Well-being & Healthy Environment at CEPT University

Lack of mental well-being and a healthy environment for students at CEPT University.

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CEPT University is one of the most esteemed universities, recognized globally for the courses offered and its rigorous curriculum.

However, this comes with a price as all the students try to achieve an excellent quality and quantity of work. In such a competitive environment, students often fail to take care of their mental well-being which is equally important. The University should offer as much help to students in need as possible.

Causes

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• Meeting up with deadlines and submissions along with quality of output

• Personal / family issues

• Lack of self confidence

• Introvert nature

• Stressful environment

• Lack of communication / facilities and awareness regarding mental well-being

• Overworking

• Physical well-being

• Across the country there is a troubling spike in the number of college students with stress-related illnesses and mental health conditions.

• To achieve academic success, most students must commit significant time and effort and adhere to a disciplined routine, which can help them with their mental health

• Therefore, we should have strategies in place to protect our mental health during times of high stress.

As a result of this stress, students often experience

• a decrease in concentration and memory,

• confusion,

• loss of humor,

• anger, irritability, and fear.

The Solution

Research shows that 70 percent of mental health issues in youth can be treated with early intervention. Detecting mental health concerns early and providing support to those who require it aids at-risk students before their problems worsen

In addition to offering individual counselling, colleges should also focus on what we in the mental health field.

These efforts can range from creating more shared spaces to increase social connections to combat feelings of isolation

Colleges must help students assess their strengths and overall resilience. By empowering students with increased self-knowledge

Approach

• Identifying the problem and the need to resolve it

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DIMENSIONS OF WELL-BEING

Source: https://www.kindpng.com/imgv/ihwTJTw_digitalart-solutions-clipart-hd-png-download/

• Defining areas through which we can have a healthy environment- parameters of wellness.

• Providing solutions for each of these parameters

• Taking survey to evaluate the take on well-being of currently studying students

• Planning of implementation

Surveys

• A survey was conducted online in CEPT University with nearly 50 college students of Faculty of Architecture department about their emotional readiness, given the uncertainties accompanied by COVID-19.

• Students need more support from their school administrations and communities to persist through the physical and emotional stressors of this current time. Mental health should be a top priority for any institution.

October is depression and mental health awareness month.

Let’s spread the awareness, take care of ourselves, and the ones around us as mental health comes above everything :)

Lack of integrated provisions for helping students with their well-being : Environmental & Emotional Issue

Survey

• A campus wide survey was conducted to find out the overall well-being of the students at CEPT University.

• This would help evaluate the need for environmental and emotional wellness of a student.

ENVIRONMENTAL WELL-BEING

Environmental wellness is defined as occupying pleasant, stimulating environments that support well-being. (Northwestern) lifestyle_painting_relaxed_woman_cafeteria_icons_ colored_classical_6837686.jpg

Solutions

1. Designing spaces for well being

In workspaces, there are key strategies to improve coworkers' well-being. Versatile spaces and furniture can provide a variety of layouts that allow more creativity and also contribute to making work less monotonous by optimizing each person's spatial experience.

Creating spaces for interaction as well as for isolation is essential, so people can choose the best space for each specific moment and activity

Designated spaces / rooms

The intensity and fast pace of college life and the constant exposure to new people and ideas can feel overwhelming. In this change from high school to college some students often feel lost in the crowd and so it is important to provide a space where individuals can just be by themselves.

Tranquil spaces with low sensory stimulation, visual / aural privacy, as well as exposure to nature, help them to replenish cognitive energy and gather peace of mind

There are different types of space devoted to therapeutic use – from quiet rooms, to rest zones, personalized immersive environments, and sleep pods which provide relaxation for overstimulated, anxious, or sleep-deprived students.

Text and image : https://www.wrnsstudio.com/design-impact-mentalhealth-and-wellness/

Access to nature

Access to daylight, views of nature, calming color palettes, natural materials, displays of art, greenery, and patterns with organic form, are a few of the many elements within the built environment that can enhance our restorative processes and help us relax.

