Environmental Wellness

Enjoy Your Environment

Bring self-care into your environment with these tips.

Environmental wellness refers to your sense of safety, comfort, and connection with your physical surroundings. Wellness in this domain begins in your immediate surroundings. Your personal space has a direct impact on your state of mind, emotional well-being, and productivity. Environmental wellness also extends beyond your personal space to larger communities, geographic areas, and the planet.

Start on this path to wellness by creating a happy and healthy living space for yourself. From there, learn more about the campus and Tucson communities. Find your special places and favorite things to do and learn to embrace the natural climate. You can also boost your environmental wellness by making the daily changes that leave your community and the planet healthy, happy, and safe. 

Tips for Building Environmental Wellness

Do a Walkthrough

Do a walkthrough of your living space and notice where your eye lands. What is pleasing to the eye and what bugs you? Make a list of easy, concrete steps you could take to improve your surroundings.

For example, you might:

  • clear up clutter
  • add more color
  • bring in more light

Tools you can use:

Feeling Happy in Your Space: 

Decluttering:

Reduce Toxins & Allergens

Learn more about the chemicals in cleaning products and cosmetics in your home and clear out potentially harmful substances. If you have seasonal or environmental allergies, consider where you could reduce your exposure to potential allergens.

Tools you can use: 

Invest in Your Safety

Take any necessary steps to enhance your sense of safety at home. For example, you might install motion detector lights or a security system. You might also gain peace of mind by having important emergency numbers stored on your phone or another easy-to-access place. 

Tools you can use:

Consider the ways you can make a positive impact on the environment. Even small changes add up, so don't discount the small things in your power to do like recycling more or bringing your own travel mug for coffee. The best part about making a positive impact on the environment is that it's good for the planet and your wellness. 

Explore these tips to make a positive impact on the environment:

Apps that help you help the planet: 

Try looking at your neighborhood, the city, or campus through new eyes. What interesting things would you notice if you were visiting on vacation? What part of town would you want to experience as a tourist? Doing this helps you feel more connected to your community and enhances feelings of appreciation and awe. 

Playing tourist in your hometown doesn't need to be complicated or expensive. It can be as simple as walking a route you normally drive or paying attention to the architecture. Parks, museums, public art, historic districts, and window-shopping downtown are affordable and very touristy options. 

Explore these resources and tips for being a tourist in your own city:

Tips on being a hometown tourist:

Learn about the World:

Tucson and U of A attractions:

Local Cultural Centers and Organizations:

Campus Resources that Broaden Your Perspective:

 

Take a moment out of the busy day to appreciate your surroundings. You can do this anywhere, but it's a special treat to do this in your favorite peaceful place.

You can find little spaces of tranquility as you go about your everyday activities:

  •  Find a bench or courtyard you enjoy.
  • Choose your favorite window and pause to notice the view.
  • Look at the mountains and the Tucson sky. 
  • Find a quiet coffee shop where you can feel at peace as you study. 

Explore these tips on finding or creating a little space of tranquility for yourself: 

Everyone has the power to make the world a better place, starting right where they live. Bring a garbage bag along and take a stroll through your neighborhood and pick up garbage/recycling. Put potted plants and a hummingbird feeder outside your door. Or set up a Little Free Library. If you have the resources to go bigger, find volunteer organizations that make your community a better place. 

Explore these tips and resources to help make your community a better place: 

There are many joyful aspects of living with others, but it can also come with challenges. It can be hard to share a space with someone else. And because we each come with our own unique background, navigating daily living situations can be tricky. 

A good rule of thumb is to treat your roommate/housemates and their things with respect. Stay open to learning another way to approach things and use your differences to build a positive experience.

Explore these resources and tools for fostering happy relationships in your living situation:

College Roommate Tips:

Happier at Home with Family: