# Can an Online Course, Life101: Mental and Physical Self-Care, Improve the Well-Being of College Students?

## TL;DR

An online course called Life101 helps college students improve their mental and physical well-being through diverse self-care strategies.

## Contribution

Introduces a novel multimodal online course combining evidence-based self-care practices to address student mental health.

## Key findings

- Students showed reduced stress levels after taking the Life101 course.
- Participants adopted healthier habits and improved self-care practices.
- Survey data indicated increased knowledge of self-care techniques among students.

## Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of college students worldwide. As colleges shifted to online instruction, students faced disruptions and increased stressors, leading to a decline in mental health that appears to continue in the postpandemic era. To alleviate this problem, academic institutions have implemented various interventions to address mental health issues; however, many of these interventions focus on a single approach and lack diverse delivery methods. This viewpoint introduces the concept of a multimodal self-care online course, Life101: Mental and Physical Self-Care, and discusses the potential effectiveness of such an intervention in improving students’ well-being. The course combines evidence-based interventions and incorporates interactive lectures, workshops, and guest speakers. Pre- and postcourse surveys were conducted over a span of 4 academic terms to evaluate the impact of this course on the well-being and self-care practices of students. The survey data suggest positive outcomes in students taking Life101, including the adoption of healthier habits, reduced stress levels, and increased knowledge and practice of self-care techniques. Life101 represents a novel multimodality intervention to address the epidemic of mental health issues faced by students today. By implementing similar evidence-based multimodal didactic curricula across campuses, academic institutions may be able to better equip students to navigate challenges and promote their overall well-being.