Holding classes/discussions amidst the nature once in a while will make a huge difference to the emotional as well as environmental wellness. It is also proved to improve attention spans and enhance creativity.

https://www.wrnsstudio.com/design-impact-mental-health-andwellness/

Utilising these spaces (South lawn shed, amphitheatre) for both environmental and emotional well being as morning meditation / relaxation spaces for designated hours of the day.

Emotional Well-being

An awareness, understanding, and acceptance of your emotions, and your ability to manage effectively through challenges and change. (Psychology today)

Solutions

1. Peer run support groups

Often, an outsider can never understand the intensity of stress that you are going through at your university. Hence, peer run support groups will help students understand and empathies with each others’ problems by sharing experiences while also listening to other people

This will improve overall an individuals well-being, increase self-confidence, enhance social skills and also help cope with stressful situations.

Such support groups are efficient and easy to create as they don't require any external resources.

2. Mindfulness sessions

It’s all about how you deal or cope with those issues that determines your emotional wellness. Just like in the school, yoga or physical fitness periods were integrated into the curriculum, colleges and universities can take at least 15-30 minutes of each day and dedicate it to having mindfulness or meditation sessions.

This way the students are regular in taking care of their emotional well-being and are able to cope with stress and anxiety in between their working hours. A few minutes at the start, middle or the end of the day can go a long way in changing the mindsets and wellness of a person.

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Strength

Advantages over other institutions

CEPT University benefits from having intellectual and technological resources required to take the necessary steps towards mental wellbeing

• Good Indoor-outdoor study environment

• Clubs engaging students to mingle and participate

• On campus student activities and events

Weakness

Disadvantages / Lack of facilities

The areas within which students feel discomfort or are dissatisfied

• Quantum of work and keeping up with deadlines

• Lack of empathy from peers as well as faculty

• Stressful schedules with no time for self reflection

Wellness Challenges

• The college can build an app wherein the students can participate in interesting challenges related to physical and mental well-being.

• They can track their progress, record their feelings for each day just, journal their thoughts into this one application.

• By completing wellness challenges, they can be rewarded with smaller things- like winning a free coffee / snack at the college canteen or elsewhere.

• Through this they can also connect with their friends/ peers and see what they are up to!

Opportunity

Scope of improvement

The areas within which the University can improvise to create a healthier environment

• Integrating extra curricular activities

• Wellness programs and challenges

• Peer support

• Regular breaks from core studies

Threat

Restricting parameters

External factors that affect the mental well-being of a student

• Increasing level of peer competition

• Financial / personal / physical problems

• Lack of awareness

• Performance anxiety

Healthy Competitions

Being a design school, the college can do so much by spreading awareness about mental health through art and design

Holding art competitions on such mental health related topics and then displaying it together instead of having any winners can help encourage people to come together.

Wellness Calendar

Integrating activities into the daily CEPT routine and curriculum so that the students are able to make time for themselves and refresh their minds in between working hours workplace-wellness-challenge calendar-wellness-challenge.png

This will help create an emotional wellness space and make it a habit for them to prioritize their mental wellbeing at a workplace.

Issue

Lack of integrated provisions for helping students with their mental well-being : Occupational and financial

OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING

The capacity to strike a balance between work and play in a way that supports one's health and sense of personal fulfilment is known as occupational wellness

Why is it important?

The capacity to make choices that foster positive attitudes toward one's job, classwork, coworkers, and classmates, which will increase one's level of personal and professional fulfillment and encourage one to learn throughout one's life. A strong sense of self and discernment are required for this.

Signs of Occupational Well-Being

Peer run support groups

• Working in a stimulating and engaging environment.

• Knowing how to strike a balance between work and play.

• Working according to your unique learning preferences.

• Interacting with others and cooperating with them.

• Combining both solitary and collaborative work.

• Feeling inspired and challenged at work Feeling inspired and challenged at work.

• Appreciating the work you've done at the end of the day.

Solutions

• Never give up, remain inspired, and pursue your goals.

• To reach your objectives, broaden your knowledge and abilities.

• Look for the advantages and virtues in your current position.

• Enjoy what you do and pursue your interests.

• Make friends with your coworkers at work.

• Set goals, make a plan for achieving them, and then get to work on the plan.

• If you feel stuck or unsatisfied.

• Look for something new and/or speak with a professional counsellor. Participate

• CEPT offers so many opportunities to participate in extra activities and events which help in building confidence, teamwork, collaboration and help in developing variety of skills.

