Campus Resources to Reduce Stress

April is Stress Awareness Month! Everyday stress can take an immense toll on our mental health. While all of us experience stress, we all manage our stress differently. It’s essential to find ways to manage stress if we want to maintain our health and wellbeing. To help you make stress reduction a priority this month, MSU Human Resources has compiled this list of MSU campus resources: 

Activities 

  • Wellbeing Wednesdays: The WorkLife Office and Health4U are partnering to bring you Wellbeing Wednesdays. These weekly sessions are focused on wellbeing in its many forms: workplace wellbeing, mental health wellbeing, physical wellbeing, and more.  
  • Join them on April 12 for Art Therapy! Destressing sometimes means unleashing your inner child. This Wellbeing Wednesday will guide you in making some artwork. 
  • Campus Meditation Map: Beal Scholar, Anhad Viswananth, created this incredible meditation map to highlight the best spots to meditate around campus. 
  • MSU Campus Walking Tour: Taking time to be outdoors and exercise is a great way to manage stress. Health4U has provided a campus walking tour with maps of multiple walking paths throughout campus.  
  • Get Active this Spring: Warmer weather on the horizon means more opportunities to get outside! From sailing and stand-up paddleboarding to golf leagues and group fitness classes, there are tons of opportunities on campus and in the greater Lansing community to make exercise part of your weekly routine. Check out these opportunities and consider joining with a friend. 
  • Sleep: Understanding and Optimizing Your Nightly Reboot: Quality sleep is vital for our health, but it isn’t always easy to come by. This class will explore the science of sleep, the impact sleep has on overall health and wellbeing, and how to improve your sleep quality. Join this virtual webinar on April 18 to learn more.  
  • Rest with Music: The MSU School of Music, Abrams Planetarium, and Health4U invite you to take an hour out of your month to listen and simply REST WITH MUSIC. Join in-person at the planetarium or participate via Facebook live. 

Learning Resources 

  • Managing Stress and Work: This recorded Wellbeing Wednesday webinar shares tools and strategies for identifying stressors, prioritizing responsibilities, and managing stress throughout your career. 
  • Mess Makes Stress: This article will help you find ways to declutter your space, making for a less stressful environment.  
  • How to Recognize and Minimize Burnout During Uncertain Times: This recorded webinar will help you identify how burnout is affecting your work and personal life.  
  • Stress Reduction: Health4U provides different articles and resources that specifically target dealing with stress. 
  • Toolkit: Managing Stress: This resource on the Toward a Respectful Workplace website helps identify the stressors in your life and how to manage them. 
  • How to Avoid or Manage Burnout: This article will help you learn how to avoid burnout and what to do if you’re experiencing it.
     

Have another resource you’d like to add to the list? Let us know in the comments!

April Events Round-Up

Are you looking for activities for you and your family in the upcoming month? There are events (in-person and virtual) on campus and in the Greater Lansing community. Many events require registration, so be sure to click the links to learn more.

Campus Events

April 1MSU Science Festival: Print your own butterfly postcard! (free): Create a butterfly postcard with an illustration from Special Collections.

April 2 TEDxMSU (free): Visit the Wharton Center to hear from TEDx speakers, and visit pop-up shops, participate in giveaways and much more. 

April 5 2023 International Awards Ceremony: Join this recognition of individuals who are solving the world’s greatest problems, making the world a better place, internationalizing the student experience, and advancing knowledge and transforming lives around the world.

April 14 APIDA Heritage Month Community Dinner: Enjoy a community dinner honoring APIDA Heritage Month and enjoy an evening of community, food and activities. 

April 18 Clothing Repair-A-Thon (free): Give or gain help in the Makerspace system with any of your favorite pieces that need repairing. 

Learning Opportunities

April 2AI Sonic Art Workshop (free): Learn how to use AI and experiment with text-to-sound technology.

April 7 2023 Fatherhood Forum- The Evolution of Fatherhood: The annual Fatherhood Forum is aimed toward fathers who want to enhance their greatness as parents, their loved ones and supporters. 

April 11 Grammar Refresher: Strengthen your grammar and usage skills and present a more polished, professional image.

April 12 Maximizing the Spartan Experience: Gain a foundational perspective related to enhanced customer service delivery.

April 13 Post Parental Leave Employee Resource Group: Things to Consider or Plan for Before/While Returning to Work: Discuss what can be done to help you be best prepared emotionally, mentally, physically and organizationally before returning to work.

Health and Wellness

Starts April 5 Wellbeing Wednesdays (free): The Health4U program and WorkLife Office have partnered to bring you wellbeing in its many forms. 

April 18 Sleep: Understanding and Optimizing Your Nightly Reboot (free): Learn about the physiological importance of sleep and how to improve your sleep quality.

Family-Friendly Activities

Starts April 1Big Astronomy: Visit the Abrams Planetarium to learn more about a world-class observatory. 

April 1 Monday Night Open House (free): View insects from all over the world at the MSU Bug House. 

April 1 Pet Easter Egg Hunt: Soldan’s Pet Supplies is bringing back their Pet Easter Egg Hunt with thousands of colorful eggs on the lawn of their DeWitt location.

Starts April 2 A Story of Survival Dinosaurs: Visit the Abrams Planetarium to learn about the evolution of dinosaurs. 

April 3 Mother Daughter Dance: Head to Delta Township for a night of fun, music, refreshments and photos!

April 14Night at the Museums (free): Enjoy the MSU Museum and the Broad Art Museum with tours, art making and more.

April 25 Sensory Friendly Spartan Concert (free): Enjoy a chamber ensemble concert designed to serve the needs of all individuals.Â