Wellbeing Conference: Body, Mind, and Soul 2007

I attended the WellBeing Conference on Saturday afternoon at the Cove (location: Xenia 140, 71, 21). Although I could not be present at all of the sessions and festivities (see my posts on the Worlds AIDS day and ECONOMAN Triathlon), I did get the opportunity to reconnect with fellow health and wellness professionals and sit in on a couple of different lectures.

Most of the presenters were already health and wellness professionals in their real-life. In this case, SecondLife served as another platform to communicate their health messages and ideas. The conference covered topics on coping with cancer, alcohol addiction, HIV, spirituality, meditation. (Click on the schedule to view full conference events.)

I attended Rivka Thorne's presentation on "Your Body's Best Friend: Practical Steps Towards Embracing and Supporting your Physical Self." She reiterated the importance of listening to your body and trusting your instincts. After all, you're the only one who knows you best. And I think this is especially worth remembering in a time where there is a lot of skepticism about our nation's healthcare. By trusting the messages from our bodies, we can develop healthier habits and ensure our longevity.

Avalon Birke (a SL and a RL counselor) discussed "Virtual World - Real Emotions." Her lecture was supported by the belief that "our perceptions make up our reality." So, if your experience discomfort, sadness, happiness in a virtual community - it's no different than experiencing those feelings in a RL environment. Your brain won't know which is stimulated by 'virtual' versus 'real' world. Avalon's work experience in SL have ranged from counseling RL clients with their RL issues via SL (much like e-counseling) to SL clients with their SL issues (such as relationships between avatars). In fact, sometimes she sees patients who are struggling with maintaining both their SL life and RL life.

The expo was small, but effective (yes, there was an expo - what's a conference without an expo, right?) American Cancer Society had a booth promoting their "Relay for Life." There was representation from SL Wellness Coaches and Hope Island (SL's Cancer Surivors).

I wonder if the conference hosts administered an evaluation. It would be interesting to gather feedback on the attendee experience. In other words, does attending a virtual health conference an effective medium for delivering health messages and promoting wellness? If so, how effective is it?

I hope there are more events like this to come. I would definitely attend another one!

Morning Coffee

I'm up early this morning - enjoying my morning coffee at one of my favorite SL cafes: The Open Latte Coffee Shop (252, 218, 26).

Today will be an active day for yours truly. I have a lot of traveling to do. First thing on my agenda is the SL EconoMan Triathlon. I won't be participating this time because I haven't trained for it (meaning I haven't had time to create my swim, bike animations). But I'll definitely be on the sidelines cheering on the athletes. Winner gets L$300 (which is just under US$1).

Then I'll head on over to the World AIDS day celebration.
There will be speakers and roundtable discussions about AIDS/HIV. And of course, a dance party!

Finally - something I'm really excited about - the WellBeing Conference at the Cove. This conference will focus on Real Life personal well being. Sessions and discussions are designed to teach ways on improving your life on in various dimensions of wellness - specifically, the body, the mind and the soul. Of course, another dance party at the end of the day!

I will be blogging about my SL events throughout the day. If you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me directly - or come find me in SL.