Mental Health Resources
A group of ASWC, Wire, WEB, and independent passionate students started a mental health committee to release weekly newsletters. These are sent out to Whitman students weekly, but we put together this page so you can refer back to them whenever you’d like.
Mental Health Resources for the Whitman Community
Maintaining Mental Health During Distanced Learning
Taking Advantage of the Counseling Center and Other Resources
Activities to Increase Positive Emotion
Maintaining a Healthy Relationship with Food During COVID-19
Mental Health Newsletter
No. 1
Mental Health for the Whitman Community
1.
Practice healthy habits and practice self-care that works for you. Self care looks different for everybody. Active Minds put together a resource for students to maintain wellbeing throughout the semester.
2.
Seek news from reliable sources only. Keep up to date on the CDC’s Key Facts page, but set boundaries with yourself to distinguish necessary and overwhelming information.
3.
Share compassion. Everyone is under unique burdens right now. Act with kindness and help others if you are able to. Click hereto view a guide on helping others during this time.
4.
Speak up and ask for support if you need it. Sometimes reaching out is hardest. Visit the CDC’s page on managing stress and anxiety.
5.
Practice tolerating uncertainty. Focusing on what is certain to you can help. This article speaks to maintaining routine amidst stress. That being said, don’t put unnecessary pressure on finishing old projects or starting new ones. Take each day as they come.
Additional Resources
Article | Talking to Kids About COVID-19
“You can say, ‘Even though we don’t have the answers to everything right now, know that once we know more, [we] will let you know too.'”
This website, along with a number of COVID resources, has a number of pages dedicated to stress relief. Click here for free meditations.
Mental Health Newsletter
No. 2
Maintaining Mental Health During Distanced Learning
While the move to distance learning was a necessary action taken by colleges all over the world, it’s no secret that adjusting would be a process. These circumstances affect certain students disproportionately, so we must remember to remain compassionate, patient, and extend our support to one another. It’s important to recognize that there are many potential sources of unproductiveness and anxiety such as the lack of structure, accountability, readily available help/resources, and managing time for yourself with school work. However, it’s also important to understand that while it’s okay to be overwhelmed by the shift, you have resources. Adapting to this new normal is going to be difficult but you’re not alone.
How do I stay productive at home?
1.
Dedicate a space intended only for studying, classes, and homework. Make sure you take breaks that aren’t just for meals.
2.
Communicate with your family and tell them what you need to maintain the structure necessary for you to remain productive.
3.
Recognize that you don’t need to always be working. This article speaks on the drawbacks of hustle culture, especially during this time.
How do I manage my time?
Schedule! Utilize calendars, planners, and different studying strategies. Here is how to use a planner effectively, you can also download digital planners such as onenote. Here are some google calendar tips to maximize productivity.
On managing time
1.
Use different time allocation strategies. Check out the pomodoro timer.
2.
Make zoom study groups and establish an accountability system with friends, check in on each other and motivate each other to stay productive.
What do I do if I need extra help?
Classes aren’t the only thing that has moved online, so has Whitman’s resources! First and foremost, communicate with your professor so that they can point you to the most appropriate resources. The Academic Resource Center is providing online tutoring and the Center fOr Writing and Speaking is providing asynchronous help as well. There are also plenty of external resources for more immediate help like Khan Academy or education based youtube channels.
What do I do if my grade is dropping?
Contact your Professor! Despite the distance, communication has never been so vital. Your professors are here for you, as is the entirety of the Whitman community.
This shift is affecting my mental health.
The counseling center is continuously updating their website with resources to maintain mental health. There’s even a page filled with self-help links. You may also be eligible for virtual counseling/teletherapy from Whitman’s counseling center. Here is a website that has compiled additional resources for circumstance specific support.
Mental Health Newsletter
No. 3
Taking Advantage of the Counseling Center and Other Resources
As we navigate this challenging time, it’s hard to know where to turn for support. In part, that’s what this newsletter is for; to help give students an idea of where to start when we’re feeling stressed. In this issue, we’re highlighting resources offered by the Whitman Counseling Center to make sure that students know about all the resources offered there.
1.
Signing up for therapy sessions with counselors.
