March: Physical Well-Being Month

Physical Challenge: Move Edition: Fueling for Finals!

  • Physical activity enhances cognitive function, prevents mental fatigue, reduces stress and supports your overall well-being
  • Try walking a lap around the puddle, taking a break from studying and stretch for 5-10 minutes, take the stairs somewhere you would normally take the elevator, walking downtown to get your favorite study snack!
  • Check out the full challenge here!

Physical Challenge: Eat Edition: Fueling for Finals!

  • Click this link to watch a TedEd video on how food affects your brain.
  • Add a significant source of carbs such as bread, rice, pasta, potatoes or quinoa at every meal to help improve memory and focus.
  • Add foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as tuna (in the Salad Bar), hemp hearts, flax/chia seeds (in the Choices Fridge) for improved memory retention.
  • Check out the full challenge here!

February: Environmental Well-Being Month

Environmental Challenge

  • Pick up a Bingo card on Monday (2/5) in the Fireplace Lounge, or scan the QR code below.
  • Print the Bingo card here!
  • Try some Environmental Well-Being Strategies and attend Winter Carnival events, and get Bingo!
  • Return your Bingo card on to healthed@bates.edu or the Res Life Office in Chase Hall Winter Semester Well-Being Raffle!

January: Academic Well-Being Month

Academic Challenge

  • Add all syllabus assignments to your calendar or planner
  • Attend Office Hours for one of your classes
  • Visit the Student Advising portal ‘by Class Year’ section
  • Create 5 goals for the semester based on the portal info

December: Spiritual Well-Being Month

Spiritual Challenge

  • On Reading Day, try the challenge in the Fireplace Lounge, and drop it off on your way out to be entered into a raffle
  • Create art in the Multifaith Chaplaincy’s Nest (free art supply room) honoring a sacred practice for you
  • Walk or have tea with a friend and talk about joy
  • Find a moment to play in the snow, play a game, or be silly with friends

November: Mental Well-Being Month

Mental Challenge

  • Pick up a Bingo card on Monday (11/27) in the Fireplace Lounge, or scan the QR code below.
  • Print the Bingo card here!
  • Try some Mental Well-Being Strategies, and get Bingo!
  • Return your Bingo card on Friday (12/1) in the Fireplace Lounge and enter the Fall Semester Well-Being Raffle!

October: Relational Well-Being Month

Relational Challenge

  • Ask someone new to have a meal together
  • Schedule a meeting with a supportive faculty/staff member
  • Spend meaningful time with a friend
  • Connect with a staff member at the OIE, Harward Center, SASC, CAPS, or Residence Life
  • Call a friend or family member from home

September: Well-Being Week

Welcome to Well-Being Week! Below is a comprehensive list of all events scheduled. For additional details and sign-ups, check BatesEngage or contact the program host.

Monday 9/25

8:15 – Boot Camp (Merrill Track) Fitness class featuring a mix of aerobic, strength and core conditioning.

8:15 – Zumba (Merrill Multipurpose Room 213) A fun class for all fitness levels, Zumba incorporates Latin style dance as an aerobic exercise session.

10:00 – Yom Kippur Morning Service (Gomes Chapel) Presented by the Jewish Student Union.

10:00-2:00pm – Bike Registration Drive (In Front of Commons) Register your bike with Campus Safety! Bring your bike to get a registration sticker — an important, free, anti-theft measure.

11:30-1:30 – Well-Being Wagon (All over campus) Keep an eye out for some familiar faces driving around campus and handing out stickers, candy, and well-being prizes! Presented by Residence Life student staff.

11:30-1:30 – Gratitude Teakeaways (Fireplace Lounge) Presented by CAPS.

12:00 – Empowered Strength Training (Merrill Track) A challenge by choice resistance training session. 

12:00 – Monday Meditation (Gomes Chapel) 30 minutes of mindfulness meditation, beginning with guided settling and leads into silence. Presented by the Multifaith Chaplaincy.

