Taking care of your mental health

March 19, 2020, 1:20 p.m.

To:  All University Students
From:  Counseling Center
Subject:  Taking care of your mental health

We are in an unprecedented time, with ever-changing information and directives.

The Counseling Center is here to assist our entire campus community. In this time, it is important to stay grounded, to live alongside our fears without having them overwhelm us, to continue to stay as connected as we can to ourselves and one another, and to remember that in our relationships with one another there is immense strength to move through this unbelievable time.

Whatever you are feeling in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, those feelings are valid. Whether fear, indifference, panic, anger, disappointment, they matter.

Please try to structure your day and your life in a way that includes self-care. Be in nature. Read a book. Journal. Listen to a podcast. Watch a good show. Text a friend. FaceTime a friend. Listen to music.

Please be very intentional about your consumption of the news. It’s important to be informed, but we all know that too much information increases anxiety.

Please reach out to people who feel safe and nourishing to you. We are not in this alone. We will not move through this without relying on one another for support. Please reach out.

Here are a few relevant resources:

  • Any student may talk with a licensed mental health professional 24/7 at 909-748-8960. This is a confidential line.
  • VirusAnxiety.com has many resources, including skills for coping with anxiety specifically related to the coronavirus, as well as meditations.
  • Koru Mindfulness is offering a skills guide for students: Cultivating Resilience during COVID-19.

We are all in this together and we are here for you.