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Explore Rutgers Day

Rutgers Day is set for Saturday, April 26, 2025, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., rain or shine, on the Busch Campus in Piscataway and the College Avenue and Cook/Douglass campuses in New Brunswick. Get ready for the ultimate celebration of everything Rutgers!

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ScarletWell Wellness Resources

Back to ScarletWell Homepage

  • 8 Dimensions of Wellness
  • Physical
  • Intellectual
  • Emotional
  • Financial
  • Social
  • Spiritual
  • Occupational
  • Environmental
On This page
  • A Holistic Framework for Wellness
  • Why It Matters

A Holistic Framework for Wellness

ScarletWell provides impactful programs, resources, and opportunities that support both wellness and well-being for students, faculty, and staff alike, based on the 8 Dimensions of Wellness model. The model provides a comprehensive framework for promoting mental health and success among college students, staff, and faculty by recognizing the various interconnected aspects of life. Below you can discover resources, practical tools, and insights designed to support your journey across the 8 Dimensions of Wellness.

Physical

Physical wellness pertains to maintaining a healthy body through regular physical activity/movement, adequate sleep, healthy food choices, and avoiding unhelpful habits.

Intellectual

Intellectual wellness focuses on lifelong learning, stimulating mental activities, and expanding knowledge and skills through education, creativity, and critical thinking.

Emotional

Emotional wellness centers on understanding and managing emotions, coping with stress, building resilience, and fostering positive mental health.

Financial

Financial wellness encompasses managing finances effectively, budgeting, saving, and planning for future financial security.

Social

Social wellness involves building and maintaining meaningful relationships, fostering a sense of belonging, and engaging in positive social interactions.

Spiritual

Spiritual wellness involves exploring personal beliefs, values, and purpose, finding meaning and inner peace, and connecting with something greater than oneself.

Occupational

Occupational wellness emphasizes finding satisfaction and fulfillment in one's work, academic pursuits or volunteer work, balancing responsibilities, and striving for personal and professional growth.

Environmental

Environmental wellness involves being and feeling physically safe, in safe and clean surroundings. It entails cultivating awareness and appreciation for the environment, promoting sustainability, and creating healthy living spaces.

Why It Matters

The 8 Dimensions of Wellness model is crucial for college students, staff, and faculty for several reasons:

•    The 8 Dimensions of Wellness model provides a comprehensive framework for college students, staff, and faculty by recognizing the various interconnected aspects of life.  Wellness is closely linked to academic performance, productivity, and career satisfaction. By prioritizing wellness, college students, staff, and faculty can pursue academic and career goals.  Wellness is a framework to cultivate a positive organizational culture that supports the health of all members, leading to greater satisfaction, engagement, and connection.
•    Social connections play essential roles in promoting student, staff, and faculty wellness by providing emotional support, fostering community, facilitating networking opportunities, and supporting professional development. ScarletWell strives to cultivate and nurture social connections.

The 8 Dimensions of Wellness model provides a comprehensive, holistic framework for promoting mental health and success among college students, staff, and faculty by recognizing the various interconnected aspects of life.

On This page
  • Physical Wellness
  • More Resources

Physical Wellness

People wearing workout gear move their bodies in a workout class

The physical dimension of wellness involves the maintenance of a healthy body, good physical health habits, good nutrition and exercise, and obtaining needed health care.

Wellness Self-Care: Physical

A reminder of the keystone habits to support physical wellness. 

Download the Resource on Physical Wellness

Student Basic Needs

  • Rutgers–New Brunswick students access essential resources on-campus and in the surrounding community to ensure basic needs are met related to food security, housing, transportation, childcare, mental health, and emergency aid.

Pause and Breathe


  • National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Meditation In Depth
  • A short pause throughout the day can give you a new outlook. Download the Resource on Taking a Pause

Move

  • Try walking just 10 minutes 3 times/day for 3 days out of each week.
  • Moving more may help you control weight, lower your risk of heart disease, and lengthen your life.
  • Walking and moving more can help improve your mood and reduce symptoms of depression.
  • Learn more about the value of yoga.
  • Resources for walking

    • Walking fact sheet (Program to Achieve Wellness, SAMHSA.gov)
    • Regular walking can help ease depression (Scientific American)
    • What's Your Move? - Infographic that lists the benefits of activity.
    • 5 Easy Ways to Add Movement to Your Day - Infographic that lists 5 easy ways to move throughout the day.
    • Tips for making movement a habit. Download the Resource on Movement

Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance

  • If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, dating violence, or stalking, speak with a confidential advocate:
     - for Rutgers–New Brunswick students
     - for RBHS students

