For Students: Self-Care Resources

It is an online platform that is available to all University of Maine System students at no cost. It offers self-guided programs for anxiety, depression, stress, and resilience. Based on cognitive behavioral therapy principles, the self-guided program is available anytime, on any device.

Our hope with this program is that it can provide aid for mild symptoms of anxiety and depression. We hope that it can help a student get to know their symptoms better and gain some tools for managing their symptoms. The program can be a great addition to traditional therapy or can be used on its own for milder stressors.

Please keep in mind that this is one tool among many to make mental health education more available to our students. If at any time you are struggling or questioning how best to make improvements in your mental health please do not hesitate to reach out to us (207) 780-4050

SilverCloud

Directions for downloading the APP on your phone:

Steps – Apple

Download the SilverCloud app from the Apple store.

Open device Settings.

Select SilverCloud.

Select Service.

Select your service name.

Close settings, open SilverCloud and log in with your ID.

Steps – Android

Download the SilverCloud app from the Google Play store.

Open SilverCloud.

Open SilverCloud settings.

Select “General”.

Select “Service”.

Select your service name.

Close settings, open SilverCloud and log in with your ID.

Post-Pandemic Daily Mental Health Hygiene (Back to top)

We are taught from a young age how to take care of our physical health. “You have to cover a cut so it doesn’t get infected and you have to brush your teeth twice a day.” Why do we not engage in this kind of hygiene for our emotional health?“ How is it that we spend more time taking care of our teeth than we do our Minds?” (Guy Winch, 2014)

This pandemic has stressed our social and emotional well-being. We need to acknowledge that and put practices in place to sustain us. So I implore you over the next few weeks, as you start your classes, think about daily practice (it can be as quick as brushing your teeth) to take care of your emotional bruises and maintain your emotional health. I’ll be sending out tips every few weeks on how to do just that! For now you can view previous tips here.

Preparing for Transition by Engaging in Self Reflection (Back to top)

As you ready yourself for the next thing it’s important to take stock of what has occurred and mentally prepare for your next steps. You can write out your answers or just think them through. Either way engaging in exercises like this one can help focus your intention, help you put words to important experiences you have had this year and aid you in becoming more successful in your next endeavor.

The goal here is to take some deep breaths and try to answer these questions as honestly and as compassionately as you can. Some of these questions might be difficult to answer and that’s ok. Allow yourself time to step away and then come back to these questions when you are ready.

What pleased me over this past year? What’s something I’ve really appreciated just recently?

What did I learn that will serve me moving forward?

What was particularly hard for me personally?

Have I provided myself enough compassion for that? Do I need some more support for that? If so what would that look like?

What’s still painful that I haven’t let myself grieve?

What would be a way I could start making space for that? Is it purely allowing myself to take the time and give the attention? Would it be confiding more in others? Might it be getting professional help?

What brings me joy? When am I having the most fun?

Has there been space for that?

How can I make more space for that?

How do I want this summer to play out? What’s most important to me during that time?

How do I want the fall to look? What’s most important to me for that time?

Have I been available to the people in my life that matter to me?

If not, can I have compassion for myself as to why that might be?

What can I do now to show up for them more?

How to Build A Routine (Back to top)

If you haven’t already because this has been super overwhelming that’s ok. Now might be a good time to start. It will help you feel less overwhelmed, your work load more manageable and possibly allow you to make time for more enjoyment in your day.

Here is a sample routine:

Wake up at the same time every morning. This will help you regulate your sleep and hopefully encourage you to begin going to bed at the same time every night. 7-9 hours is ideal.

Make a plan for each day with one or two things you want to get done and one or two things that could be enjoyable for you.

Make time to Eat three healthy meals a day and drink plenty of water.

