Center for Advancement of Well-Being

Intentional acts of kindness: Adding purpose to your actions

Colleen Rich — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 18:52:42 +0000

Intentional acts of kindness: Adding purpose to your actions Colleen Rich Mon, 02/14/2022 - 13:52

There are so many ways to be kind, such as writing a thank you note to a friend who helped you out, paying for someone’s coffee or fast-food order behind you in line, or simply sending a “thinking of you” card.

As part of Intentional Acts of Kindness, Patriots can participate in National Random Acts of Kindness Day on Thursday, Feb. 17. To celebrate acts of kindness, the Mason Chooses Kindness (MCK) committee has arranged exciting events for the Mason community including a workshop session examining how Disney characters embody emotional intelligence and how this connects to leadership.

Another event Patriots can take part in is a social media challenge. Everyone will be encouraged to use the hashtag #MasonChoosesKindness to share how they plan to spread kindness intentionally on that day. All the tweets containing the hashtag will be liked and shared on MCK social media platforms: Twitter @Mason_Kindness, Instagram @Mason_Kindness, and Facebook @MasonKindness.

Cynthia Bentley, administrative coordinator at University Libraries, knows firsthand the unexpected good feeling that a small act of kindness can generate, when someone at the Dunkin Donuts at Mason unexpectedly paid for her order. “The act of kindness not only encouraged me, but it inspired me to be kind to someone else,” Bentley said. “What a wonderful day it was.”

A new way to recognize acts of kindness at Mason is Pats for Pats, i.e., Pats on the back for Patriots that lets staff, faculty, students or alumni thank someone for being “kind, generous or thoughtful toward others,” according to the website. The initiative went into action this semester and focuses on recognizing both random yet small-scale acts of kindness with the goal of encouraging all to continue participating in kind actions.

“Individuals who were nominated through this form will receive an anonymous MCK-branded e-card on Random Acts of Kindness Day with a blurb including the nominator’s message along with what they were ‘caught' being kind for,” said Philip Wilkerson, industry advisor at University Career Services and the lead for awards and recognitions in the MCK executive committee. “After this day, the nominee’s that live or work on campus will be awarded with a physical MCK-branded card and/or sticker and those living off campus will receive an email with a MCK-branded e-card and/or sticker.”

“All of us like being on the receiving end of kindness,” said Nance Lucas, executive director of the Center for Advancement of Well-Being and chief well-being officer at Mason. “Patriots, we challenge you to get caught in these acts of goodness and let's all be the ripple effect of kindness in our communities.”

The Mason community is encouraged to perform intentional acts of kindness every day and the given resources are generously beneficial in helping individuals discover the many ways of being kind.

“When a stranger or a friend goes out of their way to do something kind for you, you remember it longer. It has more impact,” said Christophe Riffo, an international credential specialist in the Office of Admissions and Mason Kindness Ambassador.

“Intentionality also validates or affirms what we are able to extend to others no matter how small or simple the gesture might be,” said Al Fuertes, associate professor at the School of Integrative Studies and Mason Kindness Ambassador. “In the process, it gives us a deeper sense of meaning, fulfillment, and self-appreciation.”

There are many resources available online such as the new edition of the Mason Chooses Kindness Toolkit, Thriving Together Series: Intentional Acts of Kindness article, and Famous Quotes on Kindness and Well-Being that provide ideas and tools to help you spread kindness. The MCK committee also released its new Acts of Kindness Calendar, featuring ideas for putting kindness into action every day of the month.

“I recently injured my knee, and I am on crutches,” said social work major and Mason Kindness Ambassador Casey Jalen Nelson. “There have been so many people who have been willing to step in and give me a hand, holding doors open for me and asking me if I need help. The acts of kindness of Mason students in the community warms my heart.”

“You never know when someone is going through a hard time. A little bit of kindness that you give can make all the difference,” said Melissa Bevacqua, director of undergraduate admissions.

Topics

Faculty and Staff News

Center for Advancement of Well-Being

Mason Chooses Kindness

Gratitude: Why it’s important and how to practice it

Colleen Rich — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 15:54:32 +0000

Gratitude: Why it’s important and how to practice it Colleen Rich Wed, 12/01/2021 - 10:54

Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Have you said “thank you” today? If so, then you’ve expressed gratitude! Gratitude is a positive emotion that makes you feel grateful for something or someone in your life. This contagious yet selfless act of appreciation has a rippling effect on one’s emotional well-being, outlook, engagement, and belonging. If each of us plants seeds of gratitude among the Mason community, it can help sprout branches of optimism and thankfulness that can have a far-reaching impact.

