MARQUETTE — On World Mental Health Day, Oct. 10, Northern Michigan University’s WellBeing Center will host the university’s first Mind Over Miles 5K run-walk.

World Mental Health Day is an effort led by the World Health Organization to raise awareness of mental health issues globally and mobilize efforts in support of mental health. The 5K’s aim is to highlight the importance of physical well-being on mental health and overall well-being.

Northern’s WellBeing Center will feature a variety of mental health programming related to awareness and resources prior to culminating in the Mind Over Miles 5K run-walk, including October as National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month, Mental Illness Awareness Week from Oct. 1-7 and National Depression Screening Day on Saturday.

“Wildcat World Mental Health Day and the Mind Over Miles 5K are great opportunities for us to demonstrate Northern’s ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of our student body and campus community,” said NMU President Brock Tessman. “As we continue our implementation of the Okanagan Charter and address our first grand challenge of supporting people, we are grateful for events like Wildcat World Mental Health Day to host thoughtful programming that address the holistic needs of those who call Northern home and inspire dialogue about mental health.”

Both NMU and its WellBeing Center are sponsoring the 5K as part of the university’s 125th anniversary celebration.

Bikes are discouraged in order to make space and keep 5K runners and walkers safe. Those with mobility aids such as wheelchairs, standing walkers, canes and crutches are welcome to join. Student volunteers and NMU staff will be placed at certain points along the route to ensure the safety of participants.

The first 100 registrants for the Mind over Miles 5K will receive a complimentary T-shirt. Registration is free and closes Monday; however same-day registration will be available from 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. before the race start at 5:30 p.m.

Beginning at the WellBeing Center, the 5K will take participants on a scenic loop around the edge of most of Northern’s central footprint and finish back at the center. The course cutoff time is 7 p.m.

This event is just one of the manifestations of the Okanagan Charter signed by Tessman in April 2023. The charter represents a commitment to promoting health and sustainabliity and has two calls to action: embed health into all aspects of campus culture, across the administration, operations and academic mandates; and lead health promotion action and collaboration locally and globally.

In August 2023, Northern opened its newly constructed WellBeing Center, a hub for the campus Health Center as well as Counseling and Consultation Services. The $6.5 million, 13,500-square-foot WellBeing Center addresses both physical and mental health care needs of Northern students and employees under one roof.

Assistant Vice President for Campus WellBeing Abigail Wyche stressed that experiencing periods of low mental health or struggling with certain facets of one’s life is nothing to be ashamed of.

“Those are things we all experience, right?” she said. “Whether it has a label on it or not isn’t as important as understanding that there’s help to be had.

“There are ways out of these low points and sometimes that is medical intervention, sometimes that is therapy or mental health services, sometimes that is connecting with other people and sort of building up your social connections.”

She further explained that recognizing and developing a plan to relieve stressors is a great way to begin to unpack feelings of anxiety and depression, among other mental health struggles.

“Diagnosis and treatment in that way is one important way to access help and get out of that, but it’s certainly not the only way,” Wyche said. “Again, all of us experience different low points in our lives and we want to be sort of open and transparent about that because we don’t want to place any shame on anyone for experiencing those very human experiences.”

When noticing negative symptoms in another person, NMU’s recently created Case Administration and Resource Education Team may be of help. It consists of a campus-wide team of experts to provide free support services to students in need.

Students, faculty and staff who acknowledge their struggles academically, emotionally or psychologically can reach out to the CARE Team to obtain the support they, or a loved one, needs.

To contact the WellBeing Center, call 906-227-2355.

The CARE Team can help students, staff and faculty and can be contacted by filling out a form on nmu.edu/wellbeing/CARE-team.

“I really encourage students, and anybody really, to just start talking about (mental health) and build some connections with other folks who can then guide you to the right place,” Wyche said. “That’s the starting point, just being open and talking about things.”