Get some exercise: possibly a walk or run outside with good social distancing or an exercise video

Chunk out your work: decide on a few hours each day when you tend to be most productive and use those hours to get your work done. Fun fact: most people cannot sit and concentrate for more than a few hours at a time and if they try they are not very productive. People do better when they focus for shorter periods. Decide on a few hours each day that will be devoted to getting your work done and make sure you create a space that has limited distractions during that time. Schedule breaks within that time to get up and move your body.

Make time to Connect- call a friend, family member or neighbor and check in on how they are. “How are you doing? Really” Let them know how you are coping and feeling. Try being unusually honest you may be surprised how receptive they are and it will probably allow them to open up more too. Find a way to tell people in your life who mean a lot to you that they do and why. They need to hear it and you will feel better having done it.

Make time for lightness- Watch some funny videos and limit your news intake. This is a heavy time, it can be incredibly helpful to balance that heaviness with some laughter. This is what comedy was made for so indulge in it. It will help you.

Once you are in bed spend some time thinking about a few things you are grateful for, you may even want to write them down. Big or small it doesn’t matter, just let yourself marinate on those and why you are grateful for them. Take some slow long deep breaths.

All of these ideas can improve your mental health and your productivity! So, try a few of them out if you haven’t already!

Resources for Improving Your Mental Health Right Now (Back to top)

Counseling Services Health and Wellness page: https://cms.usm.maine.edu/uhcs/prevention-wellness-and-well-being-0

Deep Breathing video: Practicing Deep Breathing

MeditGuided Video: Practicing Deep Breathing Nation: https://www.headspace.com/headspace-meditation-app

7 minute workout: https://7minuteworkout.jnj.com/

Gratitude practice: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/gratitude_journal

Beginners Yoga: https://youtu.be/AB3Y-4a3ZrU

Other Resources if you are Struggling or just need Additional Support:

Contact the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline (800) 985-5990 that provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.

This is a list of emotional support hotlines By State: https://www.nami.org/NAMI/media/NAMI-Media/BlogImageArchive/2020/NAMI-National-HelpLine-WarmLine-Directory-3-11-20.pdf

Call the NAMI HelpLine at (800)950-NAMI (6264) to leave a message or write them and e-mail if you are having difficulty finding resources in your area

National Suicide Prevention hot line: (800) 273-8255

Trever Project LGBTQ crisis line: (866) 488-7386

Text word NAMI to 741741 if you want to get support through text messaging

Reclaiming Time (Back to top)

Sit down with a pen and paper and quickly create a line for each hour you were awake yesterday. Then jot down the activities you engaged in for each of these hours.

What are you struck by when you look at your day in this way? How was it spent? Is there anything that surprises you? What parts of the day would you rather have gone differently?

What would it take to help yourself reclaim that time for something you wish you were spending more time doing? Often people’s use of their phone eats away at their time. Examples of how you could troubleshoot this are putting a reminder in your phone to put your phone away during a specific time or disabling your social media during that time so you can be more present for your chosen activity. Here are some links to apps that can help you do this https://www.reviewed.com/smartphones/features/10-apps-that-block-social-media-so-you-can-stay-focused-and-be-more-productive

Why is this important?

There is a common joke these days of “who knows what day it is anyway?”. This is due to no longer having clear boundaries between different aspects of our lives. We are now spending less time recharging because it’s not built into our day in the same way it used to be. We have to be more intentional now about creating boundaries for ourselves around work, school and social life. Often the activities that refuel us get pushed to the side (ex: speaking with family and/or friends, exercising). Not only is that unfortunate for our level of enjoyment, it also impacts our mental health. Hopefully you can use this activity to reclaim time for whatever will refuel you.

One Minute Mindfulness Technique (Back to top)

Learning mindfulness techniques can be incredibly powerful in improving your well-being and combatting stress. This week I’m providing you with a mental health tip from my talented colleague Anna Gardner. Anna invites you to try one of her favorite simple exercises.

In the next 60 seconds, try utilizing the “STOP” technique developed by Elisha Goldstein.

S = Stop what you’re doing and put things down for a moment.

