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Pacific Counseling has compiled a list of resources, tips, and recommendations to support your mental and emotional health. Please note any third-party resources are not created or sponsored by Pacific Counseling.  

Social Media

• Limit usage - set boundaries with social media intake and screen time
• Don’t allow yourself to believe what you see online is true.
• Recognize negative emotions you may feel while scrolling.
• Book recommendation: 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke
• “Phones and apps are designed to take away the ‘friction’ of human encounters.” – Tony Reinke

Loneliness

• Identify whether you are lonely because of physical isolation or not feeling connected or aligned with others.
• Assess any self-betrayal contributing to your feelings.
• Recognize any emptiness or voids you may be trying to fill.
• Identify coping patterns that may not be serving you the best.
• Embrace the developmental step - learn how to be alone.
• Celebrate the opportunity for self-growth. Try something new on your own: take a walk, journal, go out to eat, read a book.
• Utilize alone time to improve your relationship with yourself and God.
• Limit social media usage - set boundaries on your intake and screen time.
• Disregard feelings that come at night when you are tired and have been influenced by your experiences and social media intake.
• Be intentional about connecting with others.
• Make a commitment to spend time with someone and stick to it.
• Be curious in conversations, practice listening, and ask questions.
• Connect with others on shared experiences.
• Explore your current relationships. Find individuals who make you feel listened to and understood.
• Call people and have discussions - debrief thoughts on a podcast, documentary, book, etc.
• Establish routine (incorporating social interaction if possible).
• Reward yourself for accomplishments.
• Access new information - watch intelligent shows, read books, listen to educational podcasts.
• Podcast recommendation:

Sleep Disturbance

• Limit day-to-day social media usage - set limits, take breaks, put your phone away at a specific time each night.
• Establish a sleep routine.
• Make your room a good place to sleep.
• Rid your room of excess light and noise, use a sound machine if needed.
• Avoid frequent daytime napping.
• Practice mindfulness or relaxation techniques before bed.

Burnout

• Move your body, communicate it is safe.
• Cope with the stress even after the stressor is removed.
• Allow yourself to process your emotions.
• Physical activity - dancing, running, walking, hitting a punching bag, cycling, tense control, etc.
• Practice deep breathing, mindfulness activities, guided meditation, yoga.
• Participate in positive social interactions.
• Laughter (genuine) – watch or listen to comedy, surround yourself with others who make you laugh.
• Affection
• Spend time with those you love.
• 20-second hugs can lower heart rate, lower blood pressure, improve mood, and changing hormones.
• 6-second kiss.
• Petting, walking, or cuddling with a pet/animal.
• Holding or cuddling a baby.
• Cuddling a pillow or using gravity blankets.
• Crying.
• Creative expression - dance, art, imaginative thinking.
• Rest.
• Increase social supports and resources to cope with stressors.
• Book recommendation:
• Podcast recommendation:
• Article recommendation:
• Article recommendation:

COVID and Associated (Unpleasant) Feelings

• It is okay to complain about your situation – how did it throw off your plan? Get it out!
• Developmentally, we all need a temper tantrum. Seek support if you are unable to express anger in a healthy way.
• It is okay to disconnect (emotionally) from time to time, to keep yourself safe or conserve energy. Seek support if disconnection becomes dissociation for long periods of time.
• Assess danger and embrace the opportunity.
• How are you going to stay safe? How is this making you more compassionate, adaptable, mature?
• See yourself differently now that the world is different.
• Utilize a feelings wheel to identify feelings.
• Additional COVID-19 resources:

COVID-19 Go Bag

• Laptop, phone, and chargers
• Comfortable clothes (underwear, socks, shirts, pants, etc.)
• School books, pens, notes, etc.
• Medications
• Masks
• Thermometer
• An extra pillow and blanket (some will be provided for you)

For on-campus students, Student Life will be in constant communication with you about packing lists and moving timeframes.

Navigating College in a Pandemic

• Set boundaries around the following: triggering conversations, COVID conversations, homework and work, political conversations, social media usage.
• Establish a routine that works for you.
• Utilize timers or stopwatches for managing time.
• Stick to your schedule as best as possible.
• Set up a specified room (or area in your room) for work and homework. Try to refrain from doing it in your bed if possible.
• Maintain good hygiene - shower, hair & make-up routine, oral care, skincare routine, etc.
• Maintain social connection and increase intentionality in relationships.
• Participate in self-assessment for loneliness.
• Reward yourself after completing responsibilities, no matter how small.
• Schedule moments to look forward to, experiencing pure joy!
• Podcast recommendation:

