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Dear BMC Community Members, 

We are experiencing an unusual academic year.  As a community, we’re each working hard to navigate this new Covid landscape and practice important mitigating strategies – wearing face masks, maintaining 6ft. physical distance when near others, consistent hand hygiene, coughing and sneezing etiquette, participating in Covid19 testing, and isolation/quarantine protocols to prevent the spread of the virus on campus.  Many students have shared that it has been stressful dealing with these changes and adjusting to our “new normal”.   

We want you to know that we hear you and will continue to support students to enhance your psychological resilience, mental and physical health.  Research suggests that engaging in the activities listed below can empower to do just that. Remember you can always obtain additional support, care, and advice by contacting the Health and Wellness Center at (610) 526-7360.  

  1. connecting to and with others – virtually and in-person, 
  2. practicing good sleep hygiene – there are many apps that can support you to get a better night’s sleep,
  3. exercise – take advantage of the numerous websites and YouTube channels available, 
  4. structuring your time – time management apps are in abundance and your peers may also have some great suggestions that are effective,
  5. practicing mindfulness can support a more adaptive response to daily stressors – apps and YouTube channels offer many options, and 
  6. seeking support – there are many resources in the BMC community, need help finding them, please just ask or check our website – https://www.brynmawr.edu/healthcenter/.  

Additionally, we've partnered with student leaders in the BMC community to create a new paid position to help keep the BMC community healthy and safe.  We're happy to announce the new Health and Wellness Peer Educators position!  Health and Wellness Peer Educators are student leaders who work to empower BMC students to make well-informed decisions about their health and wellbeing and positively influence a healthy campus culture. The promotion of wellbeing to the BMC campus community is accomplished through engagement and educational health and wellness programming, as well as outreach on various health and wellness topics.  
 
Health and Wellness Peer Educators receive training in health-related topics that are most often relevant to the college population, including mitigating factors to reduce the transmission of Covid19, mental health, substance use, sexual health, violence prevention, stress management, sleep, and more.  

Interested students can begin the online application process at:  https://forms.gle/xbFZCMJswfQNUzP17  Applications are due Friday, October 9th by 11:59 PM.  If you have questions about the Health and Wellness Peer Educator position, please send an email to:  bmcpeerhealtheducator@gmail.com.  We look forward to your meeting you! 

Be well,  

Reggie Jones, LCSW, MSS, MLSP  
Associate Dean of Health and Wellness  

 

In this Issue: 

  • Counseling & Medical Services Announcements
  • Groups & Workshops
  • Suicide Prevention & Awareness Month
  • DEAR ATHENA
  • How to properly nap!
  • Mindfully Drawing to Music (with a "quiz!")
  • Zoom Fatigue & Self-Care

 
Counseling Services Announcements 

  • Polly Hill O’Keefe, MSS, LCSW is the new Director of Counseling Services.

  • Aury Garcia, MSW, LCSW is the new Associate Director of Counseling Services. 

  • Katherine Evering-Rowe, MSW, LSW is now working with us full time as a Staff Counselor.

  • Jonathan Colvson, Barbara Fenig, and Frances Berger are the new 2nd-year clinical social work interns joining Counseling Services for the 2020-2021 academic year. 

  • Students can now self-schedule certain Counseling appointments online! 

 

Counseling Services is pleased to provide all current undergraduate, graduate, and post-bac students and members of the Bryn Mawr community with virtual support groups and webinars. All groups/webinars are free of charge, and conducted through the confidential Zoom Healthcare platform.

Have ideas or topic suggestions for a group/webinar? Want your student group/club to have an online support group session with our counselors? Contact: keveringro@brynmawr.edu
 

Current offerings: 

  • DLT Support Group
  • Grief Support Group
  • Immigration Support Group
  • Trans/GNC Support Group 
...more groups/webinars added regularly. Make sure to check out our website for updates! 

Medical Services Announcements 

  • Beth Kotarski, DNP, CRNP the new Director of Medical Services.
  • Lindsey Cobbett, MD is the new Consulting Physician.
  • Rayna Epstein and Jamie Weist are the inaugural 1st-year graduate social work interns in the Medical Services.
  • Students can access the Medical Services via telehealth and in-person by appointment.  To make an appointment, please call (610) 526-7360, Monday-Friday 9a-5p and Saturday, 9a-2p.  There are no walk-in or drop-in hours because of our wish to keep staff and students safe during the global pandemic.
  • The new Covid Nurse Line (610) 517-4921 for all COVID health-related questions is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • Coming Soon – Self-Schedule GYN visits.
  • Medical Case Management is now available.
  • Workshops begin in October! 

National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month 

“With the global spread of COVID-19 along with other societal challenges impacting the United States right now, it is more important than ever that we protect our mental health and take steps to prevent suicide. In a recent Centers for Disease Control study, one in four young adults between 18 and 24 said they have seriously contemplated suicide during the pandemic. You don’t have to be an expert to make a difference. Just as there are things you can do every day to improve your physical health, you can also protect your emotional health and support those close to you by taking simple actions.” -The JED Foundation 

      Resources 
Dear Athena, I’m worried that my roommate and some of my friends aren’t taking adequate Coronavirus precautions, but I’m scared to confront them about it. How do I have that conversation? – Corona Confrontation 
 

Dear Corona Confrontation, 

It is absolutely understandable to be feeling worried or scared in these unprecedented times. What can help you feel safer is making a plan, even if it feels awkward to talk about it. Communicating and setting boundaries here is key. The answer to this question may vary depending on if you are on or off campus (Bi-Co Mitigation Plan.) Ask your roommate(s) if there is a time you can sit down and discuss what precautions you will all take moving forward. See if you can find a time to see your friends to discuss this in a socially distanced way that feels comfortable (think outside, 6 feet apart, masked). First, make a list of concerns you have so you can communicate them effectively. Write down whatever you come up with together and, if possible, hang it up where everyone can see it. Some things to discuss are: 

  • What expectations do you have for cleaning and hygiene in the room? 