T = Take 2-3 nice deep breaths.

O = Observe how you are feeling. Name the emotions. What are you feeling in your body?

P = Proceed with something that can support you in the moment. (Call a friend, take a walk, have a cup of tea.)

To practice more mindfulness exercises with a trained counselor, see our Psychoeducational Workshops & Support Groups here.

Lean Into Your Emotion, Good or Bad (Back to top)

No matter what emotion you are feeling, consider allowing yourself to fully feel it and to stay open and curious to what it could be telling you. We feel things for a reason and sometimes allowing ourselves to name it and experience it, even when painful, creates space within us to move forward.

“We are a culture obsessed with pleasure and believe that the mark of a worthy life is the absence of discomfort; and when we experience pain, we take it to indicate that something must be wrong with us. In fact, there is something wrong with us if we don’t experience sadness or anxiety at times–which are human emotions. The paradox is that when we accept our feelings—when we give ourselves the permission to be human and experience painful emotions—we are more likely to open ourselves up to positive emotions.” Tal ben-Shahar

Engage in Movement & Connection (Back to top)

One of the best ways to continue to manage the stress of the pandemic on our minds and bodies is movement and connection. It sounds so simple, but during these times of isolating indoors engaging in these actions takes more intention. So many are not engaging in this practice enough, and the health impact is significant. So my challenge to you this week is this:

Mask up, bundle up, get outside, and take a walk with someone. Push yourself to be open about how you are really doing. Take the space you need to say your piece and make sure you give your companion that space as well.

Approaching the Holiday Season with Care & Intention (Back to top)

This holiday season is like none we have experienced before. While everyone can appreciate some time off from their normal routine, this holiday season may be trying in many ways that we did not expect. It is important we acknowledge that and remind ourselves that it is ok to not feel our best and it is ok to not be sure what we are feeling yet.

It can be incredibly healing to plan special activities for connection, silliness and joy. Here are some tips to help you get started.

Creative ways to Connect:

If you are separated from certain family members that you had hoped to see this holiday season, make a plan for how you can connect with them in a joyful way. Ex:

Plan a dish for all of you to make and Zoom to enjoy the dish together

Play a game over Zoom with them (ex: Pictionary)

Send a funny or silly gift to a family member without telling them whom it’s from and then call them after it’s delivered so you can all have a laugh about it.

Youtube classic comedians, ask older family members for their favorites and watch it over Zoom together.

Cherish your face to face contact:

As important as it is to find ways to virtually connect with those you cannot see right now it is equally important to embrace those you are physically with. Take a few minutes to think about what you tend to enjoy most about the holiday season. Then try to think of a way to make sure something like that can occur with the people you are spending the holidays with. You may also want to consider planning an activity that you know everyone you are staying with will enjoy. Maybe plan something you normally don’t have time for over the holidays (ex: hiking, board game, ice-skating or going to see local holiday lights).

Carve out time just for you:

Make time for regular exercise and sleep. Before the pandemic it was a recommendation for your mental health, now for many it’s essential.

Make time for something that is enjoyable just for you. Could you make this a daily routine over the holiday? Ex: extra special cup of coffee in the morning with a fun book or magazine, walking in the woods or on the beach, at home spa treatment, building or creating something

Make time to have real talks with family or friends you trust. Open up and let at least one other person know how you are really doing and give them the chance to tell you as well. Our emotions are complex. We are probably feeling a variety of things both positive and negative. What’s important is that we let ourselves acknowledge all of it. Allowing this honesty between people is vital because it is an important reminder that none of us are alone in the experience of this pandemic.

Ordinary Acts of Kindness (Back to top)

We often think of self-care in terms of buying ourselves something nice or treating ourselves to something special. While that does provide some enjoyment, and is certainly worthwhile, the effects are often much shorter and less significant than we predict they will be. Studies on happiness have revealed that the act of doing something kind for someone else instead of for ourselves actually improves our happiness more. The more you engage in kind acts towards others the better you are likely to feel.