Strategies to Combat Back to School Anxiety

• Back-to-school shopping and rituals - getting school supplies are exciting and refreshing, decorating a dorm room, catching up with friends on campus.
• Create a daily schedule - schedules give us a sense of order and planning and help us know what to expect. Utilize planners, sticky notes, highlighters, taping syllabus up in office/dorm room, etc.
• Designate a workspace - set up a dedicated workspace, helps preparation which reduces anxiety, let your personality show, decorate, avoid working on your bed due to brain association (it will be harder to fall asleep at night).
• Try for a calm and positive morning on the first day – if possible, try to go the extra mile to make the first morning a calm and positive one, encourage a positive attitude about the new school year, set out your outfit, plan to have a favorite breakfast, take pictures.
• Arm with coping skills - help manage anxiety, breathing exercises, encourage therapy.
• Encourage healthy coping skills - exercise, reading, time away from the computer, social interaction, expressive art, deep breathing or meditation, yoga, cleaning/organizing.
• Limit screen time - set breaks in between meetings, walk away and stretch during long periods of screen time, drink lots of water, give yourself incentives for completing tasks.
• Quarantine self-care - practice good hygiene, get dressed, talk to a friend, check in with your feelings, give yourself a compliment, move your body, nourish your body, listen to your body, challenge negative thoughts, have fun, go outside, try something new, practice being mindful, explore hobbies, cry if you need to, take a break, ask for help, get tasks done, practice self-compassion, drink water, get sleep.

Positive Coping Skills

• Improving self-image
• Practicing good hygiene
• Exercise
• Engaging in hobbies
• Stress release activities
• Positive distraction
• Talk therapy
• Mindfulness and mediation
• Routine
• Healthy eating
• Relaxation techniques
• Deep breathing
• Utilizing social support
• Problem-solving techniques
• Getting outside or taking a walk
• Reading a book or listening to a podcast
• Listening to your favorite music
• Art
• Journaling

Intimate Partner Violence

• Book recommendation:
• Book recommendation:
• Book recommendation:

Self-Assessment for Signs of Distress

Academic

• Repeated absences and/or a decline in quality of work or classroom performance.
• Essays or creative work that include disturbing content and/or themes of despair, hopelessness, suicide, violence, death, or aggression.
• Multiple requests for extensions or grades incomplete.

Physical

• Marked changes in physical appearance.
• Repeatedly appearing sick or excessively fatigued.
• Obvious change in mental state and/or apparent intoxication.
• Other behavior that doesn’t seem to match the context/setting.

Inter/Intrapersonal

• Direct comments about distress, feelings of overwhelm, family problems, etc.
• Signs and/or expressions of hopelessness, worthlessness, or shame.
• A drastic change in interactions with others, acting out of character.
• Expressions of concern by peers.
• Implied or direct threats of harm to self or others.
• Self-injurious, destructive, or reckless behavior.

Mindfulness, Meditation and Helpful Apps

• Netflix recommendation: Headspace Guide to Meditation Series
• App recommendations: Headspace, Calm, iChill, Insight timer app, D-test, My 3
• Article recommendation: Coping Through the Coronavirus

Podcasts that Incorporate a Christian Perspective on Mental Health Issues

• (Faith and Addiction)
• (This specific episode covers depression and suicide)
• (Dr. Cloud and Townsend)

Resources for Parents

• Understand how your child may be readjusting to your involvement in their decisions.
• Manage your own anxieties, to ensure you’re not projecting your anxieties onto your child.
• Focus on collaborative conversation, rather than an authoritative stance.
• Remember your child has been acting more independently since being away from home.
• Validate their feelings, do not minimize.
• Help them explore their feelings (use a feelings wheel if needed) and connect on that feeling.
• Article recommendation:
• Article recommendation:
• Article recommendation:
• Podcast recommendation:

Local Support Groups

• - a group for families, caregivers, and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness. Meets the second Saturday of each month at 12 p.m. via Zoom. Cost is free.
  • Executive Director: Chris Roup chris@namifresno.org
• Bridge of Hope – a non-clinical “faith-based” support group for women where Christians that suffer from mental illness, such as depression and anxiety can find empathy and support in a safe environment.
  • Meets every other Thursday from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
  • For more information contact Regina Poynter at 805-469-0625 or bloomingflowergal@yahoo.com

General Mental Health Resources

• Book recommendation: The 6 Needs of Every Child: Empowering Parents and Kids Through the Science of Connection

General Resources

• DBH COVID-19 WARM Line (non-emergency line, offers coping support): 559-600-WARM (9276)
• CRISIS:
• Emergency – Dial 911
• Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
• �㽶��Ƶ���� County Access Line – 1-800-654-3937
• Crisis Text Line – 741741
• Other Support and Assistance:
• NAMI �㽶��Ƶ���� WARM Line – 559-224-2469
• Department of Public Health – 600-INFO (for information related to COVID-19)
• 211 (General Resources)
• California Peer Run WARM Line - 1-855-845-7415
• Suicide Prevention - �㽶��Ƶ����cares.org