SWEET

Learning is...

SWEET

Improve your learning, focus, and emotional balance every day.

At Goucher College, wellness is about finding your balance so that you can be your best self. It's a state of overall well-being, finding harmony on a social, emotional, spiritual, academic, physical, and environmental level. It's about choosing to make simple choices every day that help improve your quality of life. It's about thriving and finding joy in everyday life, even in the challenging times.

We call Goucher's wellness initiative SWEET, and it stands for:

Sleep

Sleep is one of the most important things you can do to enhance your quality of life and improve your overall well-being. Goucher offers sleep workshops and other programs that can help you improve your sleep habits. Interested? Email Jean.Perez@goucher.edu to find out more!

8 hours of quality sleep is critical for:

  • Focusing on tasks, retaining information and learning new skills both from the previous and next day
  • Reducing symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression
  • Strengthening your immune system to have the capacity it needs to fight infections

Tips and hints for successful sleep habits:

  • Set-up a bedtime on your phone to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day, within 30 min-1 hour.
  • Set warmer light on your phone/computer in the evenings (night mode, bedtime settings, f.lux, etc).
  • Use meditation or yoga at the end of the day to help you wind down.
  • Get to know your circadian rhythms. Most young adults are cognitively better after 10 a.m.
  • Turn off overhead lights and use a desk lamp in the hour or so before you go to sleep.
  • Don't go on social media or turn off all devices at least a half hour before bedtime.
  • Keep your room quiet or consider using white noise (such as a fan) or earplugs to block out unwanted noise.
  • 12 Simple Tips for Great Sleep from the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School
  • Sleeping Well in the Digital Age from the Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies
  • A Progressive Muscle Relaxation Audio Guide

Interested in learning more?  Check out NPR's Life Kit podcast - Sleep Better with Help from Science 

Water

Promotes learning. Increases working memory and reaction time. Improves your mood.

Tips and hints for drinking more water:

  • Try flavor add ins for a little variety (lemon, orange, cucumber, mint, basil, etc)
  • Drink water (and not soda or coffee) when you are thirsty and after exercise
  • Drink water before your morning coffee
  • A refillable water bottle in class class can help improve grades

Eat

Feed your brain!

Tips and hints for eating healthy:

  • Eat a balanced breakfast to help fuel you for the day (incorporate protein, whole grains and fruit)
  • Avoid eating after dark (especially carbs, caffeine and salty food)
  • Eat more calories earlier in the day
  • Junk food impairs cognitive function and increases risk of neurological dysfunction
  • Caffeine increases anxiety, masks how tired you might really be, decreases your emotional controls, and inhibits sleep six to eight hours before you need to sleep
  • Eating too much sugar temporarily suppresses your immune system, so when stress has you craving something sweet, opt for a piece of fruit!
  • Veggies give your immune system the vitamins it needs to stop infections
  • Head to the Mongolian grill for lots of yummy veggies! And for added benefit, add some shrimp - the zinc helps keep the cold virus from replicating well, giving your immune system a better chance to fight it quickly

Exercise

Increases your memory. Boosts motivation. Reduces the risk of depression. Grows your brain larger!

Tips and hints for a more active lifestyle:

  • Take a walk around campus with a friend.
  • Simply walking for 30 minutes a few times a week can make a big difference.
  • Space your study with exercise and it will help you learn and retain information.
  • Spend time in nature everyday.

Time

Tips and hints for time management:

  • Go for a 15 min walk after an hour of studying (brain breaks!)
  • Breaks between classes help processing
  • Spacing your study also helps processing
  • Naps for 30 minutes can help you concentrate


We believe that when we find balance in each of these core areas, we become better equipped to handle stress and excel in our academic and life endeavors.

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