If students are in Washington state and have a counselor already established, they can email that person. If students are out of state, they can email their counselor for support in finding services in their area. If students do not have a current counselor, they can call the counseling center at 509-527-5195 or email our administrative assistant, Leah Garcia at garcial@whitman.edu.
In-person interaction with a counselor can be a tremendously beneficial way to maintain mental health. The Whitman Counseling Center is free to all students. However, in this time, due to social distancing guidelines, counselor appointments will be entirely conducted via phone or video call. Due to legal restrictions, students out-of-state cannot use the Counseling Center. Any students who are out-of-state but want to meet with a counselor can use the ‘Find a Therapist’ function on Psychology Today. International students can use the International Therapist Directory.
Students still in Walla Walla can also use a website designed by Whitman students to locate a therapist. Here is a website made for finding a mental health provider in the Walla Walla Valley. The website’s filtering system lets you search by provider specialty, insurance information, location, and more specific criteria to make sure you find the right person for your needs. On the home page, click on “select format” and select “telehealth” to find providers offering services online. You may be able to schedule with these providers even if you are not currently in Walla Walla. The website also offers informational resources specific to COVID-19 on the home page and more general information about terms associated with mental health care under the “learn” tab.
2.
The Coronavirus Anxiety Workbook is a fantastic resource compiled by the Wellness Society to support the global community during COVID-19. The workbook contains all sorts of helpful resources that can help you recognize your own emotions, identify distractors, avoid stressors, show gratitude, practice mindfulness, and build resiliency through designing a personalized action plan. We can’t recommend this workbook enough.
3.
The Counseling Center has also compiled a list of apps useful in personalized mental health care. Here is a link to the comprehensive list. A few of the apps are highlighted here:
WoeBot teaches you Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) strategies to help practice self care. You can text the bot about how you’re feeling, and it will recommend various CBT strategies to implement to help with whatever you’re experiencing in the moment. Long term, the bot tracks your mood each day to help you discover your patterns and build specific skills to cope with them. Skills you learn become available in a menu that you can select from any time.
Remente provides a platform to set goals specific to areas in your life you are looking to make changes. It guides you through reflecting on your satisfaction in various areas of your life and then planning ways to increase satisfaction by identifying clear steps to change. It offers a journal function to reflect on your progress and keep yourself accountable.
The Daylio app allows you to enter in your mood and different activities you have been involved with throughout the day. This is an excellent way to track mood and goals. It helps people see the connection between how they are spending their time and their mood, which can be really helpful in forming healthy daily habits.
The counseling center website has other resources besides those listed here, and it updates regularly! Make sure to check back for resources frequently.
4.
911 or Campus Safety
(509) 527- 5777
Counseling Center business-hours phone
(509) 527-5195
The Counseling Center currently closes at 5 pm and is closed weekends
Text HOME to 741741
LGBTQIA+ Students text START to 678678
Students of color text STEVE to 741741
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
(800) 273-8255
Walla Walla Crisis Response Services
(509) 524-2999
Trevor Lifeline
(866) 488-7386
Mental Health Newsletter
No. 4
Activities to Increase Positive Emotion
Evidence from psychology suggests that certain positive activities can particularly increase positive emotions, experiences of wellbeing, satisfaction in relationships, and overall positive outlook. These activities are particularly effective when they are done regularly as part of your routine. Doing self-care activities with friends or other people who provide social support also increases their effectiveness.
1.
Taking the time for gratitude is the most powerful of all of these practices. Expressing gratitude reduces stress and anxiety, boosts your mood, strengthens your immune system, and improves sleep.
🌱 Write Letters to friends and family expressing gratitude, especially for things you’ve never had a chance to thank them for before.
🌱 Keep a gratitude log. Pick a time in your routine to record one thing you’re grateful for.
2.
Savoring means taking a moment to step out of your experiences, view them, and appreciate them while they are happening.
✨ Take time to celebrate your successes. Reward yourself for finishing assignments and meeting other goals.
✨ Also take time to think intentionally back on positive moments in your past.
Here’s a video by Yale University on how to practice savoring and the science of well-being.
3.
Doing kind actions for others and giving back to your community can boost your own well-being.
