Please see below for prior mental health tips by our USM Counseling Services team, and check your inbox for them bi-weekly!

Post-Pandemic Daily Mental Health Hygiene

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.

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.

  1. What pleased me over this past year? What’s something I’ve really appreciated just recently?
  2. What did I learn that will serve me moving forward?
  3. What was particularly hard for me personally?
  4. Have I provided myself enough compassion for that? Do I need some more support for that? If so what would that look like?
  5. What’s still painful that I haven’t let myself grieve?
  6. 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?
  7. What brings me joy? When am I having the most fun?
  8. Has there been space for that?
  9. How can I make more space for that?
  10. How do I want this summer to play out? What’s most important to me during that time?
  11. How do I want the fall to look? What’s most important to me for that time?
  12. Have I been available to the people in my life that matter to me?
  13. If not, can I have compassion for myself as to why that might be?
  14. What can I do now to show up for them more?
  • 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!

Deep Breathing video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFcQpNr_KA4

Meditation: https://www.headspace.com/headspace-meditation-app

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

Gratitude practice: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/tips_for_keeping_a_gratitude_journal

Beginners Yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7AYKMP6rOE

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:

Call the NAMI Help Line at 800-950-NAMI (6264) to leave a message or write an 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 NAMI to 741741 if you want to get support through text messaging