Register now for October Hokie Wellness programs

From: Hokie Wellness

Hokie Wellness offers a range of programs during October. They include:

Oct. 3, 8:30-9:30 a.m.: Basic Mindfulness and Meditation: This virtual program will help attendees learn more about mindfulness and how meditation can help improve mindfulness. Registration is required.

Oct. 5, 12:15-1 p.m.: Sleep Better Techniques: Are you satisfied with the quality of your sleep? Everybody at one point or another will have to deal with sleep problems like sleep deprivation, sleeplessness, and/or sleep disturbances. This virtual program will provide information on what happens when you sleep, along with tips on how to start reaping the benefits of great sleep. Registration is required.

Oct. 10, 8:30-9 a.m.: TimelyCare Information Session: TimelyCare is a virtual health mental wellness service available to full-time faculty and staff and non-student wage employees at no cost. Employees have access to TimelyCare services regardless of their location in the United States. In this session, employees will learn more about the three free services offered by TimelyCare: free individual counseling sessions, TalkNow on-demand mental health support, and health coaching. Registration is required.

Oct. 10, 8:30-9:30 a.m.: Basic Mindfulness and Meditation: This virtual program will help attendees learn more about mindfulness and how meditation can help improve mindfulness. Registration is required.

Oct. 11, 12-1 p.m.: Animal Assisted Therapy: Join Trent Davis, Ph.D., LPC, coordinator-animal assisted therapy/licensed professional counselor for Cook Counseling, and his pet partners, Derek and Epcot, to find out more about the Virginia Tech Therapy Dog program, how it started, and what makes it so popular and successful. Attendees learn about what makes the therapy dogs so special and how they differ from other service animals, emotional support animals, and pets. Registration is required.

Oct. 11, 12.-1 p.m.: Walking Wednesday with Dan Sui: Walk and talk with Dan Sui, senior vice president for research and Innovation. The group will meet at the bottom of the stairs in front of Burruss Hall, facing the Drillfield, and begin walking at noon. No registration is required.

Oct. 17, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: Mental Health First Aid: Mental Health First Aid takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance-use problems by improving understanding and providing an action plan that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental illness or substance-use disorder. Registration is required.

Oct. 17, 12:30-1 p.m.: Planning for Baby (Faculty): Planning for Baby programs are for employees who are expecting the birth of a child, or for new parents of a child under three months of age. All expecting and new parents are welcome to attend, including fathers, non-birth mothers, and adoptive parents. Topics to be discussed include benefits, leave, and resources available to new parents. Registration is required.

Oct. 18, 12:15-1 p.m.: Healthy Nutrition for Aging: We will discuss how specific macronutrients, micronutrients, and eating patterns can be especially helpful when navigating the physiological changes commonly associated with the aging process. Participants will also learn how healthy lifestyle habits such as staying socially connected and engaging in regular movement can also play a meaningful part in aging healthfully. Registration is required.

Oct. 18, 12-1 p.m.: Walking Wednesday with Amy Sebring: Join Amy Sebring, Virginia Tech’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, for a campus walk. The group will meet at the bottom of the stairs in front of Burruss Hall, facing the Drillfield, and begin walking at noon. No registration is required.

Oct. 19, 12:30-1 p.m.: Planning for Baby (Staff): Planning for Baby programs are for employees who are expecting the birth of a child, or for new parents of a child under three months of age. All expecting and new parents are welcome to attend including fathers, non-birth mothers, and adoptive parents. Topics to be discussed include benefits, leave, and resources available to new parents. Registration is required.

Oct. 19, 12:15-1:15 p.m.: Take a Brain Break:  Join Hokie Wellness for our October Brain Break! Bring your lunch and your own creative project to work on. We will also have supplies for watercolor painting or for painting a kindness rock to leave around campus and brighten someone’s day. Registration is required.

Oct. 23, 12:30-1 p.m.: TimelyCare Information Session: TimelyCare is a virtual health mental wellness service available to full-time faculty and staff and non-student wage employees at no cost. Employees have access TimelyCare services regardless of their location in the U.S. Learn more about the three free services offered by TimelyCare: free individual counseling sessions, TalkNow on-demand mental health support, and health coaching. Registration is required.

Oct. 24, 11:15 a.m.-12 p.m.: Active Listening: Come learn the basics of how to truly listen non-judgmentally so that you can better support others and promote supportive and effective communication. Registration is required.

Oct. 25, 12.-1 p.m.: Walking Wednesday with Frances Keene: Walk and talk with Frances Keene, the vice president of student affairs. The group will meet at the bottom of the stairs in front of Burruss Hall, facing the Drillfield, and begin walking at noon. No registration is required.

Oct. 26, 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m.: Repaying Student Loans Webinar: If you’ve got student loan debt, you’re not alone. There are more than 43.6 million borrowers with student loans, and an average balance of around $38,000 in federal and more than $40,000 in private loan debt. Paying back your balance no matter the amount can feel overwhelming. This webinar will help you focus first on finding a repayment path that works for you. Registration is required. 

Oct. 27, 12-1 p.m. Weight Training for Life: The session will have a lecture component where the instructor will go over the benefits of weight training, followed by a hands-on demonstration of how to properly use weights to increase muscle, balance, endurance, and mobility. Register here.