As winter wears on finding time to take care of yourself can be hard. That’s why we are launching U Be Well, a series of articles and resources available for members of the campus community. We will be highlighting ways for you to take care of your physical, mental, emotional, and financial wellbeing. We also will give you a few ideas for activities to help shake off the cobwebs and keep you learning and growing.

If you are looking for a way to stay in shape in the comfort of your own home consider taking a Zoom fitness class from Wellness and Integrative Health. There also is a playlist of various exercises available on YouTube. You also could join a university-wide wellness challenge or create a departmental or individual challenge of your own through Walker Tracker.

If you want to get out and try a new winter activity the Student Life Center has equipment available to rent. They also have limited facilities open for those who want to hit the climbing wall or work out in the gym following COVID-19 protocols.

Wellness and Integrative Health also has a number of programs built around diet and overall health. There are multiple programs available for people wanting to change their lifestyle habits due to concerns about diabetes or just to make a new start.

If you are feeling like you want to try your hand at a new hobby @theU will be featuring a whole series of articles on how to do it. Check out this piece on taking better photos and check back every week for another idea to engage your body, brain, or both!

If the winter blues are creeping up on you there is always help available at the Mindfulness Center.  They offer guided meditation sessions several times a week, and also hold workshops on a variety of topics from dealing with COVID-19 stress to finding a good work/life balance. They also have pre-taped mindfulness activities available on YouTube.

Human Resources has partnered with Bloomquist Hale to assist with the mental health needs of employees. Their website features some great articles on topics like how to stop worrying and dealing with anxiety. There also are some scheduled online workshops, and videos of previous workshops available.

If you are in need of more advanced mental health support the University crisis line is available for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The SafeUT crisis chat and tip line is also available for those dealing with emotional crises, bullying, relationship problems, mental health, or suicide-related issues.

It’s always a good idea to be thinking ahead to the future, and Human Resources will help U Be Well fiscally by providing tips on retirement, savings, budgeting, and other topics. They will also provide information on health screenings, wellness programs and other opportunities for faculty and staff to improve their overall health picture.

Let’s use these winter months not to hibernate and hide, but to strengthen our bodies and our minds. And if you have an idea for U Be Well we want to hear about it! Email us at thisweek@utah.edu. As the snow flies lets take care of ourselves and each other. We are all one U.