At a time when so many of us are feeling overwhelmed by the pandemic and world news in general it seems worthwhile to give this simple act of self-care a try. You could really improve your well-being and in the process someone else’s.

Below are some ideas to get you started:

Text or email someone something you appreciate about them

Buy a stranger or someone you know a tea, coffee, chocolate, a cup of soup or a candy

Get flowers for someone for no good reason

Send someone you care about a funny card in the mail

Buy a friend a book or magazine you think they’d enjoy

Smile big at a stranger (even with your mask on they’ll see it in your eyes) and tell them you hope their day goes well

Give someone a genuine compliment

Get Intentional About Your Screen Use (Back to top)

The tension we are experiencing right now with technology is profound. We have never needed it more to connect, to learn and to work, but the lack of separation we have from our screens is negatively impacting our sense of well-being and our ability to concentrate.

So what can we do? Create more boundaries around when we use screens and how. Here are some tips on phone use and social media.

Consider deleting the social media and news apps from your phone. I know, I know it sounds like too much, but you can look at them in your browser and you can always download the apps again easily. Doing this will allow you to be more thoughtful and intentional about when you use them instead of automatically scrolling through without meaning to.

Adjust how you use social media. Part of what’s bad about social media for our mental health is how it makes us feel. People often come away from checking social media feeling worse about themselves, and lonelier. What do you want to get out of social media? Take a moment the next time you are scrolling and take note of the feeds that bring you joy, spark creativity and action. Then notice the feeds that make you feel uneasy, sad or lonely. Make the decision to unfollow the feeds that produce those negative feelings. Look for things that will inspire you. A great example provided by Dr. Laurie Santos from Yale University is on twitter she follows #CovidKindness. It helps her to see the good that is happening even when we are being bombarded with all the negative things occurring in the world.

Consider a no screen hour before bed. Find a place to plug your phone preferably a few rooms away from you and leave it there for the night. You can program your phone to allow emergency calls from specific people. Here is a link on how: http://artoftheiphone.com/2012/09/25/tip-how-to-allow-some-contacts-to-still-call-you-when-the-iphones-do-not-disturb-mode-is-turned-on/

The relaxation and enjoyment that can come from this is significant and it can greatly improve the quality of your sleep. It can even feel like a brain massage!

How to stick with less screen time. Write down a list and have available non-screen activities that make you feel good. So when you are stressed or bored and would normally reach for your phone you have some other ideas handy. Here are some examples:

Have art supplies out and ready, check out an art supply store in the area for inspiration

Exercise or meditate outside or do an exercise or meditation video

Stretch

Take a walk or hike with or without a friend

Find some fun books or magazines to read non-school related

Listen to a podcast or book

Take a bath

Learn a new skill (ex: wood working, refinishing, ceramics, jewelry making, guitar)

Look into some board games to play with your roommates or family

Suicide Prevention – Your Care & Concern is a Powerful Tool (Back to top)

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and with the COVID-19 pandemic, economic uncertainty, ongoing issues of racial injustice, and the start of the academic year impacting many people’s emotional and mental health across the country, we must all be aware of increased mental health challenges including greater risk of suicide.

Suicide is complicated and tragic, but is also often preventable. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds in the State of Maine so it is vitally important that warning signs be taken seriously and that individuals are assisted in getting the help and support services they need.

So How Can You Help?

Learn more about warning signs at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention:

www.afsp.org/risk-factors-and-warning-signs

If you, or someone you care about, is struggling, or you simply have questions, please call USM Counseling Services at 207-780-4050 to speak with one of our supportive, trained professional counselors. We are here to help and consultations are private and confidential.

If you are faculty or staff and would like Counseling Services to provide suicide prevention education to your team or class, please email Colm Daly at colm.daly@maine.edu for information.

