As we enter the one-year mark of learning about and living through a global pandemic, Lynn F. Bufka, PhD, senior director of Practice Transformation and Quality, recently shared some strategies that can help students manage stress and strengthen their mental well-being.
First and foremost, students are encouraged to reflect on how well you are supporting some of the critical foundations of your mental well-being. Ask yourself these questions:
- Do you have a healthy diet?
- Are you staying well hydrated throughout the day?
- Are you getting good quality sleep and enough of it?
- Are you getting exercise?
- Are you fostering and maintaining social connections?
While these may seem like basic considerations, neglecting to focus on these aspects can make us less able to function effectively. Having a reminder to take care of these basic aspects of self-care can make us more resilient and this is particularly important given the enormous stress that so many of us are facing.
Next, take a moment to reflect on these strategies that can enhance your well-being (PDF, 49KB)opens in new window:
- Cultivate your purpose
- Engage your brain
- Develop a new interest
- Embrace your sexuality
- Inspire your creativity
- Connect spiritually
- Relax in nature
- Express gratitude
Practicing these recommendations can help you to refocus your outlook and inspire a deeper sense of engagement with the world and people around us.
What if you are feeling overwhelmed (PDF, 69KB)opens in new window? Keep these five words in mind:
- Calm
- Focus
- Relax
- Ground
- Celebrate
To elaborate on these “in the moment strategies,” here are some tips that might help.
To feel a sense of calm, try to find your inner homeostasis and get your body back to a regular breathing and heart rate. Practice breathing slowly, by inhaling for four seconds, holding your breath for four seconds, and exhaling to a count of six. Repeat several times, up to 10 times.
Try to shift your focus by intentionally thinking about something else for a moment. By picking a category (e.g., animals) and taking a moment to name one for every letter of the alphabet, for example, you can distract yourself away from racing or anxious thoughts, take a moment to concentrate on something completely unrelated and then try to return to the task at hand with a clearer mental focus.
Learn to relax through progressive relaxation to release the tension in your body. Progressive muscle relaxation is a series of exercises of tensing and unwinding muscle groups throughout your body. You can find these online. If that doesn’t work for you, try other strategies to physically relax such as a massage (self-massage, if necessary!), hot bubble baths, or basic stretching exercises.
Practice ways that can help you feel grounded. Try to physically reconnect with your surroundings by noticing the air, the sounds, the sights of your environment. Consciously pause and attend to what each of your senses is noticing—what you see and hear and smell/taste and feel.
Celebrate what went well today by focusing on the positives. Gratitude is good for us. When you recognize what has gone well, you remind yourself that not everything is “horrible” or overwhelming. This is a reminder that you have some capacity to move towards your goals or bring about some positive result. When you can, share these positives with others, especially if they were involved! It can be a real boost when someone else recognizes what you have done well.
Our lives have been upended but there are ways you can strengthen your capacity to cope and build resilience. Bufka recommends focusing on what is in your control. To learn more, visit the APA COVID-19 Information and Resources webpage.
