Module 4 - Study-life Balance, Rec, Well-being Flashcards
Define “recreation”
Being physically active, connecting with nature, your creativity, and your culture/heritage.
Define “social connectedness”
Your relationships with others
What are common factors students need to balance with studying?
- Socializing
- Employment
- Volunteering
- Commuting
- Holidays
- Exercise
- Caring for a dependent/fam member
- Hobbies/interests
T/F: Expectation for a full-time university student is 25-27 hours of studying a week (including lecture, seminar, and lab times)
FALSE: 30-35h
What are some impacts of over-studying on well-being and mental health?
- -ve impacts on relationships
- may interfere w/ ability to fulfil other non-study-related obligations/interests
- may increase likelihood of unhealthy behaviours
- may increase the risk of hopelessness and self-harm
What are some benefits of achieving a healthy study-life balance?
- Reduce worry + stress
- Improves efficiency of work
- Greater connection to interests
- Facilitates mindfulness
- Improves learning efficiency
What elements are written on the Wheel of Life? (to maintain a healthy balance)
- Physical environment
- Academic/professional
- Finances
- health
- Fam + friends
- Relationships/love
- Personal growth
- Recreation, culture, hobbies
What are some tips for balancing life and study [for uni students]?
- Plan [around] your schedule
- Set goals
- Make friends
- Know your limits
- Look after yourself
T/F: Building compassionate campuses involves solely educating students on social issues and hoping they understand how other students feel.
False: Involves working hard to ensure institutions are inclusive and kind learning communities.
Define “connectedness”
A personal sense of belonging
What are some examples of connection?
- Other people (fam, friends, peers)
- The natural world (hiking, animals, plants, gardening, sightseeing)
- Meaningful values (faith-based activities, importance of fam/friends/personal values)
- Meaningful work (hobbies, job, volunteering, passion projects)
- Culture and heritage (holidays, relating to others’ experiences, etc)
T/F: Increased exclusion results in lowered mood and increased anxiety
True
T/F: Adults are hypersensitive to social exclusion, more so than adolescents.
False
What are some benefits of social connectedness?
- Improved quality of life
- Boost mental health
- Increased life expectancy
- Decrease risk of suicide
- Build more inclusive learning communities (compassion for others and self)
Forming strong, healthy relationships with others means opening up and ___________ ___________.
Actively listening
Define “loneliness”
Simplest definition: unpleasant feeling when your social needs are not being met (often accompanies with a desire for social connectedness)
How can loneliness negatively affect your mental and physical health?
- Increased cortisol (stress hormone)
- Increased sleep disturbances
- Reduced activity
- Increased risk of heart disease
- Challenge immune system
Middle-aged adults who live alone have been shown to have a ___% greater risk of dying of heart disease.
24%
T/F: A lack of connection can take the form of withdrawal, ignoring/being ignored, lack of support/approval, feeling of abandonment
True
One study carried out in the US in 2018 found that people between the ages of ___ and ___ were the loneliest group, and reported more health issues than older people.
18 - 22
Define “situational loneliness”
When unpleasant events or circumstances cause us to retract from society
Define “developmental loneliness”
Hinder our capacity to balance individualism and intimacy
Define “internal loneliness”
Self-perception of worthlessness intensifies feeling of being alone
Define “social perscribing”
A holistic approach to health and mental health supporting non-clinical community based activities to improve social connectedness
Define “social isolation”
An objective measurement of the # of people you interact with. In other words, social isolation is a lack of quantity of social connections.
T/F: Older people who are lonely in retirement homes are much more likely to develop attachments to inanimate objects.
True
How can isolation impact your physical, emotional, and cognitive/mental health?
- Isolation has been linked to poorer health + substance abuse
- Associated with reduced confidence, feelings of diminished self-worth
- Shortened attention span/forgetfulness
What are the two types of attention?
- Directed attention: requires great effort to remain on task/process info (mentally demanding since more appealing info must be blocked out)
- Involuntary attention: effortless, held when the subject is interesting and holds your attention; pleasurable way of processing env info (hence, comes at no cost to the human way of tiredness)
Define DAF
Directed Attention Fatigue:
Neuropsychological phenomenon indicating overuse of brain’s inhibitory system necessary for maintaining focused attention (ie. studying)
What are some areas negatively impacted by DAF?
- Input deficits (misinterpret/failure to notice social cues)
- Thinking problems
- Behaviour (impulsive/reckless)
- Executive functioning (ie. reduced ability to plan)
- Shortened temper and unpleasantness
- Worrying/rumination
What are some ways to recover from DAF?
- Engage in +ve activities you find absorbing
- Clearing the mind of internal distactions
- Taking short breaks from DA tasks
- good qual sleep
- Allowing mind to wander freely (exercise, nature, art galleries, etc)
T/F: Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan and Kaplan) suggests that you think better when you switch between directed and involuntary attention
False: …think better when you spend time in/connecting with nature.
WHO estimates that ____ million people die around the world each year due to physical inactivity, making it the ______ leading underlying cause of mortality.
3.3; 4th
Physical inactivity is estimated to cost Canadians $____ billion per year.
$6.8B
Each year, physical inactivity of the population costs the UK over ____ pounds.
8 billion pounds
What are 5 key findings from physical exercise impact research?
- Enhances +ve emotions, improves concentration, boosts immune system
- Improved well-being and life satisfaction
- Accomplishment/self-esteem
- Viewed as a leisure activity (heightened sense of control over time and space)
- Better problem-focused coping
Define “problem-focused coping”
A way of coping thru which people actively seek info or help to tackle a problem directly or diminish its impact
What are some benefits of connecting with nature/wildlife?
- Improvements to health thru increased phys activity
- Reduction in stress/anxiety
- Increased +ve mood/self-esteem
- Better/healthier social life
What are some ways we can include nature in our lives INDOORS
- Plants in your home
- Photographs of nature
- Landscapes (paintings/screensavers)
- Morning coffee/tea/breakfast by the window/on balcony
- watching a nature show
- 5min to meditate to natural sounds
What are some ways we can include nature in our lives OUTDOORS
- Laptop outside to work (or near large window)
- 5min walk around the park, large garden, etc
- Outside for coffee/lunch break
Define “culture”
The characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people; encompasses language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music, art, and more.
T/F: Flow state lies between boredom and anxiety, and it is a function of the challenges one endures and the skills they have to overcome them.
True
What is the GLAM Student lifestyle?
GLAM = Galleries, Libraries, Arts, Museums
What are some benefits of the GLAM lifestyle?
- Longevity
- Resiliency
- Community connectedness
What are the 3 different programs part of the Prescribe Culture initiative?
- National Gallery, London
- Shangri La Museum, Hawaii
- Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada
T/F: A study carried out by McGill University found that the chemical dopamine was released at moments of peak enjoyment, which was the first time it had been tested in response to dancing.
False: in response to music
What are the 3 R’s?
Reading, wRiting, Resetting
Define “cultural heritage”
Shared bond, our belonging to a community. Represents our history and our identity; our bond to the past, to our present, and the future.