USM Counseling Services offices are open 8:00AM-4:30PM Monday-Friday:

Portland Campus – 96 Falmouth Street, 105 Payson Smith Hall, Portland ME

Contact: (207) 780-4050

Gorham Campus – 156 Upton Hall, Gorham ME

Contact: (207) 780-5411

Lewiston/Auburn Campus – 51 Westminster Street, Lewiston ME

Contact: (207) 780-4050

If you, or someone you are concerned about, is struggling and need to speak with someone, you can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

CALL the Lifeline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

TEXT – text TALK to 741741

CHAT – www.CrisisChat.org

For information about Suicide Prevention or to get additional resources:

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Learn the facts at www.afsp.org/learn-the-facts

Get Resources at www.afsp.org/resources

The Trevor Project (LGTBQ Suicide & Crisis Services)

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Call – 1-866-488-7386

#YouAreNotAlone #YouWillBeFound #KeepGoing

Savoring (Back to top)

It’s easy for us to get wrapped up in our task list and homework assignments. We generally focus on the things that are stressful or worrisome as a way to manage these anxieties. It is hard to focus our attention on what is going well. Here is a short exercise you could do at different points throughout your day that can help remind you of what is pleasurable and good in your life right now.

Think of one moment from this summer that was blissful for you. It could be big or small. Describe it to yourself. What did the scene look like? What were the smells? Who was there? What were the feelings you had then? What are some of the feelings you have now when thinking about it? What made it special for you?

What you just did was an exercise in savoring. Now as you move through your day, notice something big or small that is pleasurable for you and talk to yourself about it. If it’s difficult to notice something, make a point of inserting a pleasurable activity (remember it could be as simple as enjoying a piece of chocolate) into each day. What feels good about this? Why does it feel special for you? If you are with someone else at the time talk about why it feels good.

Doing this exercise can improve your mood, improve your connections and can begin training your brain to notice positive experiences more easily.

Incorporating Mental Hygiene (Back to top)

Many of you should have a sense of your schedule now so it’s a great time to plan how to incorporate some important mental hygiene rituals. All of these ideas can improve your overall mental health and your productivity! So ask yourself these questions if you haven’t already!

Could I create a schedule where I wake up at the same time every morning? This will help you regulate your sleep and hopefully encourage you to begin going to bed at the same time every night. 7-9 hours is ideal.

At what points during my week could I possibly get some exercise? Possibly a walk or run outside with good social distancing or an exercise video. Exercising even in short bursts improves your mood, your focus and your overall health. So how could you get yourself just moving more throughout the week?

What time am I putting aside just for homework? Fun fact: most people cannot sit and concentrate for more than a few hours at a time. People are generally more productive when they focus for shorter periods. Decide on a few hours each day, 2-3 hours at most, that will be devoted to getting your work done and make sure you create a space that has limited distractions. Schedule breaks within that time to get up and move your body.

Who do I miss talking to? Call a friend or family member to check in on how they are. It’s never been a better time to engage in that old school phone call “How are you doing? Really!” Let them know how you are coping and feeling. Try being unusually honest you may be surprised how receptive they are and it will probably allow them to open up more too. Find a way to tell people in your life who mean a lot to you that they do and why. They need to hear it and you will feel better having done it.

Am I leaving myself time for just the good stuff?! Watch some funny videos, engage in an activity that ‘s just for fun and limit your news intake. Plan something purely enjoyable. This is a heavy time. It can be incredibly helpful to balance that heaviness with some laughter. This is what comedy was made for so indulge in it. It will help you.

Am I open to a two minute ritual before sleep? As you lay down in bed think about a few things you are grateful for, you may even want to write them down. Big or small doesn’t matter, just let yourself marinate on those and why you are grateful for them. As you do this, take some slow deep breaths.

For many more tips on wellness see our webpage:

https://cms.usm.maine.edu/uhcs/prevention-wellness-and-well-being-0

Gorham counseling center

Lewiston counseling center

Portland counseling center