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Wellness Resources

Please note that these links are provided as a resource and for informational purposes and are not endorsed by the University of Memphis in any way.


Safe Space

On demand free resources and tools to provide you with some extra support in an emotionally safe environment.If you are looking for distraction, connection, or coping this is the place for you. 


Covid-19 Support

Resources for anxiety and your mental health in relation to Covid-19

Resources page with helpful tips and strategies to help those struggling in relation to Covid-19.


Wellness Videos

 

Live Wellness YouTube Channel

Visit our channel for a variety of virtual workshops and practices about living wellness!

Workshops

Mindfulness - Learn what it means to be present in the moment, find ways to manage unwanted thoughts, and incorporating mindfulness practice into your daily life.

Healthy You - It can be tough to be healthy and find balance in college. Come learn wellness tips and tricks to be the best healthy you!

Stress Management 101 - Are you feeling stressed out? you out? Do you need a break? Get your "degree" in stress management for free!

Conflict and Convos - Communication does not always go smoothly. Learn how to be a better communicator even when it's a struggle.

Dare to Self Care - Take some time for yourself to address your self-care and well-being!

Wellness Practice

Be Where You Are - Managing multiple demands and associated stress.

How to Succeed in College - Time management and its relationship with stress management and success.

Simple Tips to Manage Stress - Understanding how stress affects us and how to manage it.

Trusting Your "Dopeness"- Navigating imposter syndrome and your inner critic 

 


Wellness Audio

 

How to Deal: Podcast

Visit our podcast for a variety of topics on wellness, mental health, and many more! 

Managing Stress During Distance Learning- How Faculty Can Support Their Students

Adjusting to distance learning has it's inevitable challenges, visit this webinar from the JED Foundation about stress in regards to distance learning. 

Body Scan (Audio: 19 Minutes)

This guided meditation is an introduction to cultivating mindful awareness in your life. The exercise focuses on bringing nonjudgemental, moment-to-moment attention to each part of the body. The key to this practice is to maintain an accepting attitude, gently noticing and letting go of thoughts,

Many people find that this exercise helps them become more relaxed right away, while others find that they become aware of sensations they hadn't noticed before. Over time, regular practice can help reduce anxiety, manage panic and other uncomfortable physical sensations, improve sleep problems, cultivate self-acceptance of the body, and deepen concentration and mindfulness.

 

Breathing for Relaxation (Audio: 10 minutes)

This is a brief breathing exercise for cultivating physical and mental relaxation. The exercise teaches you to slow down your breath, and to equalize the length of your in-breath and out-breath. It then gives you optional instructions to deepen the feelings of relaxation by briefly holding the breath before you exhale, and by slowing down the exhalation. This exercise should feel comfortable at all times—if you find any part of it difficult or stressful, please adjust the practice to make it more comfortable, or return to any portion of the instruction that feels good. Once you have learned this breathing practice you can do it on your own any time, anywhere.

 

Breathing Space (Audio: 3 minutes)

The breathing space is a brief meditation that can help you center yourself throughout the day. At first, it is helpful to practice it in an upright seated position with your eyes closed, listening to the recording. Once you have become familiar with the practice, you can do it with your eyes open, at any time/place. You can lengthen or shorten to practice according to your needs. Some suggested times for taking a breathing space - when you wake up, before the first bite of a meal, before an exam, waiting in line, while stopped at a red light or in traffic, waiting for your computer to start, before bed, any time you feel stressed or anxious.

 

Sitting Meditation (Audio: 15 Minutes)

Sitting meditation is the most basic mindfulness practice. Though the instructions are very simple, the practice can be difficult. This exercise will guide you in a brief experience of the basic practice of sitting meditation. Find a comfortable seat in a place where you will not be distracted. Sit on a chair or on the floor (a cushion or meditation bench is recommended), with your back upright and unsupported, if possible. The first half of the exercise presents guided meditation instructions. The last 7 minutes are silent. The meditation session ends with the ringing of a chime.

 

Lovingkindness Meditation (Audio: 16 Minutes)

An essential component to mindfulness is an attitude of kindness, or unconditional friendliness. This traditional guided meditation is based on the idea that we all possess some degree of kindness, and by focuses on the kind feelings we already have, we can increasingly expand and cultivate our ability to experience our kind heart towards ourselves, people in our lives, and, ultimately, all beings. At first the phrases in this meditation may feel artificial or awkward. Alternatively, you may feel strong emotions, or you may feel nothing at all. Try to stay with the practice with a nonjudgmental attitude of open curiosity, and see what happens. As you become comfortable with the practice, you can try extending loving kindness spontaneously to people you meet throughout your day - e.g. friends, family members co-workers, people you pass in the street, people in the other cars.

 
NOTE: Above recordings created by Miriam “Miv” London, PhD
 

Mindfulness of the Breath (5 Minutes)

For weeks 1 and 2, this guided meditation is a shorter and adapted version of many, longer sitting meditations, whereby the breath is the focus of the practice. The meditation ends with the ringing of a bell.

 

Mindfulness of Breath-Body-Sound (10 Minutes)

For weeks 3-5, this guided meditation expands the mindfulness of the breath practice, not only by length of time, but also in using the body and sounds as additional foci for mindfulness. This meditation may aid in being able to adapt body sensations and sounds (noises) into regular mindfulness practice, as opposed to resisting them or becoming frustrated with their presence when focusing on the breath. The meditation ends with the ringing of a bell.

