhealthy and interfere with the healing process. Your will to live and desire or ability to follow normal routines may quickly erode. That can put you at higher risk of health problems, such as depression, insomnia and heart disease. Consider visiting your doctor to make sure your health isn't being adversely affected.
• Time helps, but it may not cure. We're told that time heals all wounds. That's not entirely true, of course. Time does have the ability to make that acute, searing pain of loss less intense, to make your red-hot emotions less painful. But your feelings of loss and emptiness may never completely go away. If you question this, ask any parent whose child has died, even if that death occurred 60 years ago.

For more information on Wesleyan's health offices, visit:
WesWELL, the Office of Health Education
Health Services
Office of Behavioral Health for Students

Publicize your health-promoting event in HealthierU by emailing all the details to lcurrie @wesleyan.edu for the following Wednesday's edition of HealthierU.

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