  • What will you do if one of you starts feeling sick or comes into contact with someone who is sick? 

  • How do you feel about having visitors?  

  • Who can come over? 

  • How many people can be over at a time?  

  • Where do visitor sit when they come over? 

  • What things are you comfortable with them doing and what are you not comfortable with their doing?  

  • Is it okay to eat at restaurants?  

  • Is it okay to go to parties?  

  • Is it okay to go home to see family?  

  • Is public transportation okay? Ubers and Lyfts? 

Depending on how your conversation goes, you may come to an agreement and you may not. Before having this conversation, think about what your options are regarding your living situation. If you are in the dorms and can’t come to an agreement, it may be time to involve a Hall Advisor or DLT member. If your friends won’t take the precautions you need them to feel safe seeing them, you may need to keep your distance for the time being or be very careful interacting with them.   

Best of luck! 

Sincerely, 

Perspective I 

 

Dear Corona Confrontation, 

You are not alone. Many people feel scared to confront another person about how that person’s actions might affect their health and safety. (Think the friend who drives their car too fast when you are a passenger, or a relative who blows cigarette smoke in your face!) Add to that the fact that Corona Virus has made us all feel so uncertain and vulnerable, and that leaves us wondering how to navigate communication in these challenging times.  

What I would offer is that for most of us, setting expectations is key. An expectation-setting conversation can be framed as a discussion about keeping each other safe. Making a plan to help the person stay safe around you will also keep them safer—it’s a win-win! Start by sharing who you consider "safe" people. These are folks who might be like-minded in committing to keeping themselves and others safe by wearing masks, washing their hands frequently, not going into public spaces for non-essential activities (aka: parties, bars, indoor restaurants, public transportation, etc.,) and who are committed to protecting their friends and family as much as you are. If someone knows what you consider a “safe friend” to be, that might help them decide if they can truly abide by the safety behaviors you have set. If they cannot, then you might need some support from a hall advisor or other source you count on to help you communicate.  

Remember that setting expectations is a comfort to most people. It helps to stabilize us in unstable times. So your offer to set “trusted/safe friends” expectations might be a relief to the person who may not have thought things through.  

Good luck! 

Sincerely, 

Perspective II 
Napping, when done properly, greatly benefits our mental acuity and overall health. Click here to learn all about it!

Mindfulness is a known strategy for helping with depression and anxiety. Here are a few tips  we found on mindful drawing:  

  1. Draw something in your immediate surroundings 

  1. Experiment with “blind” contour drawing 

  1. Focus on one body part 

  1. Try hand-lettering 

  1. Use a reference photo 

  1. Sketch out a landscape 

  1. Draw your feelings 

  1. Just doodle! 



Another way to practice mindfulness is to listen to music. Here’s a Spotify playlist of some music we use to help us relax. Check out The Difference Between Hearing and Listening: Deep Listening with Composer Pauline Oliveros and try out some mindful “deep listening.” 
 

Or what about combining the two? Can you guess which piece of music inspired which drawing below? 

(Answers at the end of this newsletter!)

Have your own mindful artwork you want to share? Feel free to submit your music-inspired drawings to jcolvson@brynmawr.edu and we’ll add them to our future quizzes!  

 
Overcoming Zoom Fatigue with Self-Care 

As classes, gatherings, and much of campus life continues to take place online this semester, you might already be experiencing Zoom fatigue. Zoom fatigue is defined as virtual exhaustion from the constant gaze and attention required for e-engagements.  
 

Here are some suggestions for self-care to combat zoom fatigue:  

  • Before joining the session, practice grounding your attention. Begin by taking a few breaths, establish a comfortable posture, and do a quick body scan. Notice how your body feels. Next, notice what you’re thinking about and how that feels. Do your best to be fully present.  
     

  • Tune-in to your needs: “When your meeting ends, ask yourself what you need,” says Laura Dudley, a behavior analyst at Northeastern University, “and don’t forget to show yourself some compassion.” 

  • Schedule screen breaks between online obligations, if possible. Zoom is a stimulus-rich environment. Take a minute to move your body and re-hydrate. Explore Quick Stretches for Frequent Sitters. Assess how you feel after these brief acts of self-care. 

  • Test out an Eye Yoga practice. Here are 7 exercises that can combat eye strain and help you to channel your inner calm.   

  • Resist the desire to multitask. Alternating between tasks might feel productive but in actuality moving between to-dos reduces one’s productivity by as much as 40 percent!  
     

  • Practice mindfulness. Check out the July 2020 newsletter for additional meditation and awareness resources.  

Tell us about your techniques for overcoming Zoom fatigue. What self-care methods work for you? 

We’d also love to hear from you about what you’d like to see in the monthly Health & Wellness newsletter. Please share your thoughts on this survey.  
Mindful Drawing to Music Quiz
Answers: A = 3; B = 1; C = 2 
Copyright © 2020 Bryn Mawr College - Health & Wellness Center, All rights reserved.


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