The Campanile chimes nine times as residents trickle in, coming to sit in a circle as they converse about their day. I wait 10 minutes (we follow Berkeley time here) and then que the nature sounds from YouTube. Then, I facilitate a breathing exercise, as eucalyptus essential oil diffuses into the air of the 7th floor lounge. After several minutes of calm I invite everyone back into the space and thank them for participating in Meditation Monday. Afterwards, we all go down to the dining hall for the Hall’s usual late-night snack, hoping that tonight it's cookies.
It’s been my experience that during college, students encounter stressful times. However, it is important to alleviate this stress with healthy outlets, and to not pour from an empty cup. Here at Wellness Comm we believe it’s important to take moments for oneself to recharge. That’s why Bowles Hall created Wellness Committee! Our aim is to promote wellness and healthy habits by encouraging residents to participate in wellness oriented events, such as our weekly Meditation Mondays, or feel-good activities, like our reputable Compliment Wall.
Our Bowles Hall Compliment Wall is by far our most popular event of the semester. The compliment wall is a ginormous piece of parchment paper that spans the length of one dining hall wall. The parchment paper is covered from top to bottom with post-it note compliments, addressed to residents and written by residents. Wellness Committee felt that there aren’t enough opportunities for people to share with their friends how much they appreciate them, so we took it upon ourselves to create the Compliment Wall for Bowles residents. Receiving compliments is a joy, but writing them for your Bowles friends and reflecting on the impact they have made on you is something special. You find yourself feeling an immense amount of gratitude for this community of people and how lucky you are to share your college years with them.
- Sarah C.
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