• Brainstorming and creative thinking activities help in inculcating healthy thoughts and ideas and increases the productivity of the mind.

• Events at inter-faculty level build relationships and work groups with diverse and different ideas, which helps widen the horizon and eventually leads to positive occupational well-being

FINANCIAL WELL-BEING

Living within your means and managing your finances in a way that provides you peace of mind is the definition of financial wellness. It involves keeping your income and expenses in check, avoiding debt, setting aside money for the future, and being aware of your financial emotions.

Why Is Financial Aid Important?

• Providing financial aid to students with low income families can help them break the financial barriers and complete their higher studies in desired colleges.

• It boasts their confidence and helps them get equal opportunities .

• Grants, scholarships, work-study programmes, and loans are all examples of financial aid.

• Financial aids can also be indirect by lifting food, or stationary expenses of the students.

Measures: mobile softwares and application

• Online platforms like Pan-CEPT application, where students from all faculties interact and people of similar interests and hobbies can come together to exchange ideas or take initiatives to showcase ideas on a bigger platform

• Combining the solution to Financial and occupational wellbeing, CEPT can take initiatives to create this online platform where students can make groups who can coordinate or meet online to collaboratively brainstorm designs and make prototypes.

• These specific collaborative projects can be open to public platforms and expose the students to a real market experience, this will help students to get a great exposure through cept and also help in some scale of financial support.

• Participating in these activities also boasts the confidence and open doors to wider knowledge and learning opportunities.

Graphics team

Students with good hands on graphics or even interest in it can collaborate to market customizable design templates that support clients that lack design expertise or need design assistance. The types you can construct are essentially endless, but as a place to start, for example.

• Facebook templates

• Templates for resumes

• PowerPoint decks

• Template emails

• Templates for brand style guides

• Logo designs

This will also improve skill set of the students and will be an added point to their portfolios.

Scholarships And Rewards

• CEPT can initiate scholarship programs or sponsorship programs can be initiated by the university.

• Competitions can be organized throughout different departments, which can have cash prizes or indirect benefits.

• Educational licenses for the softwares can be provided to the students at least for the course time-period.

• Housing services and paying guest tie-ups can be provided.

Issue

Lack of integrated provisions for helping students with their mental well-being : Intellectual and Physical

What is the issue?

Physical well being affecting intellectual well being.

Learning and concentration are both correlated with physical activity Strong, encouraging connections give kids the emotional tools they need to move beyond of their intellectual "comfort zone" and experiment with new concepts and ways of thinking, which is essential for academic success. Other school aims, like academic standards, may occasionally appear to conflict with the development of wellbeing. Unreasonably high expectations, a continuous testing schedule, or an overemphasis on the value of academic achievement may actually have a negative impact on students' well-being. For instance, they might not have much control over official exams and tests, curriculum content, the duration of the school day, or the actual school setting.

PHYSICAL WELL-BEING

The ability to maintain a healthy quality of life that allows us to get the most out of our daily activities without excessive stress.

• Creating efficient schedules that may be finished on time and meet quality requirements also requires coordination between the faculties and smart working plans with realistic deadlines. It can be done through coordination within faculties, smart working and regular inputs.

• Creation of areas for various forms of physical activity, such as a sports complex that motivates individuals to exercise. For physical wellness one can also use spaces like terraces or underground spaces if the space restriction is a hindering factor

• Introducing non GPA subjects to educate them about maintaining good personal hygiene and a healthy work-life balance.

Factors affecting physical wellness

• Lack of nutritious food and a healthy diet style:

• Consumption of fast food or inadequate food from the streets or canteens that is deficient in nutrients. The hurried way of life induces irregular, unhealthy eating patterns. People skip meals or eat lunch and dinner at different times every day, which has an impact on the body.

• Lack of physical wellness spaces:

• There are no physical activity spaces, such as a gym or other sports areas. People who want to participate in physical activities are also unable to do so due to a lack of space or equipment.

• Extremely tight deadline-driven schedules that are exhausting

• The hectic and exhausting schedules cause physical stress and disrupted sleep patterns. The difficulty of juggling the ongoing deadlines for many classes, along with the fact that students don't even get weekends off, makes it extremely tiring and can cause a variety of physical health problems.

Solutions

• Creating universal, comfortable furniture that promotes physical wellness. Long continuous hours, even on comfy chairs, can be exhausting, but taking regular, brief breaks helps maintain the body physically active and healthy.

• Forming support groups and designating individuals to assist kids in maintaining a wholesome, regular diet. Empty classrooms and spaces can be used to resolve the space constraint issue.

• Burnout-producing exercise sessions

• The apps or softwares introduced for universal designs can also add features which keeps track of your personalized physical activities and needs.

INTELLECTUAL WELL-BEING

The ability to develop curiosity to increase our knowledge and skills while also recognizing our creative ability.

Factors Affecting Intellectual Well-being

• Intellectual well-being is co-dependent on Physical wellness.

• The lack of healthy body and good physical well-being have an intellectual effect.

• Competitive environment leading to stress decreasing the curiosity.

• Feeling demotivated

• Lack of self confidence

• Lack of interactive approach

• Lack of creative sessions

• Lack of co-curricular activities

Solutions

• Participating in conversations fosters intellectual growth.

• Brainstorming sessions that aid in learning about a variety of topics

• Recognizing your limitations and working within them

• Introducing unique gaming sessions, innovative academically irrelevant talks, and workshop sessions

• Including more extracurricular activities as a part of the curriculum.

• Introducing courses that are not related to the regular curriculum to help students explore.

Allowing all members of the school community to participate in meaningful decision-making in the classroom, for example, through consultations, opinion polls, referendums, electing class representatives, student parliaments, focus groups, in-class feedback on learning activities, and using teaching methods that promote a positive classroom environment and well-being, such as cooperative learning

• Remove objectivity.

• Discover that there are various methods for completing a task.

• There may be multiple "correct" responses; however, this is not always the case.

• Keep an open mind to new ideas, perspectives, insights, expressions, and ideals.

• Improve your critical thinking skills

• Introducing skill-learning workshops and encouraging curiosity

• Keeping track of quizzes and general events

Why do we need to resolve it?

When schools promote intellectual and physical well-being, students encounter fewer disciplinary issues, are better able to focus on their studies, and have stronger communication skills. Better academic performance and long-term health may result from this

Lack of integrated provisions for helping students with their mental well-being : Spiritual and social ISSUE SPIRITUAL

Spiritual wellbeing is a deeply personal dimension of well-being and may mean something different to everyone.

Source: https://www.medindia.net/patients/lifestyleandwellness/benefits-of-spirituality.htm

Our perception on the meaning and purpose of life has an impact on our spiritual welfare. In addition to our views, values and ethics, it might also encompass our ties to culture, community, spirituality, and/or religion. The capacity to maintain our spiritual wellness can help us make better decisions, stay grounded through times of change and develop the resilience we need to handle challenges with grace and inner peace A spiritual component in our lives may even aid in our recovery from a physical or mental illness The following activities could be a part of the path to spiritual wellness:

• Practicing meditation or yoga

• Praying or taking part in an organized religion

• Spending quiet time alone, thinking on deeper aspects of life

• Building awareness through journaling

• Serving the community, spending time around nature, appreciating music and art

Social

A state of social well-being is one in which fundamental human needs are satisfied and residents may live in harmony in places where there are job opportunities.

How to improve:

• Having a solid support system of individuals around you has a favorable impact on your general wellbeing. Keep your loved ones close by and make an attempt to reach out to them when things are difficult. It's a give-and-take relationship, so we must empathies with and be there for them as well.

• Simple daily self-care routines can be used to practice self-care, but doing so with intention and mindfulness is different. For example, praising oneself for a job well done and taking time to recharge are both important for this. Making time for oneself ultimately benefits your interpersonal interactions.

• Taking part in hobbies and extracurricular activities lowers stress and aids in finding a better work/life balance. Participate in recreational sports, paint, garden, enrolling in an exercise class, or go hiking. Including someone else is advantageous since shared interests can strengthen bonds between people.

• Having a disciplined routine will improve your mood and enable you to have a positive influence on others around you. People often feel better when they get enough sleep, eat well, exercise frequently, etc. Although keeping a schedule requires effort and dedication, it has its own advantages.