The Mason Chooses Kindness initiative encourages Patriots to focus on kind words and compassionate actions. This initiative defines kindness as intentionally engaging in positive action that is friendly, caring, and kind-hearted, going hand-in-hand with gratitude. Mason Chooses Kindness aims to “create and sustain an infectious kindness revolution at Mason” that can easily be transmitted by projecting kind thoughts and actions toward one another.

“Gratitude is a powerful emotion. When we cultivate an attitude of gratitude, research has shown that we experience a myriad of benefits. Gratitude can be an antidote to feelings of stress, discomfort, and dissatisfaction,” said Melissa Schreibstein, director of well-being programs for ��AV’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. “Experiencing more gratitude allows us to appreciate our lives as they are, and often, to appreciate the people in our lives. As [leadership and positive psychology expert] Tal Ben Shahar stated, ‘When you appreciate the good, the good appreciates.’”

Gratitude can help reshape your perspective.

Philip Wilkerson, industry advisor at Mason’s University Career Services. Wilkerson said gratitude has also helped him increase his resilience. “When I have a lens of gratitude, I have a positive lens on what is going on around. I look for what is going well in life rather than what is going wrong. It does not diminish adversity or challenges, but it makes me appreciate everything,” said Wilkerson.

Often we can take life for granted and forget how much we have to be grateful for. Pam Shepherd, communications director for the Office of the Provost, said that we see what we don't have and our want and greed intensify, and as we struggle, we neglect to notice all the good we do have in our lives.

“I have learned that when I am frustrated with my life, verbalizing the gifts and joys I do have—health, family, friends, a home, pets, talents, etc.—helps me see how much I have to be grateful for,” Shepherd said. “It's like a darkness is lifted when I change my attitude and acknowledge just how bountiful my life truly is. I'm constantly surprised at how happy I am and how much more willing I am to help others... all because I changed my perspective.”

A good way to keep gratitude alive is to practice and promote it daily. By appreciating the little things in life, you realize how easy it is to feel grateful for the people and world around you.

“When people ask me what my hobby is, I tell them that I love writing thank you notes. I don’t write them out of obligation, duty, or tradition, but out of genuine gratitude,” said Sherrene DeLong, well-being program coordinator at the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. “Pausing my life to thank someone for their kindness not only helps me be more centered and aware of the blessings in my life, but it also strengthens my relationships with those loved ones.”

Wilkerson noted that he uses a Five-Minute Journal to help him stay grateful. “Through the journal I am prompted to share three things I am grateful for. Over the years, it has help me be happier and focus on what is going well rather than what is going wrong,” he said.

Topics

Faculty and Staff News

Center for Advancement of Well-Being

Office of the Provost

Mason celebrates World Kindness Day with week of activities

Colleen Rich — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 20:51:58 +0000

Mason celebrates World Kindness Day with week of activities Colleen Rich Tue, 11/02/2021 - 16:51

World Kindness Day, celebrated globally on Nov. 13, was created by the World Kindness Movement. ��AV will celebrate the week of Nov. 8 with events to promote kindness and caring across all campuses, as part of the Mason Chooses Kindness (MCK) initiative.

Patriots can write and draw kindness messages in chalk on the Fairfax Campus on Monday, Nov. 8. Sign up for MCK chalking here.

Kindness Ambassadors—45 students, 73 faculty and staff, and 21 alumni who were nominated for their embodiment of kindness and their positive impact on the campus community—will be recognized by President Gregory Washington at a reception on Monday, Nov. 8.

Mason Chooses Kindness committee members will serve coffee and donuts and give away kindness swag items to Patriots on Tuesday, Nov. 9, from 8 to 10:30 a.m. on Wilkins Plaza and the Johnson Center East Plaza (near David King Hall). If you would like to volunteer, sign up here.

Committee members will also decorate the George Mason statue to celebrate kindness. Be sure to walk by the statue on Tuesday, Nov. 9, for a kindness boost from George Mason IV.

As part of the Leading to Well-Being Speaker Series, professional speaker, coach, and author of “The Strategic Stop” Greg Nelson will speak Tuesday, Nov. 9, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Learn more and register here.

Patriots are also invited to post World Kindness Day messages online.

Kindness Day highlights and encourages good deeds in the community, and it serves as a reminder that simple acts of kindness have power.

Visit the Mason Chooses Kindness online toolkit for kindness resources.

