In general, people are feeling more stress during the pandemic and as time wears on. With the end of the academic year approaching and uncertainty about how society is opening up again, college students, in particular, might be feeling more anxious. KSOM’s Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences share important tips for managing stress. 

Contributors include Ronna Harris, LCSW; Barbara Van Noppen, PhD, LCSW; Matthew Goodman, PhD; Kelly Greco, PsyD 

• Stress Reduction Booklet by Matthew Goodman, Ph.D. (PDF)

General tips to manage stress:

1. Focus on what you can control and let go of what you cannot control.  We tend to focus our energy and thoughts on what we cannot control.  We can feel empowered and hopeful by shifting our focus and attention on what we can control.  
   
2. This is a trying time, yet we may have the same expectations for ourselves when we were not in this state of high stress.  Manage your expectations and set realistic goals you can achieve while demonstrating self-compassion. 

What steps can people take ahead of time to be proactive to manage stress?  

1. Plan ahead to make sure you make time to connect with friends and family. Don’t isolate despite the pandemic restrictions!
2. Who do you want to spend your free time with ? Take an inventory of who are the people most important to you that you want to find a way to see socially distanced or connect with virtually. You don’t have to be on zoom calls all day long. 
3. How do you want to spend your time? Time is our most precious commodity. Create a list then prioritize. Perhaps even map out a loose schedule for each day to pace yourself and be sure the activities you choose have the highest value for you. 
4. When anticipating time together with family, on weekends and holidays, have a discussion or talk with your significant other about their and your expectations. Together list what you would most like to do and with whom (and alone time as well). Compromise when necessary so everyone has input.  
5. Make time for self-care– what are your favorite ways to soothe yourself? Maybe it is taking a walk, doing virtual yoga, listening to music or playing a musical instrument, doing a puzzle, reading a novel, watching a show, virtual tours of art galleries or national parks, baking. Whatever you enjoy in a solitary manner, take the time to be alone, reflect and ground yourself so you go into the holidays feeling refreshed rather than depleted. 

What are tips for coping with stress/anxiety in the moment, especially as the end of the school year approaches?  

When you have named your negative emotions, it’s important to not feel badly about having them. Instead of pushing down any negative feelings, ask what you can do to soothe yourself. Here are some techniques for calming yourself down when everything feels like too much: 

1. Breathing. Deep belly breathing activates the parasympathetic branch of your autonomic nervous system and slows down your reactivity. Breathing slowly, deeply, can de-escalate a full-blown panic attack in a matter of minutes.   
2. Hand on the heart. Neural cells around the heart activate during stress. Your warm hand on your heart calms those neurons down again, often in less than a minute. Hand on the heart works especially well when you breathe positive thoughts, feelings, images of safety and trust, ease, and goodness into your heart at the same time. 
3. Meditation. When stressed, we have instinctive and socialized tendencies to act (fight-flight). Progressive relaxation is one type of meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nZEdqcGVzo. Compassionate mindfulness meditation is another gentle way to calm the mind and body and let things simply be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYk-MldGDWA 

 A few suggestions for meditation apps:  

• LA County Department of Mental Health is offering Headspace for LA County residents free of charge until the end of the year: https://www.headspace.com/lacounty 
• The Center For Mindful Self-Compassion has numerous practices for being gentle with ourselves: https://centerformsc.org/ 
• Mindful USC is a free application download that provides guided meditations and other mindfulness classes) 
• Mindful USC Mobile App | Mindful USC – Mindfulness at the University of Southern California

The Mindful USC app is free, unlike all other meditation apps, and is also tailored to you and your USC experience and focuses on building a supporting community rather than isolating you on another mobile app and getting you to pay a monthly subscription… With the Mindful USC app: be the first to hear about mindfulness classes, retreats and events on campus

• mindful.usc.edu

1. Ask for a hug (from someone in your pandemic pod). We are hardwired to be soothed by touch. Warm, safe touch is a stress reducer because it primes the brain to release oxytocin, the hormone of safety and trust, of calm and connect. Oxytocin is the brain’s direct and immediate antidote to the stress hormone cortisol. If there is no one you can touch right now, call a friend—they might be struggling, too. 
2. Journaling automatic thoughts and feelings then stepping back and asking yourself: “How else can I look at this situation?” ”What are other ways to think about it?”, often lead to a greater perspective and turns down the volume on anxious emotions. 
3. Limit social media, news consumption, emailing and texting. Set aside time for these activities so they do not blur into special times, allowing you to be more present centered. 

What are 3 tips for coping with loneliness and isolation?  

1. Make an effort to have a meaningful conversation with at least one friend or family member every few hours. Share your feelings, even if you are feeling sad or down. Connecting with others and having your feelings validated allows you to accept them rather than fight them which leads to greater loneliness. 
2. Take an inventory of the people who are important to you, what you value about those relationships and what you might do to increase that circle if you are not satisfied. What are productive, proactive ways you could meet others, even if virtually right now.  
3. Tell the people in your life how you feel about them, what makes them special to you and how important your relationship is. Thank them for what they bring to your life. 

Is there anything else? 

1. Regular exercise and avoiding excess caffeine, sugar and alcohol and other substances can help reduce feelings of stress and tension. 
2. Volunteer! Sometimes giving of ourselves to a cause or helping others is a reminder that we have value and brings feelings of connection that we are “all in this together.” 
3. Try a few “random acts of kindness”- reach out to a friend or family member you have not talked with in a while and check in on them, take baked goods to a neighbor, offer to walk someone’s dog. 
4. If you have a pet, give it extra attention; unconditional love back from them goes a long way to improve one’s mood. 

Tips for calming the nervous system (activating the parasympathetic nervous system/stimulating the vagus nerve):

1. Exercise/movement of any kind – including walking, yoga, dancing
2. Singing or humming (think “ommmmm”)
3. Physical touch – a hug lasting at least 30 seconds where each person maintains their own “center of balance). A kiss lasting 6 seconds or longer, massage
4. Creative outlet – art, sewing, writing, music
5. Deep breathing
6. Prayer/meditation 
7. Cold water – splashing cold water on your face/ice cubes held on your face, cold shower
8. Ellie Drake shows you how to stimulate your Vagus Nerve with THIS Breath!