- About
- Undergraduate
- Graduate
- Prospective Students
- Current Students
- Graduate Student Profiles
- Aerospace Physiology Lab
- Aging and Population Health Lab
- Autism Research Center; Behavioral & Cognitive Neuroscience
- Cardiovascular Physiology Lab
- Lab of Exercise and Environmental Physiology
- Molecular Cardiac Physiology Group
- Quantative Exercise Biology Lab
- Sensorimotor Neuroscience Lab
- SFU Run Lab
- Submit or Update Your Profile
- Research
- Alumni
- News and Events
- Support BPK
BPK Cares.
The department proudly has a MindMatters Committee to better support mental wellness in our students, faculty and staff through supportive environments, engagement and community building.
We welcome everyone who wants to contribute to our BPK culture and support mental wellness for our students, faculty, and staff. By fostering supportive environments, engagement, and community building, we can make a positive impact. MINDmatters meets a few times a semester, taking initiatives to promote wellness in BPK. Remember, wellness is more than just physical health鈥攊t's the full integration of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. 馃尶馃挋
Join us and make a difference! Contact aarnolda@sfu.ca or dbedoya@sfu.ca for more info
Co-chairs
Bedoya, Diana
Arnold, Anne-Kristina
OUR TEAM
Going the Extra Mile: How to Get the Most out of your BPK Courses - Panel Discussion
The Mental Wellness and Engagement Committee of BPK had put on a , featuring Jim Carter (BPK 142, 407, 409 Instructor), Nadine Wicks (BPK 205, 306 and 408 Instructor), Mariam Hanna (BPK TA) and Hanna Heavenor (Recent BPK graduate) for tips and tools on how to do well in BPK courses while still maintaining mental wellness.
In case you missed it, is the recording of the panel discussion.
MENTAL WELLNESS TIP - MWEC
A craft a day keeps the doctor away. Ok, ok, you鈥檙e right, the saying is actually 鈥渁n apple a day keeps the doctor away.鈥� However, recent studies report that repetitive motions, such as those performed during knitting, make crafters feel calm, focused, and grounded. Here are five reasons why it is worthwhile to carve out a bit of crafting time:
- Crafts promote mindfulness. By focusing on your textile, metalwork, woodcraft, or glasswork, you develop a better awareness for how the material behaves 鈥� especially in response to your emotions.
- Crafts encourage socialization. Whether you connect with fellow crafters online or in-person, crafts provide an opportunity to broaden your social network. Crafty-minded people come from all walks of life. Their stories, knowledge, and support are valuable resources for your mental wellbeing as well as your crafting.
- Crafts improve your confidence. As you learn a new skill, a new technique, or how to use a new material, your self-confidence improves. You learn that you are capable despite initially lacking experience. Perhaps you鈥檒l even teach your friends how to forge, knit, sew, blow glass, paint, fold origami, or carve wood. Teaching improves your own knowledge and further boosts your self-esteem. *cough* Transferable skill *cough*
- Crafts improve your problem-solving skills. You probably know problem-solving is a necessary skill but how does one improve it? Practice it? Crafting. You use your knowledge to come up with creative solutions to mistakes. By identifying and correcting errors, you learn to solve problems using logic and reasoning.
- Crafts improve your brain. Crafting helps you stay mentally (and sometimes physically) active. Repetitive motions require memory formation, memory recall, fine motor control, and hand-eye co-ordination. These processes keep your brain active by creating more synapses and improving existing ones.
Maintaining your mental health is well worth the effort. Whether you spend time learning a new craft or honing a familiar skill, you and your brain will reap the benefits. On behalf of the Mental Health, Wellness, and Engagement Committee, I wish you a crafty February!
~ Gaby Jensen