Belmont Hosts Wellness Day

Belmont faculty and staff at Wellness Day. (Georgina America)

From free dental checkups to massages, Wellness Day treated Belmont faculty and staff to a morning of community and self-care. 

“We wanted to provide an opportunity for employees to come, get engaged and to learn about how they can take care of their holistic well-being through the benefits offered to them just by being on Belmont’s campus,” said Chance Ryon, HR Operations and Engagement Manager in the Office of Human Resources.  

Wellness Day gave over 250 faculty and staff members an opportunity to connect with one another and to learn about different categories of health on Wednesday. In the Maddox Grand Atrium, 18 tables offered information and services to each attendee which covered mental, emotional, spiritual, physical and financial wellness.  

The event focused on giving faculty and staff a full-scope experience of wellness; while movement and nutrition often come to mind when thinking of health for many, different sections of Wellness Day reminded Belmont employees that it goes well beyond that. 

“There are the traditional things you think about when you’re thinking about wellness and well-being, and that’s nutrition and exercise and your physical health. But I think self-care is a really important component,” said Ryon. 

In the past, Wellness Day involved coordinated walks around campus for faculty and staff on April 1-- National Walking Day. This year, the Belmont HR and benefits teams collaborated to bring more resources that emphasized a full body approach to well-being.  

The Office of Hope, Unity and Belonging hosted their own section at Wellness Day called The Rejuvenation Space, where employees got their own self-care bags filled with tea bags, sleep masks, journals and prompts to focus on mindfulness.  

In another area, employees enjoyed a 15-minute massage in one of the six chairs brought to the space.  

“For the hours that they were offered, they were filled up. And employees loved it,” said Cleo Rucker, Associate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. 

Massage chairs full at Wellness Day. (Georgina America)

Wellness Day offered staff and faculty a space to escape their work mindset and to learn where wellness can be present in various aspects of their daily routines. 

“You walk away really feeling as if you got some good information about not only what it is that the school has to offer by way of resources through our insurance plans, but also some tools that you could take away and apply to your life,” said Michelle Jones, faculty fellow and management for the Massey College of Business. 

Jones participated in various screenings offered at Wellness Day through the College of Nursing-- from bone density, to blood pressure and blood sugar; each of them provided her insight into different components of her personal health.  

Another test Jones participated in was for balance. Led by Belmont exercise science students, attendees learned if, in fact, they need to focus on how they balance their bodies.  

“It was a pretty humbling experience. I thought I was pretty good with balancing, but that test said otherwise. So, there might be some things I need to do to reinforce my balancing,” said Jones. 

Wellness Day reinforced different ways for Belmont faculty and staff to practice wellness and strengthen their everyday health. 

“I love the fact that it was a whole-body kind of experience, where you're able to really focus on all of the elements versus just one aspect,” said Jones. 

This article was written by Georgina America