What schools and colleges can do for their students’ mental wellbeing?

• These activities have been found to boost feelings of psychological well being They can also be easily integrated into the college day as a quick classroom activity.

• Sharing, creating and maintaining meaningful relationships with people can be characterised as social well-being. Asking friends and family how they are, sharing content and having phone conversations with our close ones, all help in developing and improving relations. Having friends we can turn to at life's lows and rejoice with during its highs is crucial. We all need to have at least one person we can chat with when things are tough. It is important for us to realize how much a conversation and active listening can help other people progress. It is also critical that we respect people and foster healthy, mutually beneficial relationships.

• We must try not to discount or alter what someone says when they express their feelings, experiences and points of view; by just listening to them, we are assisting them in a profoundly healing way. Even though our social circles can shift as we mature, some close relationships endure and develop alongside us As we grow in self-awareness and sincerity, friendships and relationships may fall out or grow at times. Though it can be challenging to comprehend, this is a normal aspect of life. In future there will or may be new friendships and connections that more accurately represent who you are right now.

• The strategies proposed are all things that colleges can do quickly, for free and with a relatively low time burden for faculties.

What schools and colleges can do for their students’ mental wellbeing?

1. Do mindfulness as a quick classroom activity

Mindfulness is the practice of deeply focusing on our thoughts and feelings in the present, to weaken the hold of negative thought patterns.

2. Make public commitments about positive wellbeing behaviors

Encourage students to publicly commit to a positive mental wellbeing goal Students might find this technique helpful to stick to challenging wellbeing habits like mindfulness or exercise, or simply to keep on top of their academic work.

3. Use phone calendars to help students develop a regular routine

Help students to develop a regular routine by putting together a weekly timetable with them on their phones. As well as their academic benefits, routines have a link to wellbeing. Some research suggests that people find routines to be sources of meaning, comfort and control in their lives.

4. Communicate the importance of wellbeing through senior leaders and influential students

Involve influential figures at the college in communicating information about mental health services. This could be the head teacher, influential students (e.g. student council leaders) or both.

5. Help students to help one another with peer-led campaigns and peer support programmes

Run a student-led mental wellbeing campaign, ideally involving the most influential students at the college

6. Involve students in decision-making about wellbeing issues

People who are involved in designing the services they use tend to feel more empowered, and user involvement might improve the quality of services too.

7. Highlight the importance of day-to-day self-care

Students might already know about the links between self-care and wellbeing, but teachers have an important role in repeating the message and normalizing the idea.

8. Use ‘implementation intentions’

Encourage students to set ‘implementation intentions’ - a technique in which we specify the where, what, when and how of actions we wish to do.

Promoting Outdoor Education

Nature, Play, and Learning:

Some of the learnings can be conducted outside the studios/classrooms like informal discussions, observations & teachings. This would help students improve imagination, one’s originality, creative thinking, attention to details, focus and release stress. It provides a break from indoors

BenefitsEveryone starts to feel a bit sleepy and lethargic after they have been inside for too long. However, outdoor education and outdoor learning can help students with a break from the monotony of learning indoors.

Nature provides just the right amount of refreshment

No classroom can be designed perfectly for every single student and to meet the needs of everyone. The amazing thing about outdoor education is that it provides the right amount of stimulation for almost everyone.

Increased Focus and Concentration

Time and nature has been show to increase our ability to concentrate and focus during indoor tasks. Why not add in a break to get outdoors and notice the effects on your students.

Challenges Faced And Overcoming Them As A Team

Dhruvi Shah | UG190372 - The major challenges faced while working as a team on the project were lack of communication, timely discussions as well as acknowledgement of work and efforts put by an individual To overcome this, we would openly convey the difficulties, meet whenever it was convenient for everyone and empathies with each other if someone is unable to cope up with work for some or the other reason.

Gauri Nevatia| PG22116 - Lack of communication was one of the most challenging part while working in a team. To overcome these difficulties individual mentorship on communication and networking by Mr. Satyam helped a lot.

Source: https://www.archdaily.com/60075/klodenegmont-high-schoolcebra/5_the_cliff?next_project=nohttps://