Office of the Dean of Students – Support and Mental Health Services
Office of the Dean of Students - Support and Mental Health Services Heading link
The Office of the Dean of Students will remain open during this time and all of its staff are available to assist you. However, for everyone’s safety and to help flatten the curve, our physical office in SSB will be closed until further notice. All consultations should be directed by phone (312)996-4857 or by email at dos@uic.edu
Further information about the Office of the Dean of Students services can be found here.
-
NA
Fear, fatigue, worry, or anxiety, considering current world affairs, are all normal emotions. Because this challenge may continue for weeks or months, self-care is critical to our self-preservation. Bringing our best to our studies, our family, and our friends, means that we have to invest time in our own well being.
Please consider placing two or three of the following self-care strategies on your daily to-do-list; they’ll help you to function at your very best.
- Talk: make sure that you are processing what you are feeling and thinking with friends, family, and colleagues. Share fears, concerns, or stressors so that they can be openly processed. This allows possible solutions to be found, relieves emotional tension, and reduces the belief that these stresses are just yours alone.
- Journal: writing is a great stress reliever that allows for profound emotional decompression.
- Laugh: laughter increases blood flow to your heart for up to 40 minutes. It makes you happy, it oxygenates your brain and muscles, and it relaxes tense muscles. Prescribe yourself one humorous movie or television show every night.
- Perspective: be aware of increasing negative thoughts or despair. Find fresh perspective through inspirational phrases, books, video’s or movies.
- Check-in: Throughout the day check in with yourself. Ask yourself “How am I doing?’ “How am I feeling?” “What do I need right now?” Checking in also includes sending yourself positive messages. “I can do this.”
- Breath Break: Stop what ever you are doing, sit for a minute or two, and just breathe. Let your shoulders relax, place your hands in your lap, relax your jaw, and close your eyes, if it’s safe. Your only task is to breathe. Visualize that you are sending oxygen to your tired muscles and brain. Renewing them. Take this “Breath Break” to prevent and relieve stress multiple times a day.
- Sleep: Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night helps your body and brain better manage stress. Sleep deprivation can lead to erratic thinking, impaired memory, impatience, inability to focus, and heightened emotions
- Exercise: Getting daily exercise can be as simple as walking around campus or your neighborhood. The pay off is that it will oxygenate your brain and muscles, relieve tensions, and promote calmness.
- Hydrate: Drinking water is just as important as getting enough sleep. Water provides energy, keeps your brain hydrated, and helps to move toxins from your body.
- Green Tea: is a powerful antioxidant good for overall health and it promotes calmness during times of stress.
- Decrease Caffeine: It’s okay if a cup of coffee is needed to jump start a busy day. However, the stimulant in coffee, caffeine, will increase feelings of anxiety or stress when multiple cups of coffee are consumed throughout the day.