uKindness

• Embracing Uncertainty:  A Guided Meditation from UConn’s Becky Acabchuk
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  How to Reduce Social Anxiety Caused by COVID-19 Isolation

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  If you aren’t sure how to go about getting out into society again, here are some tips to help (adapted from https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-adapt-to-post-pandemic-reality-with-social-anxiety-5180281)

  • Make a point of getting outside every day, even if it is only to go for a short walk.
  • Volunteer to run an errand for your household to ease into situations with more people.
  • Choose the pick-up option versus delivery.  It will get you outside and you’ll interact with a limited number of people.
  • Go to your classrooms before classes start and walk around for a bit to feel more comfortable before the first day back.
  • Make a plan for how many social events you can tolerate in one day and then stick to that plan.
  • Try to socialize in other ways to increase opportunities to connect even when you’re at home or in your res hall/apartment, such as by talking on the phone, using video calls, or sending emails to your loved ones or friends.

Regardless of what you need to do, keep it gradual as you work towards spending more time with others. Start with the easier things and work your way up to the harder things.  It’s always a good idea to combine these activities with relaxation techniques, both before, during, and after the experience, to help ease the anxiety.  Be kind and patient with yourself if you feel anxious. But don’t let that stop you from taking the steps to stop avoiding the things that you need to do the most.

• Introduction to Mindfulness
  • Student Health and Wellness is offering a workshop to support stress reduction and overall well-being. This 60 minute workshop introduces basic skills of mindfulness practice to include deep breathing, present moment awareness, and self-acceptance.  Check out the link above for dates and times during the semester.
  • https://studenthealth.uconn.edu/mindfulness

• Managing Mental Health During the Pandemic

• Stress Reduction in 5 Minutes or Less.pdf.pdf

• Managing Stress (video)

• How to Make Stress your Friend (video)

• The secret of calm: how to de-stress if you have one minute, five minutes – or 14 days
  • Anxiety is running high, and it can be difficult to find time alone to take a deep breath. Here is a guide to relaxing, however much time you have to spare.

• Learning Anxiety: 10 Ways to Calm Your Mind
• • If you frequently find yourself dealing with stress and anxiety that’s interfering with your studying, here are a few tried and proven tips for managing your learning anxiety.

• Self-care Tips to Reduce Anxiety
  • As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase, anxiety related to the outbreak is on the rise too. But there are things you can do to help reduce your anxious feelings and in turn, strengthen your immune system.

• Mood and Anxiety Clinic
  • The Mood and Anxiety Clinic at the UConn Health is dedicated to providing comprehensive and compassionate care to individuals struggling with mood and anxiety symptoms

• Stress Management: Breathing Exercises for Relaxation.  Have you ever noticed how you breathe when you feel relaxed? The next time you are relaxed, take a moment to notice how your body feels. Or think about how you breathe when you first wake up in the morning or just before you fall asleep. Breathing exercises can help you relax, because they make your body feel like it does when you are already relaxed.