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Faculty and Staff News

Center for Advancement of Well-Being

Mason Chooses Kindness

Investiture week panel focuses on mental health, well-being as strategic priorities for student success

Colleen Rich — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 17:08:49 +0000

Investiture week panel focuses on mental health, well-being as strategic priorities for student success Colleen Rich Thu, 10/14/2021 - 13:08

Nance Lucas, Rose Pascarell, and Rachel Wernicke. Photo provided

Leah Adams, Elisa Akins and Shekila Melchior. Photos provided

The global pandemic has brought mental health and well-being to the forefront, and ��AV provides a variety of services and strategies to the community for addressing those challenges.

That’s part of what will be shared at an Investiture week panel "Mental Health and Well-Being as Strategic Priorities for Student Success" on Wednesday, Oct. 20 from 2:30-4 p.m. in Merten Hall, Room 1201, on the Fairfax Campus. The event is open to faculty, staff and students.

“What’s great about having a panel as part of this process with the investiture of the president is that it really highlights the importance of this issue, and puts it in the spotlight,” said Rachel Wernicke, associate dean and chief mental health officer, University Life. “Mental health is one of our top concerns nationally and certainly as a priority here at Mason.”

Featured panelists include

Rose Pascarell, vice president, University Life
Rachel Wernicke, associate dean and chief mental health officer, University Life
Nance Lucas, executive director and chief well-being officer, Center for the Advancement of Well-Being
Leah Adams, assistant professor, Psychology Department and Women and Gender Studies Program
Elisa Akins, psychology major, peer success coach
Shekila Melchior, assistant professor, College of Education and Human Development

“Mason has taken on the challenge to respond to mental health and overall student well-being in a focused approach,” said Pascarell.

For example, Mason has a partnership with the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to help universities implement a public health approach to the prevention of serious substance abuse and suicide, Wernicke said.

“Most recently, we’ve really taken an equity lens to these issues, in both assessing and evaluating and creating new programs,” Pascarell added. “That’s important on a campus that has such incredibly rich diversity.”

There are several public education initiatives that exist to try to increase awareness and understanding on campus of well-being and mental health issues. A few examples include a digital guide to provide specific tips and recommendations for how faculty and staff can support students who have mental health concerns.

A digital resilience badge is offered through the Center for Advancement of Well-Being. It’s six-part program designed for students, but is also available for faculty and staff. There’s also the Mason Chooses Kindness initiative—as part of the Patriots Thriving Together well-being and mental health awareness campaign.

“In celebrating President Washington's Investiture, I think it's important to reflect upon the commitments and accomplishments we've made as an institution around students' mental health and well-being,” said Lucas. “We'll also explore future directions as we continue advancing our work in mental health and well-being at Mason.”

“What I hope is taken away from this event is that our community understands that their well-being and mental health is a priority and that we are working hard to support it,” said Wernicke.

Pre-registration is required. Event participants must complete the Mason COVID Health Check and receive a “green light” status on the day of the event.

Topics

Students

University Life

Faculty and Staff News

Investiture

Center for Advancement of Well-Being

October is Exercise is Medicine Month

Colleen Rich — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 17:52:31 +0000

October is Exercise is Medicine Month Colleen Rich Wed, 10/13/2021 - 13:52

Mason is offering a variety of activities, including walks like the Happy Heart Walk pictured here, throughout the month of October. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications

The ��AV community is celebrating Exercise is Medicine Month this October with a variety of activities.

Regular physical activity is one of the easiest ways to reduce the risk for chronic disease and to improve mental health and quality of life.

“Research has shown that if people make lifestyle changes by adding physical activity to their day, they may avoid going on medications for high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension,” said Debra Stroiney, associate professor in Mason’s School of Kinesiology. “The same is true for mental health disorders—symptoms of anxiety and depression can be reduced through physical activity.”

Under Stroiney’s direction and in conjunction with campus partners including Mason Recreation, the Center for Advancement of Well-Being, Student Health Services, and the Freedom Center on the Science and Technology Campus, Exercise is Medicine (EIM) Month aims to focus on encouraging the community to be active through activities like EIM Bingo, Women on Weights (an introductory session to the weight room for women), Dumbbells 101, and FUNctional Fitness.

There is also the university’s partnership with BurnAlong to help individuals train for the Mason Nation virtual 5K, as well as multiple other virtual opportunities.

In addition, Mason is offering weekly walks with Mason’s health care providers and personal trainers. Faculty and staff can also attend virtual and in-person informational sessions on managing their health numbers while students are encouraged to attend events on reducing stress with exercise.

