Just like your laptop and cell phone, you need time to recharge.
The Recreation & Wellness team at Grand Valley developed the “Press Pause” campaign to encourage students, faculty and staff members to rest, relax and refresh.
Press Pause runs through the Winter 2021 semester and it coincides with the National Day of Unplugging, which is March 6.
Katie Jourdan, student health promotions coordinator in Recreation and Wellness, said the pandemic has exacerbated the need to rest, which is essential to be well. The goal of Press Pause is to encourage the GVSU community to take a well-deserved break now and beyond the pandemic.
“All of us have found ourselves in a world turned upside down and yet, we’ve been expected to continue going about our days,” Jourdan said. “Even a five-minute pause in our days can lower our heart rate, loosen our muscles, increase immunity, improve sleep and digestion, and elevate our overall well-being.”
Jourdan said Press Pause evolved from students on the Wellness Information Team (WIT) Peer Educator program, who recognized the pandemic was, and is, taking a toll on student well-being.
“The WIT Peers talked often about the desire to educate their peers on sleep, stress, burnout and self-care,” Jourdan said. “Launching in the Winter 2021 semester allowed them to explore student needs and research topic areas that interested them during the Fall 2020 semester.”
Content for Press Pause was curated primarily by the WIT Peers and Ryleigh Emelander, health promotion graduate student and campaign coordinator. Each month has a theme, such as self-care and rest.
Unplugged is the theme for February, and was previously a week-long Recreation & Wellness campaign to encourage taking a break from technology. The team is asking people to share ways they unplug and how doing so has helped them.
Other tips from Press Pause include exercising throughout the week, using a sleep diary and separating sleep time from screen time.
For more information about Press Pause, click here to visit the website.
