Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic
cwuThe mental health impact of this pandemic is very real. If you’re feeling anxious, stressed, or depressed, you are not alone. Most people have never experienced such a large-scale challenge, and this one may affect our mental and physical well-being, our finances, our social connections, and the health and safety of our loved ones. Isolation, changes in school and employment, and concern about our families and friends can increase feelings of worry, fear, and sadness. It’s even harder to navigate these challenges when we may not have access to our typical coping strategies and ways of practicing self-care.
We’re all learning new ways to cope and adapt to new daily habits and uncertainty about what the future holds. Please check out the resources below for help in developing and maintaining healthy habits, and for information about ways to access help if you need it.
Real Talk Thursdays: All WSU Students
Real Talk Thursdays are 30-minute workshops where mental health professionals cover different wellness topics every week. These sessions are free and open to WSU students from all campuses. Check out our Spring 2021 lineup:
All sessions will be presented via Zoom on Thursday from 3:30-4:00 p.m.
- April 8 – Living Life for Yourself (Not Just Everyone Else) – Join Zoom
- Learn tips on how to prioritize your own values and have healthy boundaries with others.
- April 15 – Let’s Take a Break! (Relaxation Skills) – Join Zoom
Replay fall semester recordings on our YouTube channel too!
Coping with COVID: All WSU Students
Coping with COVID is designed to teach students coping skills, how to seek help if needed, and how to provide support to others who may be in distress. This workshop is now open to students from all WSU campuses and registration closes at 4 p.m. the day before the workshop is set to begin.
- Tuesday, April 6, 6-7 p.m. – Register
- Tuesday, April 20, 6-7 p.m. – Register
- Tuesday, April 27, 6-7 p.m. – Register
This workshop is also available for groups by request
Tips and Resources from our CAPS Counselors in Cougar Health Services:
- Stress Management – How to cope with stress in healthy ways and to know where you can get support.
- Time Management – Resources for creating new routines and balancing priorities.
- Staying Connected – How to make time for connection during isolation.
- Healthy Relationships – Resources for healthy relationship at a distance and in your home.
- Depression & Anxiety – Information about managing symptoms, accessing medication and more.
- Physical & Mental Wellness – A few ideas to keep/develop routines for your health.
Text “@Stress” to 844-486-0046 to get personalized stress management techniques sent to your phone.
We will check in with you occasionally to see how you are doing and we will send you regular tips and reminders for lowering stress, customized to your individual stress level. We have adapted some of our content to be particularly helpful in addressing COVID-19 related stress.
You may also benefit from checking out techniques to cope with worry, stress, anxiety and depression as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, outlined by our community partners at Palouse River Counseling (PRC).
Counseling and Psychological Services
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) will be providing all services by secure Zoom or telephone. Please call the reception desk at 509-335-4511 during regular business hours to access services, whether you are a current counseling client, current psychiatry client, or a student who wants to start counseling.
Previous Topics
Spring 2021
- January 28 – Self-Care During COVID: Using the 5 Senses
- February 4 – Going from Ally to Advocate: Standing with the BIPOC Community
- February 11 – Dating (Safely) During the COVID-19 Pandemic
- February 18 – What’s Your Relationship Attachment Style?
- March 4 – How to Advocate for Yourself: From the Classroom to Personal Life
- March 11 – How Important is Sleep, Really?
- March 25 – Unhealthy vs. Healthy Relationship Communication
- April 1 – Staying Motivated Through Zoom Fatigue
Fall 2020
- What’s Your Pandemic Attachment Style in Relationships? – October 1
- Virtually Social: Making Connections at a Distance – October 8
- ACTivism: Being an Ally on Social Media and IRL – October 15 – Video
- (Un)Healthy: Signs of a Healthy vs. Toxic Relationships – October 22 – Video
- Tell Me Something Good! Building Healthy Positivity – October 29 – Video
- Managing Pre-Election Stress – October 29 – Video
- I Need My Space! The Stress of Staying at Home – November 5 – Video
- Navigating Post-Election Reactions – November 5
- Normal Reactions to Abnormal Events – November 12 – Video
- Let’s Take a Breather- Relaxation During Times of Stress – November 19 – Video
Spring 2020
- Coping Through the Covid-19 Pandemic – April 3
- Pain of Missing Out (POMO) in the Pandemic – April 10
- I Need My Space!” The Stress of Staying Home and How to Cope – April 1