 

Mindful Presence (15 Minutes)

For weeks 6 and 7, this guided meditation begins with mindfulness of the breath practices as done previously, eventually transitioning into shifting attention in taking an "observer stance" or "meta-awareness" perspective of whatever comes into experience without necessarily judging what arises, seeking to push it away, or entertaining it by becoming engrossed in the experience. Instead, this meditation helps to cultivate a non-grasping orientation to whatever arises, likening the experiences of mind to clouds being gently blown across a blue sky. The meditation ends with the ringing of a bell.

 
NOTE: The above records were created by Mark Reck, Psy.D.

Wellness Apps

Please note that these links are provided as a resource and for informational purposes and are not endorsed by the University of Memphis in any way.

Stress Management/Anxiety Reduction

Pranayama Breathing

Pranayama Breathing
iTunes | Playstore

Breathe2Relax

Breathe2Relax
iTunes | Playstore

Tactical Breather

Tactical Breather
iTunes | Playstore

 

Deep Relaxation

 Relax
iTunes | Playstore

Test Anxiety

Exam Support
iTunes | Playstore 

PTSD Coach

PTSD Coach
iTunes | Playstore

 

Shine

Shine
iTunes | Playstore

Stop, Breathe & Think

mylife meditation
iTunes | Playstore

Calm

Calm
iTunes | Playstore

 

Headscape

Headspace
iTunes | Playstore

Pzizz

Pzizz
iTunes | Playstore

Biofeedback Breath Meditation

Biofeedback Breath Meditation
iTunes | Playstore

 

Mindshift

Mindshift
iTunes | Playstore

Mood Fit

Mood Fit
iTunes | Playstore

 

Assault Prevention and Safety

bSafe

bSafe- Never Walk Alone
iTunes | Playstore

Circle of 6


Circle of 6

iTunes

Guardly

Guardly
iTunes

     
 

Kitestring

Kitestring
Website

 

 

Graduate Students

We understand that graduate students sometimes have significant stressors or challenges during graduate school. Graduates students may discover that the discipline that they are pursuing is not what they expected or in other ways does not feel right or they can sometime feel stuck or unproductive in the thesis or dissertation writing process. Research on stress with the graduate student population does have findings that current graduate students may experience a higher degree of distress than the general population, but also more stress than they may experience in any point in their career. Support for this process can come through individual counseling or various self help resources. 

Note: Late stage doctoral students please contact the counseling center for assistance.

Self-Care Tips For Grad Students

You can use these self-care strategies to manage stress, prevent burnout, and feel good in grad school:

Adapted from the University of Arizona

Make sure you cover the basics: sleep, nutrition, exercise, and social time.
They may seem basic, and for many, are the first things to be pushed aside or delayed in routine. BUT, these are the basic elements of good health and well-rounded living. Burn-out is common in graduate school and one of the major reasons for leaving a graduate program. You can prevent and recover from burnout by making sure you're taking good care of these basics.

Practice positive self-talk.
Grad school is a time when you need to have your own back. Talk to yourself with encouragement and kindness. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt. And whenever you're feeling behind, inadequate, or overwhelmed, remind yourself of your strengths, what you appreciate in your life, and your ability to figure things out.

Protect space for the things that make you you.
This of it like this: one body, one you, one calendar. That means that school has to share space in your calendar with the other aspects of your life. If you're not sure what it is that makes you you, reflect on the major areas of life and what they mean to you: house and home; relationships and community; earning and spending; time and schedule; mind and spirit; school,work and service; and self-expression and growth. How well are these areas thriving? What do you need to make space for to feel more like your fullest self?

Ask for help.
During grad school, it can feel like you're supposed to know everything and keep it all together easily. And it can seem like everyone else around you is doing it. For many students, this can make the idea of asking for help scary. Whether you have a question about your work, need to delegate work or school tasks, or need support in taking care of something in your life outside of school, asking for support can help you regain bring order to chaos and prevent yourself from burning out.

Build a community of people who lift each other up.
Find your people! Surround yourself with people who get what you're doing and why you're here and offer you support through the process. Find like-minded students, identify mentors, and find your spot off-campus. And when you get together, try to reserve at least some time to talk about something other than work.

Graduate Student Support Group

A support group for graduate students for the Fall 2022 semester to assist in processing the demands and pressures of graduate school and other external factors. Check out our group counseling page to learn more. 

Resources

Graduate Student Association Webinars

Thriving in Graduate Programs during a Pandemic

Navigating Imposter Syndrome

Dealing with Imposter Syndrome

Self Care for Graduate Students

How to Encourage Self Care

How to Approach Burnout

Preventing Dissertation Burnout


Tiger Shared Happiness Inquiry (TSHI)

Happiness can be defined in so many ways. From feelings of joy to life satisfaction, everyone describes their happiness or moments of happy differently. We would like to start thinking of happiness as something we can experience and share with others. When a Tiger is down, another Tiger can help even with just a few words. The Tiger Shared Happiness Inquiry (TSHI) allows us to see where you are with your own happiness and gives the opportunity for you to share some happiness with a fellow Tiger.  Use the link below to provide your anonymous answers!

If you are interested in learning about future events from the Student Health and Counseling Services, you can also add your email in the survey to get on out event notification list!

Tiger Shared Happiness Inquiry