4:00-6:00 – Well-Being Fair (Commons Tent) Explore the various offices and programs, and connect with the people who support well-being in all its forms on campus. Presented by Well-Being at Bates.

4:15 – Pilates in the OIE (OIE Lounge) Join us for a 45-minute pilates class. Presented by the OIE.

4:30 – Indoor Cycling (Merrill Multipurpose Room 213) These sessions will push your aerobic system while having a low impact on your joint. Classes are 45 minutes long and will not require sign-ups but will be on a first come first serve basis.

5:30 – Yizkor and Break Fast (Commons 221) Presented by the Jewish Student Union.

Tuesday 9/26

7:00 – Pilates (Merrill Multipurpose Room 213) A low impact, full-body workout session using body weight to build long lean muscles, increase flexibility, mobility, strength, and improve posture.

11:30-1:30 – Hang Out with Rory (Outside Commons) Meet Rory, an Australian Labradoodle, and his owner, Jess Mayo, counselor at CAPS! Stop by for resources on self-soothing techniques and a moment with a friendly campus dog!

12:00 – Boot Camp (Merrill Track) Fitness class featuring a mix of aerobic, strength and core conditioning.

12:15 – Job Shadow Info Session (Commons 201) Join Purposeful Work for an overview of the Job Shadow Programs, including shadow options, application requirements, and how to make the most of this Purposeful Work exploration program that connects students with alumni and parents to learn about their professional pathways. Presented by Amy Jaffe and the Center for Purposeful Work.

4:15 – Everything is Different (Chase 210 Lounge) Join Dean Reese and CAPS Director Wayne Assing in a conversation about experiencing the change of a new campus, environment, and culture at Bates.

5:00-7:00 – Eat, Sleep, Move: Sleep Edition (Fireplace Lounge) Stop by during dinner to chat with BHS Director Dr. Picard and colleagues about sleep hygiene and how to set up an ideal sleep environment!

Wednesday 9/27

8:15 – Boot Camp (Merrill Track) Fitness class featuring a mix of aerobic, strength and core conditioning.

11:30-1:30 – Eat, Sleep, Move: Move Edition (Fireplace Lounge) Stop by during lunch to chat with Sports Medicine Director Dr. Walls and colleagues about strategies to incorporate movement into your daily routine!

12:00 – Collage Your Own Journal (Multifaith Chaplaincy) Bring your lunch to the Multifaith Chaplaincy for some artistic spiritual practice and to make a journal to take home. Presented by the Multifaith Chaplaincy.

12:00 – Empowered Strength (Merrill Track) A challenge by choice resistance training session. 

12:00 – Zumba (Merrill Multipurpose Room 213) A fun class for all fitness levels, Zumba incorporates Latin style dance as an aerobic exercise session.

12:00 – Vinyasa (Chase Hall, Skelton) Flow style yoga, intended for beginners and intermediate participants.

4:30 – Indoor Cycling (Merrill Multipurpose Room 213) These sessions will push your aerobic system while having a low impact on your joint. Classes are 45 minutes long and will not require sign-ups but will be on a first come first serve basis.

4:30 – Fairy House Building (Mt. David) What happened to the imaginations we had as children? Where did all the fairies go? If you want to spend some time outside this week, find a little moment of peace, even rekindle some of that childhood passion, join the Environmentalism through Art Theme House this Wednesday at 4:30 behind Gillespie Hall (280) to build some fairy houses on top of Mt. David. 

5:30-7:00 – Adventure in Dining (Commons) Come learn how CHEWS and DCCE support students’ physical, mental, social, environmental, academic, and financial well-being. Stop by the Wyman’s blueberry truck outside, visit with Bates Garden managers and CHEWSies inside and learn more about Maine’s Food Waste Awareness Week.

