Dear CVM Community,
I hope this finds you having a pleasant Wednesday afternoon. That said, it’s quite a time we’re living in. There is much happening in our country and our world that presents challenges to our Wellbeing right now. We may not be able to control larger current events, but we can each do our best to take care of ourselves and our fellow CVM community members.
One bit of good news is that there are many folks out there working hard to provide resources, programs, and services to help support your wellbeing! Though I’ve just gotten started as your Director of Wellbeing and while there is much to be done, I’ve hit the ground running and have met so many who are dedicated to this important effort. Right now, we all have plates that are very full, but we must take time to care for our wellbeing in order to sustain ourselves. Thus, one of my goals here at the end of 2020 will be to connect you each week with a curated selection of recommendations, resources, programs, and services available to you in 7 key areas of wellbeing: social, physical, emotional, cultural, career, financial, and environmental.
I hope you’ll take a look at these resources, and find at least one or two that are beneficial to you right now. Be on the lookout for more weekly roundups in the weeks to come, as well as other messages on the Wellbeing initiatives we are planning. So you’ll be hearing from me – but I also want to hear from you! Please feel free to send me your feedback, thoughts, concerns, ideas, input. You can reach me from this address, or at jcrice3@ncsu.edu. I’d like to hear from you, and look forward to getting to know you and your needs better.
SOCIAL WELLBEING
Social connection and support is crucial for our wellbeing. Studies indicate that social connectedness supports our physical and mental health, resilience and longevity. During times of adversity, social connection can go a long way to ameliorate stress and anxiety. This is not so much a resource as a recommendation – I encourage you to reach out to a loved one, friend, or family member today. Let them know you’re thinking of them. Make the connection. This simple task (a quick email, text, or online message will suffice) can go a long way to helping us feel connected and supported. And it’ll lift the other person’s spirits too – passing the wellbeing benefits forward!
PHYSICAL WELLBEING
Feeling the need for some exercise this week? NC State Wellness and 
Recreation’s WellRec at Home has a plethora of sessions for the body and mind. The Workout of the Week this week is a Full Body Workout with Anna Beam-Mitchell. Not your cup of tea? Check out their webpage for more – don’t forget to expand the drop-down lists to see all of your options!
EMOTIONAL/MENTAL WELLBEING
Mindfulness and Meditation with Laura Castro and Julia Rice: An introduction to mindfulness meditation and a guided session to help alleviate stress and ground ourselves in a post-election world. No politics, just peace of mind. To view the recording and take some time for your mind, visit our new
CVM Wellbeing YouTube channel or
access the video directly here. 
CULTURAL WELLBEING
BIPOC Support Space– A weekly Virtual Cope & Connect for URMs at the CVM. Each Wednesday afternoon, supportive CVM staff of color host a virtual space for CVM students, house officers, faculty, and staff of color to process, support each other, and engage in restorative conversations. This space centralizes and celebrates Blackness and welcomes all people of color. For more information, please be on the lookout each week for an email with a link to the upcoming session. You may also contact Laura Castro directly for questions about the group: lncastro@ncsu.edu
Let’s Chat: Election Debrief for International Students – Let’s Chat is an open drop-in space for international students to get support around wellness issues. During this week, we will offer space for students to debrief the election in addition to any other topics students want to talk to a counselor about. You will be asked to provide your student ID upon entering this space to ensure safety of the space. Anything shared in group conversations is expected to remain confidential among participants. Host: Office of International Services. When: Click the link below to add this event to your calendar.
Thursday, November 5 at 1 p.m. EST
Thursday, November 12 at 1 p.m. EST
Access: Click here to access the Zoom link.
PrideVMC Q4 Virtual Town Hall – Tuesday, November 10, 2020 @ 7:00-8:00pm CT. Visit https://pridevmc.org/ for details.
CAREER WELLBEING
We spend much of our lifetimes preparing for and growing in our careers. This being such a huge part of our lives, it makes sense to attend to the wellbeing of our careers at every step of the journey. For DVM students at the CVM, the Career Services and Personal Development office is “committed to empowering every DVM student to flourish in work and life.” Having a dedicated career services office at the CVM is a tremendous asset, as is Amanda Bates, Director of Career Services and Professional Development. To learn more about the resources available to students, I encourage checking out the CVM’s career services website.
FINANCIAL WELLBEING
Faculty and Staff: While you may or may not be familiar with the FASAP (Faculty and Staff Assistance Program) offered at NC State, you’re likely to hear me refer to it often. This multi-faceted program offers a plethora of resources and services to support your work-life wellbeing. Among these, did you know that FASAP provides assistance with financial issues such as: Getting out of debt, Credit card or loan problems, Tax questions, Estate planning and Saving for college. If you’re interested in learning more about these benefits yourself, you may visit the FASAP page: https://er.hr.ncsu.edu/faculty-staff-assistance-program/
Students: If you haven’t already, I encourage you to take a look at the CVM’s Personal Financial Services site: https://cvm.ncsu.edu/education/academic-affairs/financial-services/ Andrew Rotz, CFP®, CCFC offers individual financial wellness appointments, among other services. While to some, discussing finances may sound like a scary idea, taking the steps to better financial health now can make a huge difference in your wellbeing down the line.
ENVIRONMENTAL WELLBEING
Many in our community are working remotely right now. If you haven’t already, it may be time to assess your current workspace – is it supporting your wellbeing? You may find that making simple adjustments can improve the way you feel, think and work, even if your setup is less than ideal. Enter: Ergonomics! Here are tips from UC Berkeley, Boston University, and Mayo Clinic on achieving a healthier work environment while working from home.
More to come in future weeks, all! In the meantime, take care of yourselves and each other. Until then, I wish you well(being).
All the Best,
Julia Rice
Director, CVM Wellbeing
during this very challenging year.
Faculty and Staff – For many in our community, 2020 has been a financially devastating year. If you are in a position to make a contribution, the State Employees Combined Campaign presents a great way to dedicate funds each month to go to organizations that support communities and people in need. More information can be found on the 
In case you missed the announcement this Fall, you may be proud to learn that NC State University has been named among 10 “Energy Elite” colleges and universities by the American Energy Society (AES).
A job search can, let’s face it, feel like a full-time job in itself! For those on the hunt for jobs right now, it may be hard to find the time to conduct your search. Enter: The Making Time Workbook. Kudos to 
Mindfulness, Meditation, and Making It a Habit: New Community Discussion Circle option for Spring 2021! As studies have shown and you may know, mindfulness and meditation is good for our minds and bodies. Like many folks, you may have been curious about mindfulness but just don’t know how it could apply in everyday life… You might be interested in meditating but maybe doubtful about it making it work for you and your schedule? You’re not alone! This Spring, I’ll be leading a new discussion circle: “Mindfulness, Meditation, and Making It a Habit” (when time, energy, and focus may not be plentiful). This 10-week program will be framed around Dan Harris’ book: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics (books will be provided for registered participants). The book explores not only how to meditate, but how to get past the hurdles and misconceptions that can get in the way of us making a regular practice of it. Each week, we’ll dive into a chapter of the book, gathering as a larger group to discuss what we’ve learned, practice meditating together, and suggest some topics for further discussion in breakout groups or individual reflection. If you’re interested, or even curious, I hope you’ll join us!
