Twelve months of wellness: June 2020

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Twelve months of wellness: June 2020

Resilience and growth through adversity

Twelve months of wellness is a campaign to promote the wellbeing of the employees and students of the College of Arts and Sciences. Each month, we will introduce听a theme听related to a specific dimension of wellness. Throughout the month, we听will feature听research, informational events, highlighted faculty and opportunities to learn and grow in a specific dimension of wellness.听The theme for June 2020, which highlights the environmental dimension of wellness,听is resilience and growth through adversity.

The Buffalo way

Resilience and growth through adversity

Buffalo Walking

Buffaloes听(Bison bison) have shown听resilience听despite overwhelming adversity. Humans hunted vast populations of buffalo nearly to听extinction, but听the buffalo听survives,听even in听the rapidly changing world to听which it must adapt. Buffaloes, and those who protect them, signify听determination and the wherewithal to make clear and wise听decisions.听When the buffalo thrives, so does its habitat. Healthy populations听of buffalo foster听a healthy environment.

Honoring the animals who once symbolized听the Great Plains, members of the听CU 麻豆影院 community call themselves听Buffaloes. We听believe each Buff听should听adopt behaviors that promote听health and wellness. And as we navigate uncertain times, we aim to emulate the buffalo. We aim to persist, to act听with purpose, and to pursue听wellbeing for ourselves, our herd and our habitat.

Resilience: Research, Application, Impact

Chris Lowry

Chris Lowry is an associate professor in the Department of Integrative Physiology. His research focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying emotional behavior and the stress-induced control of physiology and emotional behavior. He is also a researcher at the听Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Laboratory听where the听focus is the neural mechanisms underlying stress-related physiology and emotional behavior with a focus on the role of serotonergic systems.

Clint Carroll

My research and community work entails the facilitation of spaces (intellectual, physical) that can help perpetuate Cherokee environmental knowledge, practices, and traditions鈥攖hus ensuring our collective health and the health of the land. This work presently consists of a community-based research project on natural resource access and land conservation in rural Cherokee communities in Oklahoma, and a land-based education program with Cherokee elders and students (see our project website听). In the course of this work, I have learned that, for Cherokee people, resilience is above all a collective endeavor鈥攐ne in which we rely on each other (elders, youth, and all in between) to teach, learn, facilitate, and enact practices that will ensure our future as Cherokee people despite past and present attempts to eliminate us.

Lori Peek

Lori Peek is professor in the Department of Sociology and director of the Natural Hazards Center.听Peek has conducted field investigations in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil spill, the Christchurch earthquakes, the Joplin tornado, Superstorm Sandy听and Hurricane Matthew.听She is the principal investigator for the NSF-funded听听facility, which is dedicated to improving research coordination and advancing the ethical conduct and scientific rigor of disaster research.

Sona Dimidjian

Sona听Dimidjian is a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and directs the .听Her research focuses on cultivating mental health and wellness among women, children听and families. She develops and studies programs and practices in education and healthcare settings, with an emphasis on navigating key developmental transitions, such as the perinatal period, early childhood, and adolescence.

Resilience Resources

Since 2002, the CAIRR Neuroscience Laboratory in the Psychology and Neuroscience Department听has conducted听clinical research studies about the efficacy of acupressure for stress, cardiovascular function in stroke survivors, and mild traumatic brain injury in both civilian and veteran populations.听From these, an evidence base has emerged, providing the foundation for the .

, assistant professor in the Department of听Psychology and Nueroscience, contends in听厂肠颈别苍肠别听that mental-health trainees need particular attention now. Gruber's research focuses on positive emotion disturbance, or the delineating the ways in which positive emotion can go awry and towards developing an integrated clinical affective science model of positive emotion disturbance.

Virtual campus support resources

During these challenging times, many in the CU 麻豆影院 community may be looking to campus resources for assistance. Please know听there are many virtual support and advocacy resources available to you.

HeartMath

For over 20 years, the evidence-based听贬别补谤迟惭补迟丑庐听program has helped people discover practical 鈥榠n the moment鈥� self-regulation tools to increase听resiliency听in stressful or pressured situations.听These tools听will explain the role emotions play in performance and health and how to utilize the heart/brain connection to regulate your heart rhythms to immediately address your emotional state in challenging situations.听贰尘补颈濒听Erin Cunningham听to learn more and schedule workshops.

Mind & Life Dialogues are conversations between leading thinkers and spiritual leaders such as the Dalai Lama, addressing critical issues of modern life at the intersection of scientific and contemplative understanding. The Dialogues began in 1987 as intimate discussions and have grown to include large public and private events at locations around the world.

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