“With ‘Exercise is Medicine,’ we want to provide a free opportunity for people who might be hesitant to exercise to talk to health and fitness professionals, ask questions, and fit in physical activity using methods that work for them,” said Becky Demus, assistant director of fitness for Mason Recreation.

Knowing that some people do not like to exercise or may feel uncomfortable in a gym setting, Demus said she wants to focus more on helping people get started on a physical routine and providing options for all fitness levels.

“We recognize that some people may have different interests, so we offer a variety of free group fitness classes like martial arts, boot camp, HIIT (high intensity interval training), and cycling,” Demus said.

And for those who are motivated by competition, Mason Rec is offering Dry Triathlon involving body weight exercises, indoor cycling, and a treadmill run/walk in November, and a Power Meet in December, Demus said.

“We even offer outdoor adventures and intramural sports,” she added.

Part of the purpose of Exercise is Medicine month is to create a healthy community to improve motivation and provide support at Mason.

“When you have a community with lots of activity, it no longer feels like exercise,” she said. “Instead you spend time with people you know doing things you and enjoy and you begin to feel better both physically and mentally.”

In 2020, Mason earned a silver designation from the Exercise Is Medicine^® On Campus program—an initiative supported by both the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Medical Association. The silver designation recognizes Mason for engaging students, faculty, and staff in education initiatives and making movement part of the daily campus culture.

To learn more about all the exercise opportunities, visit the Mason Recreation website.

Topics

Faculty and Staff News

Mason Recreation

Center for Advancement of Well-Being

Mason senior scholar and social change agent receives Gardner Leadership Award

Colleen Rich — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 14:38:41 +0000

Mason senior scholar and social change agent receives Gardner Leadership Award Colleen Rich Tue, 09/07/2021 - 10:38

Gail Christopher. Photo provided

Gail C. Christopher has been named a winner of Independent Sector’s 2021 John W. Gardner Leadership Award, along with John A. Powell of University of California-Berkeley.

The award, established in 1985 to honor founding chair John W. Gardner, honors extraordinary social-sector champions whose work has transformed the nonprofit community and mobilized and unified people, institutions or causes to positively impact the ability of all Americans to thrive.

Christopher is a senior scholar at ��AV’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. She is also the executive director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity, which partners with the Association of American Colleges and Universities to help universities develop Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Centers. Mason is one of 30 colleges that has established a TRHT Center.

“There is a nice cohort of people who have been trained as practitioners, and who conduct racial healing circles on Mason’s campuses,” said Christopher. “I’ve found the people at Mason are very innovative and very committed to this work.”

She hopes to create a TRHT course at Mason as well.

She is also a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. She will accept the Gardner Award during the Upswell Summit, Oct. 20-22.

“I’m deeply honored and moved to receive this award,” said Christopher. “John W. Gardner has actually been an inspiration for my career for many decades. This is a man born in 1912 and lived until 2002, so he really got to see the arc of the moral universe begin to bend toward justice.”

She said it’s a pleasure to share the award with John A. Powell.

“I think of John as a kindred spirit, and we’ve worked together in many ways over the years,” said Christopher.

She also plans to release her new book on racial healing in the fall, and write another book with her daughter, New York Times best-selling author Heather McGee.

The collaborative developed a “culture of health leaders” leadership program to recruit young leaders and offer them a community of practice, and a data initiative to orchestrate the available evidence-based data to drive states and localities toward doing the work of creating health equity. Christopher said the collaborative will launch a new leadership program in the spring with an inaugural cohort of 40 leaders.

“We are going to be working hands-on with local communities, using data to help them drive non-partisan unified efforts to bring about change,” Christopher said.

Listen to Christopher’s conversation with Mason President Gregory Washington on the Access to Excellence podcast.

Topics

Faculty and Staff News

Center for Advancement of Well-Being

Access to Excellence podcast

Podcast - EP25: Gail Christopher on racial healing and overcoming a legacy of separation

Damian Cristodero — Fri, 14 May 2021 14:47:42 +0000

Podcast - EP25: Gail Christopher on racial healing and overcoming a legacy of separation Damian Cristodero Fri, 05/14/2021 - 10:47

In This Story

Gregory Washington

A false story has been told in this country about people of color, social change agent Gail Christopher says, and it’s time to tell the truth about the “bad idea” of the hierarchy of human value. Dr. Christopher, executive director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity and a senior scholar at ��AV, says racial healing includes building a belief system “that is grounded in a deep understanding of our interconnectedness and interdependence as an expanded human family.”