Weekly Wellness Newsletter - Winter - Week 5

Winter Quarter, Week 5

Join us on Thursday, February 5th for the student-designed exhibition Radical Posters: Women’s Graphics Collectives. The Exhibition showcases some of the recently donated art and personal archives of the artist, historian, activist, and University of Chicago alumna, Barbara Morgan.

This event is free and open to students and the public. Join us for an inside look at Morgan’s artistic practice and political activism, explored through her posters and graphics.

Recently, journaling has been thrown around as a popular practice to incorporate when embarking on a self-care journey. However, journaling has much more to offer than just a trend, including helping to manage anxiety and prioritize your concerns, wants, and aspirations. Check out some tips below on how to get your journaling practice started.

There Is No One Right Way to Journal
- Your journal is a private collection of your thoughts and feelings. It doesn’t have to follow a chronological structure or focus on any single topic. Journaling is about expressing yourself through writing, so do it in whatever way feels right to you. Whether it’s word vomit or chicken scratch, who cares, as long as you get what you need out of it.
Try to Make a Habit Of Writing Every Day
- Setting aside just a few minutes each day to write can help you build a journaling habit. It doesn’t have to be much, just enough to make it part of your routine.
Explore Different Styles of Journaling
- While journaling is meant to be personal, some people prefer having a structure to follow. Various types of journaling provide a built-in structure, allowing you to focus less on how to write and more on what to focus on. Some examples include expressive journaling, which focuses on writing about your emotions surrounding a situation, or gratitude journaling, which centers on reflecting on the positive aspects of life.
Curious about other types of writing? UChicago provides a variety of ways for students to get their write on.
- There are several on-campus magazines, newspapers, and publications currently accepting 2026 writing and art submissions from students. Click the link to learn more!

February 3rd is National Women Physicians Day, and what better time to celebrate one of our very own Student Wellness physicians, Victoria Andros. Victoria has been with Student Wellness since September 2022 and brings a genuine passion to her role. A true people person, her favorite part of the job is connecting with patients and seeing their health improve. She especially loves caring for UChicago student-athletes and supporting them both on and off the field.

When it comes to wellness tips, Victoria encourages students to stay active, get plenty of rest, and make time to build meaningful connections with the people they love. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors, trying new restaurants, and hanging out with loved ones, including her dog, cutely named Cashew.

Education: DO from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine – Midwestern University; BS in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Residency in family medicine and fellowship in primary care sports medicine at Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago, IL. Board certifications: Family medicine and Sports Medicine.

Dear Diary: What Journal is Best For You

Feeling stuck on what to write in your brand-new journal? That’s completely normal. This short quiz is designed to help you get started by sparking ideas and inspiration.

It explores a few different journaling styles, including Bullet Journaling, which encourages you to focus on a theme for each page, and Memory Journaling, which centers on capturing daily moments or meaningful memories from your past. No matter your style, enjoy this fun quiz and let the ideas flow.

One Habit, Many Benefits: The Healing Power of ✨Writing✨

In this TED Talk, Shelagh Johnson, who teaches creative writing at BSU, shares insights into how writing can support mental and emotional well-being.
Johnson describes writing as a concrete way to understand and hold our feelings. She notes that thoughts are often just thoughts, yet they can control our lives if we let fear turn them into truths. She found that writing about her fears helped her realize she was more than them.

After becoming a mother and experiencing new anxieties, she leaned even more deeply into writing as a space to process, release, and make sense of those emotions. Check out the video below to learn more about what research says about creative writing and its benefits!