More Resources

Resources for Physical Wellness

    • Rutgers Recreation is open to faculty, staff and students and offers many classes, outdoor adventure activities, and even massage therapy
    • Walking for Health summarize the benefits of walking, as well as practical strategies for setting goals
    • Fitness calculator: Find out what you really need
    • Healthy Food Choices : What should you eat?
    • Healthy Food Choices Made Easy: Resource for Diabetes Management
    • Healthy Eating for Healthy Weight
  • Substances, Tobacco, and Nicotine Products

    • Rutgers Student Affairs, Alcohol and Other Drug Awareness 
    • Find suggestions for How to Manage Cravings when quitting smoking
    • You may find it helpful to Know Your Triggers when making plans to quit smoking

    Learn more about addictions

    • Rutgers Student Health is available to students for primary care, allergy shots, sexual and reproductive health, travel medicine, gender affirming care, and more
    • Preparing for a Doctor Visit
    • Learn about recommended Screening Tests so you can ask your doctor
    • Plan ahead with these questions to ask Quick Tips When Getting Medical Tests
    • Check out these 10 Tips for Better Sleep
    • Track your current sleep patterns by Using a Sleep Diary
    • Quality sleep refreshes the mind and body. Download the Sleep Resource
    • Learn about ways to Cut Back on Added Sugars
    • Finding the Hidden Sugar in the Foods You Eat
    • Find out about these Top 10 Oral Health Tips from dental hygienists
    • What to Expect During Your Dental Exam
    • Learn about how to use Deep Breathing throughout the day
On This page
  • Intellectual Wellness

Intellectual Wellness

A student's hand reaching for a book on a shelf in Alexander Library

The intellectual dimension of wellness involves lifelong learning, applying what you learned, and sharing what you have learned.

Wellness Self-Care: Intellectual

Activities that use creative abilities and expand knowledge.

Download the Resource on Intellectual Wellness

Mental Activities

  • Activities that provide emotional and intellectual enrichment
  • Learn habits for cultivating good mental health
  • Check out this list of 12 Ways to Keep Your Brain Young
  • Challenge yourself by completing a Free Daily Crossword
  • Read about the Five Ways Reading Can Improve Health and Well-Being

Intellectual Discussions

  • Learn about ways to Disagree with Respect

Build Knowledge

  • This list of tips can help you Search the Internet Effectively
  • This list of tips can help you Find Accurate Information on the Internet

Build Skills

Develop team, critical, creative, systematic and thinking skills for professional success.

  • Check out the variety of free courses from Skillshare
  • Check out more free courses from Coursera
On This page
  • Emotional Wellness
  • Videos on Wellness and Resiliency
  • More Resources

Emotional Wellness

A student sits on a couch and talks with a counselor

Emotional wellness involves the ability and skills to express feelings, enjoy life, adjust to emotional challenges, cope with stress, and recover from traumatic life experiences. Emotional wellness centers on understanding and managing emotions, coping with stress, building resilience, and fostering positive mental health.

Wellness Self-Care: Emotional

Ability to express feelings, engage in enjoyable activities and adjust to daily stress

Download the Resource on Emotional Wellness

Videos on Wellness and Resiliency

Skills for Achieving Emotional Wellness

Featuring a talk by Rutgers Psychologist Shireen Rizvi, PhD, this video from the Mental Health and Wellness Week Chancellor-Provost Lecture Series offers insights into becoming improving your overall emotional wellness.

Graphic thumbnail for emotional wellness event showing the keynote speaker.

 

Watch the Lecture

Mental Health Moments

The "Mental Health Moments" video series provides deep insights on a variety of topics related to mental health.

Take a Mental Health Moment

 

More Resources

Resources for Emotional Wellness

    • Explore your emotion and find the right name for your feeling with The Feeling Wheel
    • Keep track of how you feel with this Daily Mood Chart
    • Learn more about your emotions by using a Mood Diary
    • Our new 30-page Daily Wellness Self-Care Plan can help you remember what you can do each day to be focused, refreshed, and rejuvenated during stressful moments!
    • This website lists various resources including an option to download the “Nature on Prescription Handbook."

    • Use this worksheet to list what you can and can’t control
    • Reflect on recent activities and events using the Self Esteem Journal Worksheet

    •  
    • Read this resource on Coping Tips in order to focus on self-care for overall wellness
    • Review these Tips to Relieve Stress
    • View these wellness self care tips for finals
    • This fact sheet has tips for managing stress and offers recommendations for handling workplace stress.
    • This infographic lists 5 easy grounding techniques to destress.
    • This infographic shows mindfulness practices.
    • Counseling, Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance and Psychiatrics Services (CAPS) is available for students and provides informal drop-in and Let’s Talk gatherings as well as individual and group mental health and substance use treatment. CAPS also offers a wellness workshop series.
    • This article discusses four wellness techniques that can be completed in minutes.
    • This mindful visualization can help reduce stress in the moment, offering a quick and easy way to destress. This exercise can be done in a couple of minutes and can help reduce stress in the moment, offering a quick and easy way to destress. This exercise can be done in a couple of minutes.
    • This booklet outlines simple practices you can do to enhance your wellness and includes research findings supporting these benefits.
    • This eBook provides an overview of what the science says about yoga for health, information on how to practice yoga safely, and a summary of national survey findings about the use of yoga in the United States.
  • Rutgers Student Health offers self-help apps, meditation tools, and guided exercises which can be a great way to manage day-to-day stress or to use periodically when you feel overwhelmed.

On This page
  • Financial Wellness
  • More Resources

Financial Wellness

A student swipes a credit card to buy a coffee

Financial wellness involves the ability to have enough money to meet practical needs and a sense of control over and knowledge about personal finances.

Wellness Self-Care: Financial

A resource for building awareness of your current and future financial situation.

Download the Resource on Financial Wellness

Building Financial Wellness helps you recognize what triggers spending, how using credit leads to debt, and ways to cope with challenging feelings about money. You can learn to set attainable financial goals to increase sense of control over personal finances.  

Many free smartphone apps are funded through advertisements or require payment to access certain features, so check app reviews before downloading.  Be cautious when using or signing up for web-based apps, especially if they require you to register.  You can learn more about security when using apps from the website for the U. S. Federal Trade Commission.

More Resources

Resources for Financial Wellness

    • Take time to Set Financial Goals
    • Get a handle on your financial picture with this Income and Benefits Tracker
    • 25 Tips to Improve Your Financial Well-Being
    • These tips can help you Make a Budget
    • Plan ahead with this Budget Worksheet
    • Keep track of what’s due with this Bill Calendar
    • Know where your money goes by using this Spending Tracker
    • This list of ideas suggests ways you can Stay on Budget

     

    • This resource suggests ideas to help you Manage Your Checking Account
    • Learn about safe Online Banking with these tips for beginners
    • Follow these guidelines for safe and secure Online Shopping
On This page
  • Social Wellness
  • More Resources

Social Wellness

A group of students sit on a staircase socializing and talking on their cell phones

Social wellness involves having relationships with friends, family, and the community, and having an interest in and concern for the needs of others.

Wellness Self-Care: Social

A resource on ways to create and sustain supportive relationships

Download the Resource on Social Wellness

Health Promotion and Peer Education

  • Through Health Outreach, Promotion and Education (HOPE) Rutgers–New Brunswick students gain the tools to advocate for personal and community wellness through workshops, peer education programs, and wellness coaching.

Reach Out and Connect with Someone

  • Get connected with the Peer Support Leader program.
  • Learn why connecting with others is so important for physical and emotional wellness
  • Talk to a friend or supporter—social support relieves stress and can even keep you healthy.
  • Hug a pet! Spending time with animals can be calming and make you feel less alone. Taking care of a pet can give you a sense of purpose.
  • Spend time around other people in your community.
    • How social support contributes to psychological health
    • getINVOLVED.rutgers.edu is Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s online student involvement system, connecting students with organizations and events in a customizable, online campus community.
    • Find a volunteer opportunity on Rutgers Office of Student Volunteer Engagement or the United Way website (click on “volunteer”).
    • Visit your local animal shelter or human society to help out and make some furry friends

More Resources

Resources for Social Wellness

    • This list of tips can help you Expand Your Social Circle
    • Find some new ideas for Connecting With Others
    • Using these Kindness Ideas can help you support others in many ways
    • Use this Social Wellness Toolkit

    •  
On This page
  • Spiritual Wellness

Spiritual Wellness

A person meditates in front of the ocean at sunset

Spiritual wellness involves having meaning and purpose and a sense of balance and peace.

Wellness Self-Care: Spiritual Wellness

Learn more about activities that enrich a sense of purpose and meaning each day.

Download the Resource on Spiritual Wellness

Personal Values

  • The practice for Affirming Your Values can be a support on a difficult day

Quiet Reflection

  • If you are interested in meditating, check out these free guided meditations

Finding Purpose

  • The practice of Ikigai can help you find your purpose and discover how your goals intersect

A Positive Attitude

  • End your day with positive Nighttime Affirmations
On This page
  • Occupational Wellness

Occupational Wellness

A hand types on a keyboard with white blue and yellow hard hats in the background

Occupational wellness involves participating in activities that provide meaning and purpose, including employment.

Wellness Self-Care: Occupational Wellness

Learn more about tips on how to plan activities that provide meaning and purpose.

Download the Resource on Occupational Wellness

Work Environment

  • It’s easier to get your work done if you Organize Your Workspace
  • This article lists ways organizations can support staff wellness
  • This brief video interview with Tait Shanafelt, MD, Chief Wellness Officer, Stanford School of Medicine emphasizes the importance of supportive culture of wellness.
  • A 15-min survey to assess staff well-being at work, with instructions for use and scoring.
  • This document lists questions an organization can use to measure and monitor staff well-being.
  • Check You, Check Two - This simple infographic is a reminder to check in with yourself and your co-workers every day.
  • How to Support a Colleague - This article has tips to support a healthcare colleague who experienced or witnessed a traumatic event.

Productivity

  • For ideas on how to keep to a to-do list, check out this Stanford Skills Sheet
  • Try out this easy and colorful Daily To-Do List Template

Job Satisfaction

  • Take this quiz to rate your Happiness at Work
  • Using a Gratitude Journal to reflect on what’s going well can boost your mood and life satisfaction

Work-Life Balance

  • This infographic on Work-Life Balance includes tips for employers and employees
  • Three Rules for Work-Life Balance - In this video, behavioral scientist Ashley Whillans shares practical steps for setting work-life boundaries.
  • Self-Care Guide for Professionals - This guide outlines simple self-care practices that can help you feel more balanced. The practices include taking time to Pause and Unplug, Breathe, Mindful Movement, Nourishing your mind and body and strategies for creating a restful Sleep.

Occupational Goals

  • Imagine a Positive Future to boost your optimism and clarify your goals 
  • Guidance for Setting Goals
  • This Life Crafting Exercise is designed to help you clarify your life goals

Planning Your Time

  • This Weekly Calendar Template can be helpful in planning or tracking your week’s activities
  • Walking Meetings 101 - This fact sheet includes tips for incorporating moving meetings into your regular meeting schedule.
  • 5 Tips for Dealing with Meeting Overload - In this video, Cindy Solomon shares her five tips for clearing up your schedule and getting your calendar to work for you, not against you.

Stress Management 

  • This fact sheet provides employers examples of work stressors and what can be done to design healthier jobs
  • In this video, Dr. Eean Crawford at the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa highlights the early signs of burnout, the toll on individuals and the workplace, potential causes, and employer solutions.
  • In this video, Dr. John Howard, MD, MPH, JD, LLM, Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health discusses the causes and impact of job stress, and employer solutions.
  • This brief video interview with Christine Sinsky, MD, Vice President of Professional Satisfaction, American Medical Association emphasizes selecting unique strategies to address burnout that match the organization.
  • This compendium includes measures for healthcare worker burnout, causes, and financial impacts.
  • Mindfulness at Work - This article describes five tips for building mindfulness into your workday to reduce stress.
  • Yoga at Your Desk - This 10-minute yoga video introduces moves you can do at your desk to feel flexible and grounded at work.
  • Reduce Job Stress - This website has a list of articles and guides on job stress including this guide titled “An Introduction to Job Stress."
On This page
  • Environmental Wellness

Environmental Wellness

A woman stands by a lake on a sunny day holding a water bottle

Environmental wellness involves being and feeling physically safe, in safe and clean surroundings, and being able to access clean air, food, and water. Consider where you live, like your neighborhood, community or workplace, as well as your country and planet.

Wellness Self-Care: Environmental Wellness

Learn more about how to seek places and spaces that are safe, pleasant and either calming or stimulating as needed.

Download the Resource on Environmental Wellness Scarlet Arts Rx Walking Map

Resources for Environmental Wellness

    • Taking steps for a clean and tidy home can make your space more comfortable and relieve stress
  •  

    • Keep your home office organized with this handy checklist for yearly office clean-up

Accordion Content

    • This simple list can help you recycle the right things in the right places
    • You can save electricity with these no-cost tips to help your finances and the environment
    • Help keep your community litter-free by using and sharing these tips
    • Spending time in nature can help you relax and stress less
    • More Time in Green Spaces Is Linked With Less Use of Prescription Drugs
    • Expand your ideas for how to enjoy nature
    • Use your time outdoors to increase your sense of inspiration and wonder by taking an Awe Walk
    • The handbook Nature on Prescription can be used to support mental health (designed for providers)

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