9:00 – {Pause} (Gomes Chapel) Pause is a reflective secular service of music, poetry, silence, dance and art. It is a perfect break for quiet reflection and meditation. Presented by the Multifaith Chaplaincy.

Thursday 9/28

11:30-1:30 – Eat, Sleep, Move: Eat Edition (Fireplace Lounge) Stop by during lunch to chat with Dietician and Nutrition Educator Josh Palomera and colleagues about mindful eating and fueling your body for specific activities!

12:00 – Happiness Only Happens in the Present Moment (Fireplace Lounge Balcony Overlook) Join CAPS Director Wayne Assing in conversation around experiential reminders to center joy in your everyday life.

12:00 – Boot Camp (Merrill Track) Fitness class featuring a mix of aerobic, strength and core conditioning.

4:30 – Guided Meditation (Gomes Chapel) Join the leaders of the Mindfulness Theme House in a guided meditation.

6:00 – Hearth (Multifaith Chaplaincy) Hearth is a comforting biweekly dinner where students come together from all corners of campus for food, comforting silence, and sharing in response to thoughtful queries that encourage reflection and vulnerability. Presented by the Multifaith Chaplaincy.

7:00 – Mental Health Panel: The Rise of Therapy Speak (Commons 221/222) A panel discussion hosted by Bates College Student Government, featuring mental health professionals and practitioners from across the college, discussing questions around the way social media has impacted mental health. Presented by BCSG and Well-Being at Bates.

9:00 – Village Club Series (VCS) (Ben Mays Center) Join us for a warm, welcoming coffeehouse-style setting and enjoy a wide array of artists and genres. Featuring artist Lily Rayne. Presented by Campus Life.

Friday 9/29

7:00 – Pilates (Merrill Multipurpose Room 213) A low impact, full-body workout session using body weight to build long lean muscles, increase flexibility, mobility, strength, and improve posture.

11:30-1:30 Pops & Props (Fireplace Lounge) Join some familiar faces from CAPS: get a tootsie pop for you and share some props — positive affirmations or feedback — with yourself and others!

11:30-1:30 – Well-Being Wagon (All over campus) Keep an eye out for some familiar faces driving around campus and handing out stickers, candy, and well-being prizes! Presented by the staff at Bates Health Services.

12:00 – Cardio Funk (Merrill Multipurpose Room 213) Get a sweat in while having a blast in this upbeat cardio dance session.

12:30 – Shuttle to Jummah Prayer (Chase Hall Muslim Prayer Room) Presented by the Muslim Student Association.

4:00-6:00 – OIE Community Dinner (OIE Kitchen) Join the OIE for a meal in community. Contact Mana Abdi for more information.

4:30 – Community Through Cooking Smoothie Bowls (Pierce House) Join members of the Community Through Cooking Theme House for smoothie bowls and connection!

7:30 – Big Prize Trivia (Memorial Commons) Hosted by the Well-Being at Bates team and the ResLife Community Advisors. Trivia questions will cover a variety of well-being topics, and prizes are awarded every round!

Saturday 9/30

10:30-5:00 – IM Pickleball Tournament (Merrill) Grab a friend and join the Intramural Pickleball Tournament! M Sports creates opportunities for participation, relationship-building, healthy competition, and leadership in a relaxed, yet organized, recreational environment.

1:00-3:00 – Anything But Homework! (Peer Learning Commons) Join the PLC tutors and staff for a relaxing afternoon of board games and snacks, and an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the new Peer Learning Commons space, while NOT focusing on your homework!

6:00 – Bates v. Colby Football (Garcelon Field) Cheer on the Bobcats in their home opener against Colby! Well-Being at Bates t-shirts will be available for the first 150 attendees.

9:00 – NESCAC Multicultural Mixer (Memorial Commons) Hosted by the Bates OIE and equivalent offices at Bowdoin and Colby, an opportunity to connect and socialize with community members from our peer NESCAC institutions in Maine!