Welcome to Sociology of Well-Being
Between June 21 and July 18, 2021, in 4 weeks, the students in the Sociology of Well-Being class attended 16 synchronous zoom lectures, responded to 12 daily assignments, wrote and peer reviewed 2 creative projects and 1 critical paper.
On this page are the creative essays and podcasts, produced and voluntarily shared by the students, who simultaneously were dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and excessive heat in the US Pacific Northwest, amongst other secondary impacts due to uneven socioeconomic statuses among students.
All texts and audio presentations are of the original quality.
Scroll down for podcasts.
Finding Strength in Self Defense
by Wailea Ste. Marie
“Never walk alone,” “Always be aware of your surroundings,” “Never leave your drink unattended,” these phrases are just a few of the many common sayings passed down through generations of female-identifying individuals in the hopes to keep them “safe”. While this advice is often solicited in the hopes to help women protect their well-being by preventing (or at least to be prepared in the case of) sexual assault, I have experienced a contrasting effect from this “advice”.
Well-Being on a Budget
by Ashley Olsen
How do we achieve well-being and improve our health when life is hectic or we don’t know where to start? What kind of little daily changes can have a rippling impact on our overall wellness?
Cookin’ Up Ways to Prevent Climate Change
by Emily Mirbod
While I truly believe it is the responsibility of the corporations to make a serious impact in reducing climate change, there are things we as consumers can do to benefit our community and personal well-being.
Safety & Security in Migration
by Ander Hersh
When moving or migrating anywhere, the ability to feel safe, secure, and confident in yourself can prove incredibly helpful to your wellbeing.
However, moving is a process that undermines a lot of those feelings of safety and security. This can take many forms, moving cities, states, countries, even continents, but one thing remains the same: a large portion of people’s identities are left behind. Of course, it’s not all bad, you may get to leave your nosy neighbors and that one weird grocery store clerk behind. Yet, the same home that provided comfort and safety is now miles away, along with friends and family that did not take the journey with you. So, people find themselves distanced from previous places they held dear to their identity, in a new environment without the social ties that they previously had. These factors can really shake even the strongest person’s wellbeing, as they no longer have their beloved comfort areas and support system to turn to when problems arise, which they inevitably do.
IMMIGRATION A quick outlook on what is occurring near the Texas-Mexico border!
By Jenny Lozano
“Immigration has affected the lives of our students in a sense that they must adapt and integrate our new customs. It has affected students culturally, educational, and mentally due to the difficult circumstances. Many students have had to leave family members behind. It has been exceedingly difficult for them.”
DO NOT REPOST: A Guide for Creatives Online to Stay Safe
by Emily Romo
In this age where everyone is online more than ever, digital well-being is extremely important to consider. Staying safe online, being mindful of what you publish online, and how to protect your creative projects that you post are all factors in keeping a stable sense of well-being.
Who Loves Self Care, I DO! 7 Things to Help Maintain Positive Well-Being
by Julia Povich
As college students we experience stress on a daily basis. Did you know that an estimated 35-50% of college and university students drop out prematurely due to insufficient coping skills under chronic stress (Mohr C., 2014). To help break this statistic you can begin to use self-care strategies when worrying about finals, disagreeing with others, feeling homesick, experiencing rejection, public speaking, and dealing with loss.
Untitled
by Megan McGregor
We climbed many mountaintops together, and now you were going to ascend to the tallest one alone. Not to be seen in body, but now in soul you will rise and climb to the top; drink from the clean waters of death and dance in heart to sounds of your children laughing, your mother weeping and smiling about the life you gave to all of us, and a father who loved you so.
You left a beautiful mess…
What does it take to stop the Homeless and Housing Issue?
by Alex Faris
It was a weekday during the pandemic, in the evening, and my cousins had just called me screaming with anger. “They just trashed the place and left it like that!” Says my cousin. I reply in a calm voice, “What?” “What are you saying?” “What happened?” “The toilet is broken! the carpet is torn out, some glass is broken, I don’t know what to do!” Said my cousin in an angry voice. I can tell she was very frustrated with the situation, but there was nothing she could do. This is just the beginning of the housing issue, and it’s worse during the Pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government allowed those who don’t have money to stay in apartments without paying. A lot of homeowners deal with this problem, and my cousins weren’t alone.
Ready, Set, Breathe
by Molly McMullen
Starting a new chapter in my life and going through tons of different transitions, it has become more important to me than ever to be in touch with myself: mind, soul and body. I am sure I’m not alone in saying that I have tried meditating and haven’t quite gotten the grasp of it, but like Steven McCrain says, “The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.” This quote has inspired me to meditate, in different ways, over the next week and log my thoughts, feelings, and any changes I may experience. This experiment has a goal of continuing to meditate or be more intune with my inner self, but it also has a goal of understanding how my personal body, mind and soul wants to be treated and worked on. Having a good mind and body connection is very important to me and I am hoping to find that at the end of this week ! Follow along everyday if you are curious what kinds of meditation techniques I will try and maybe one of them will work for you!
How an Organization of Teenage Girls Made Me Feel Secure with Myself
by Emily Romo
I’d like to take time to reflect on my six year experience in volunteering in an organization called the National Charity League. I joined when I was in seventh grade through an invitation a friend’s mom gave my own mom, and from then on I consistently volunteered at different places around my community until I graduated from high school. During this time, I really recognized how integral the act of helping others was to who I was as a person, and my well-being.
Sociology of Well-Being
by Ashley Olsen
Well-being has been widely viewed as an individual problem when there are many biopsychosocial lenses to view it through. So how do we shift the paradigm of well-being from command and control to collaboration and nurturance? It’s disheartening to see increasing numbers of people struggling from depression, anxiety, and substance abuse but it’s hard to find well-being in tumultuous times under repressive economic systems.