Guides: Wellness Resources for STEM Students: Wellness & Self-care

Wellness and self-care are essential to student and professional success. With a special focus on wellness and self-care for STEM students, the Wellness Resources for STEM Students LibGuide compiles a variety of wellness related resources available through the University Library System, the University of Pittsburgh, local institutions, and the City of Pittsburgh.

The Year of Emotional Well-Being - 2022-2023

Pitt's "Year Of..." initiative is organized by the Office of the Provost and focuses on one area related to the University for the course of the school year. Provost Ann Cudd announced, "The choice of this theme offers an opportunity to engage collectively with a focus on restoring and enhancing our emotional well-being." The Office of the Provost will support events and projects related to the theme of Emotional Well-Being. You can read Provost Cudd's full announcement at: Announcing the Year of Emotional Well-Being, Provost Announecements.

Student Wellness @ Pitt

University of Pittsburgh's Student Affairs offers a wide variety of on-campus and remote resources and services. Check out the following services to start managing your mental health well-being.

Campus Recreation
Campus Recreation helps members of the Pitt community lead active, balanced lives by providing endless opportunities to enhance physical health and wellness.
Care and Resource Support (CARS)
The Care and Resource Support (CARS) Team accepts referrals, problem solves, and responds to student behavior identified as reasonably causing concern for students’ health, welfare, and safety.
Disability Resources & Services
Disability is an aspect of diversity. Disability Resources and Services (DRS) is the designated department by the University to determine reasonable accommodations and services.
Office of Inclusion and Belonging (OIB)
OIB is a team of diverse and passionate staff practitioners who work together to help Student Affairs become student ready and aware, and the University of Pittsburgh campus feel like home away from home for all students, especially those who come from traditionally excluded identities, cultures, and communities, i.e. BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Latinx, International, AAPI, Religious/Worldview, etc.
Psychiatry Services
Psychiatric services are now provided in the Student Health Service (SHS) by a board-certified psychiatrist. A referral from either a Student Health Service clinician or therapist from the University Counseling Center or from the community is required.
Stress Free Zone (SFZ)
The Stress Free Zone (SFZ) is a space where students can learn and regularly practice evidence-based, mind/body stress reduction skills.
Student Health Services (SHS)
The Mission of the Student Health Services is to provide high quality primary health care, prevention, health education, and pharmacy services to enhance student living and learning.
University Counseling Center
The University Counseling Center provides a safe, confidential environment for students to talk about personal or academic concerns.

What is well-being? The concept of well-being is both simple and complex. In its most basic sense, well-being is an overall measurement (or evaluation) of life. If we are doing well and are generally satisfied with our life, then our well-being is good. And when our well-being is good, we are able to lead a successful life driven by purpose, fulfillment, and achievement. Check out What is Well-Being? for more information!

Thrive @ Pitt - Homepage
Your well-being influences your ability to flourish and thrive. While we all come from various backgrounds, have different experiences, and face distinct challenges, learning to improve and maintain the various areas of your well-being can help you overcome obstacles, achieve goals, and lead a meaningful and fulfilling life.
Pillars of Well-Being
Well-being is multidimensional, which means it encompasses numerous areas (or pillars). Each pillar is composed of, and impacted by, many individual factors (think of the ingredients that go into making a great dessert). When the factors related a particular area are tended to properly, the results can be very satisfying and rewarding. When certain parts are left out, or neglected, the outcome is likely not as good. In exploring, supporting, and enhancing your own well-being, It is important to become familiar with and give proper attention to each pillar.
Resources
College and Graduate School can be both an exciting and challenging time in your well-being journey. The Pillars of Well-being can help you better understand how to create balance and satisfaction in your life. At times, we need some additional support to improve our well-being and Thrive @ Pitt is here to help! Browse the resources, tools, and services available on campus to help you thrive.
About Thrive
Thrive at Pitt was formed to advance our mission: To support and maintain all aspects of student well-being by promoting and improving accessibility to a range of resources relevant to our diverse student body.

Image: The Recovery Village

Get involved with student organizations. Find the full list of student organizations at Organizations - University of Pittsburgh - Main Campus.

Active Minds
Active Minds is a nonprofit organization working to utilize the student voice to change the conversation about mental health on college campuses.
Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is a group of Pitt students committed to volunteering, fundraising, and raising awareness for the autism community around campus and throughout the Greater Pittsburgh Area.
Eye to Eye
Eye to Eye is a nationwide mentoring movement for students with Learning Disabilities (LD) and/or ADHD. It is the only national after-school mentoring program that pairs children with learning disabilities with college-aged students with similar disabilities.
Mental Health Student Coalition
The purpose of this organization is to create a student coalition with the intention of improving the mental health literacy and climate at the University of Pittsburgh. Our mission is to empower and unite the student body and student organizations to coordinate more effectively with Pitt administration and the University Counseling Center through peer-to-peer collective action, resource sharing, and more open dialogue within student groups at Pitt.
Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (OSTEM)
We envision a world where LGBTQ+ people in the STEM community are empowered to achieve success in a safe and supportive environment that celebrates their diversity and unique contributions.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
NAMI at Pitt is a mental health advocacy group which raises awareness of mental health topics and breaks mental health stigma on and off campus, within the Pittsburgh community, on social media, and beyond!

Mindfulness meditation helps us train the wandering, agitated mind. Recent research on mindfulness training published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that students engaged in mindfulness training showed greater sustained attention task performance and lower self-reported mind wandering during task completion than control students who received no training!

Guided Mindfulness Meditation Practices

5 Minute Meditation

10 Minute Meditation

15 Minute Meditation

University of Pittsburgh Library System

Course & Subject Guides

Wellness Resources for STEM Students

Pitt News Articles

Campus Life | Mental Health Check-In

Opinion | ‘Self-care’ vs. self-care — two very different ways of taking care of yourself

Opinion | The Mental Health Initiative at Pitt Can't End with the Pandemic

5 Tips to Minimize Stress and Maximize Success

Student Organizations Discuss Mental Health Experiences Across Communities of Color

The Pitt Prescription | How to Cope with Stress and Burnout

Pitt Community Discusses Ways to Support Mental Health on Campus

You Don't Have to do Everything All at Once

Opinion | Spending Time Alone Is Important, Especially for Your Mental Health

You Are Not Alone

Student Wellness @ Pitt