We’ve put together a guide on our website of ways you can help communities, locally and globally. The Walla Walla Mutual Aid Network has a great website to gather local resources and funds to provide emergency food assistance to vulnerable community members, medicine delivery for those who are sick, and small stipends for families to cover basic needs as a result of layoffs or sickness. Visit their website here or donate to their GoFundMe here.
4.
Being present in the moment, not ruminating on the past or worrying about the future, and practicing non-judgemental thinking helps to regulate emotion and stop thoughtless responses to stress. It also improves your ability to live more intentionally.
Apps like Headspace and Insight Timer invite us to think more intentionally about our time and space.
5.
Breathing difficulties are a normal reaction to stress. Breathing shallowly or over-breathing (yawning or sighing more frequently) can disrupt the amounts of CO2 in your blood and lead to dizziness, headaches, and fatigue.
🍃 Try belly breathing exercises 5-10 minutes a day.
Inhale gently, lightly and slowly for four counts, expanding your belly as you do so. Hold that breath for a count of two, then slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of six.
The app Stop, Breath, and Think is a great resource for checking in with yourself and creating space for relaxation.
6.
Make sure you are structuring a variety of activities into your schedule. The Behavioral Activation treatment for depression suggests incorporating these types of daily activities into your routine.
When organizing your schedule, don’t just put necessary tasks. Use your calendar as a platform to create intentional time for self-care.
🌼 First, include mastery tasks. These are tasks, such as chores, that you can complete that make you feel productive and like you are meeting your goals.
🌼 Include alone time. Do something just for you such as reading a book or watching a favorite TV show.
🌼 Pencil in social time. Video call friends and family or do an activity like a Netflix Party together. Buy the same ingredients as a friend and cook food together over video call.
🌼 Make space for self-care time. This could include your diet, sleep, and exercise; whatever self-care looks like for you.
7.
Exercise reduces activity in parts of the brain that control our stress response. Exercising for 20 minutes three times a week is enough to experience benefits.
☀️ Take daily walks. Use the time to create mental clarity, or walk with a friend or family member you’re social distancing with and experience some quality time.
Watch a guided online yoga video. This one is centered around vulnerability and is great for all levels.
Try a 10 minute cardio workout. Even the smallest movements can help boost moods.
Mental Health Newsletter
No. 5
Maintaining a Healthy Relationship with Food During COVID-19
The adjustment to the new normal has been tough on all fronts of living. We’ve seen changes in our learning, our involvement with each other, and the way we maintain our health. This means that we may see managing our routines, exercising, and eating not only looking different, but this shift could significantly impact our mental health. This is especially true for communities who face resource and food insecurity and don’t necessarily have the means to stay close to their old routines. Food plays a central role in our mood, stress management, and productivity. It is more important now than ever to be cognizant of and open to the idea that our relationship with food might change and that’s okay. Here are some things to keep in mind and resources to help maintain a healthy relationship with food.
1.
Understand this isn’t easy, and that it is okay if your routines can’t look how they used to. Your routine changing means that your exercise and eating habits may also end up changing. Forgive yourself for needing to take a break from adhering to how things used to be. Prioritize taking care of yourself.
2.
Do you want to use this time to learn or maintain healthy habits? Do you want to dedicate your meals to be mood-boosting or stress-relieving? Here is an article from Harvard Health about making mindful choices with food.
3.
Food affects your mood! Tryptophan is an amino acid obtained from food that contains protein and results in the release of serotonin in the brain (here is a study!). It is completely possible to orient your eating habits around the goal of maintaining positive mental health. Here is an article on nutrients and foods that can influence your mood.
4.
Cooking is not just a great skill to practice but a fantastic way of getting involved in something creative. Cooking has proven itself to have great emotional benefits because it’s something to focus on with a satisfying result. Here is a podcast/article from NPR about improvising resources, being open to creative options, and the importance of communal eating during COVID-19.
5.
Don’t feel pressured to give up resources that you don’t have, but if you have the means – donate! Supporting organizations specifically aimed at securing resources is a great way to get involved. Here is a link outlining how you can help support medical needs, protect vulnerable populations, and sustain nonprofits. Feel free to use this as a resource to reach out and meet your own resource needs.