St. John’s L.E.A.D. student leadership program hosted its biannual Women and Wellness workshop in the D’Angelo Center on Nov. 2.
In attendance were 36 young women ready to learn the proper ways to take care of themselves and lead well-balanced lives.
Christine Vuolo, a psychology graduate student at St. John’s and facilitator of the workshop, said that women tend to place themselves at the bottom of their lists, focusing on others’ problems before their own.
“It’s okay to put yourself first,” Vuolo said. “You need to be the best you to take care of others.”
In order to do that, it is important to recognize what the stresses in your life are as college students; the biggest problem that the majority of people face is procrastination.
Putting off work until the last minute has been a problem for junior Emily Goms.
“I know that if I didn’t procrastinate I’d be a better student,” Goms said.
But breaking the long established habit can be hard to do.
“Students convince themselves that they work better under pressure,” Vuolo said.
As a result, many tend to turn to unhealthy habits to cope with the added stress, such as procrastination.
Senior Pankti Kadakia finds that procrastination and the stress it causes plague her.
“I’m constantly thinking about what I need to do and then stress out because I’m not doing it.”
Whether you turn to chocolate, ice cream or pizza, stress eating is one of the main coping mechanisms that people turn to.
The problem with stress eating is that often times, instead of reaching for a healthy snack, people tend to go for the unhealthy ones.
“Whenever I feel stressed out, I overeat,” said Kadakia. “While you’re doing it you feel great but after you’re done, you realize the damage you’ve done.”
“Be kind to yourself,” Vuolo reminded the women. “Taking care of yourself physically helps you mentally.”
If going to the gym is not for you, Vuolo urged the women to exercise on their own.
“Last year I ran my first 5K and 10K,” Vuolo said. “At one point I hit that runner’s high and I realized I should exercise more.”
Deep breathing can also help de-clutter the mind and reduce stress.
“You need to harness the power of the subconscious mind,” Vuolo said.
