In the fast-paced world of college life, students often struggle to balance academics, social life and mental well-being. A new initiative at Dallas College/North Lake Campus is helping them relieve stress while staying active. The program is called Pickleball for Peace of Mind. It is an interactive wellness experience where the benefits of physical movement are combined with open discussions on mental health.
Aubrey Webster is a professional counselor with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at North Lake. She created this initiative to establish a safe space where students can engage in a low-pressure sport while learning about emotional well-being.
“I wanted to create engaging experiential learning. While we play pickleball, we take breaks to talk intentionally about your friendships and how you’re making friends, fusing those ideas together,” Webster said.
Traditional mental health workshops are presented with lectures and presentations. Pickleball for Peace of Mind combines the physical activity of an easy-to-learn sport with wellness discussions. The program creates an environment for students to unwind and connect. It’s more than the information students can get from their phones.
“I wanted to create something that’s engaging,” Webster said. She chose pickleball as the centerpiece because it’s fun and easy to learn.
“It is very easy to pick up. It’s not as hard as tennis. It’s not as hard as ping pong,” she said. “It’s pretty easy to pick up and, on the same day that you try it, you can get a good volley going.”
Many students, especially international students and non-campus residents, struggle to form connections. That’s why the program is a carefully organized yet casual way to meet new people. Managing stress is not easy for some, and the program acknowledges this by creating a low-pressure activity in a safe space.
“We saw after COVID that a lot of students were experiencing more social anxiety because, for two years, some of them had not been seeing each other,” she said. “When we get out of practice of doing something normally, going back to it again makes us anxious.”
Webster added that for those students who went back to class and reengaged with the campus community, class and things that made them previously uncomfortable, their anxiety level went down.
She says students can engage with pickleball at their own pace, whether by playing or hanging out and observing by the cantaloupe at the tennis court. It encourages student to participate without pushing anyone out of their comfort zone.
https://www.dallascollege.edu/resources/counseling/pages/events.aspx
