Most likely you’ve noticed the posters all around campus regarding Madison College’s Wellness Challenge. Anna Marie Hoffmann, the college’s health educator, is the driving force behind this effort to promote improved wellness amongst staff and students.

To accomplish this task, she has enlisted the help of a new phone app called Whil. This is not your typical health and wellness app. It emphasizes how physical and mental health affect each other.
Hoffmann believes that most of our physical and mental ailments fall under a larger umbrella, mental health, and the Whil app is available to help its subscribers work on some of the underlying causes that can contribute to their concerns.

The Whil app is free (through May 15) to staff and students at all campuses, whether full-time or part-time. It is compatible with your smartphone, computer and even TV, allowing you to participate at your own pace and in the privacy of your home. It lets the users take a moment out of their busy day and focus on their own well-being, in as little as 5 minutes a day.

So what exactly is it?

It is hard to fully describe the Whil app. Hoffmann says it is, “an ability to explore various areas of mind, body and soul and to have access to your own mental health coach in your back pocket.”
After the first sign up, Whil asks what you would like to focus on first- mind or body, (hint, there’s no wrong answer). From there you choose three areas you most relate to, these areas include: forgive and forget, ease sadness, cultivate creativity, manage pain, improve sleep and 20 others.

From here it tries to gauge your understanding of “practicing mindfulness.” Whil programmers consider mindfulness to be a large component behind all of their training programs. It’s OK if you have never practiced it or even heard of the program before. The app will walk you through in its five-minute demonstrations, referred to as Trainers.

Whil customizes its training methods specifically to areas you want to improve. You can change these areas daily depending on how you feel. There is no standard procedure or set time limit you must devote to in order to gain benefits. Your mental/physical health is worth the time you set aside each day. There are Trainers that are 5 minutes and others that are over an hour.

If you are wondering whether the Whil app might be right for you, consider Hoffmann’s advice:

“We recognize that there are students who are never going to try yoga or meditation, but this app can be very specific to a problem area the student may be experiencing,” she said. “I would ask them to find out what that is, do they have high-blood pressure or are they having difficulty sleeping? This app can be helpful for almost any health concern, mental or physical.”

If you have any questions about the Whil app or about the Wellness Challenge, Hoffmann can be found at the Health Services room Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Although she tries to be available during those times, she may be at a meeting with a student, so her office phone (608) 245-2116 and she’ll call you back.