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 | Counseling Connect - Sexual Assault Awareness Month Counseling Roundtable
Tuesday, April 21, 2020 @ 6:30 p.m. ET/ 3:30 p.m. PT
What to know about how to help a survivor, who to ask for help, resources and information from National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
https://nyfa.zoom.us/j/173807637
Meeting ID: 173 807 637
Counseling Connect - Chinese and Asian Identifying Student Support Group
Thursday April 23 & April 30, 2020@ 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT
Please join an open support group for Chinese and Asian identifying students at NYFA to explore the challenges of being away from home, loneliness and isolation, language challenges existing in a digital space, and culture specific difficulties. The group will be led by Dr. Stanley Tam (Director of Counseling at NYFA-Los Angeles), a Chinese-American who was born and raised in Los Angeles and has lived in New York City for 10 years. .
https://nyfa.zoom.us/j/2452907278
Meeting ID: 245 290 7278
Stress Eating Support
Friday, April 24, 2020 @ 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT
Join Jacky Hunt, LCSW Director of Counseling @ NYFA NYC &Elise Cregg, LA Athletic Director to discuss stress eating & give & get support from fellow students. We will talk about understanding & managing the feelings that lead to stress eating as well as being gentle with ourselves when we stress eat.
https://nyfa.zoom.us/j/118638479
Meeting ID: 118 638 479
Stress and Anxieties Support
Monday, April 27, 2020 @ 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT
Join Jacky Hunt, LCSW, Director of Counseling @ NYFA NYC, to get support and to discuss stress management techniques to help you through social distancing and an unexpected life circumstance.
https://nyfa.zoom.us/j/776240533
Meeting ID: 776 240 533
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 | On Loneliness
Here at NYFA, most of you are grappling with having to change the way you learn, feel and navigate being a student. You've all been inundated with ways to take care of yourself, instructions and tips, URLs and apps to follow. And many of you are simply feeling tired and lacking resources. The truth is that this pandemic leads to deeply personal experiences with ourselves, our sense of safety is challenged. Have you checked in with a friend or loved one? What would it be like for you to reach out to one of the counselors at NYFA who could open some space to explore your personal experience during the isolation due to COVID-19? Know that there's always new paths and new routes to finding some momentum, some empowerment."
Managing Loneliness and Isolation - Find some sweet spots in regard to when to connect with others via digital platforms (there always should be room for yourself without all the phones and laptops and tablets: take a break from screens at least once a day). Join a NYFA support group and/or attend a student life event.
- Journal, paint, dance, scribble, game (finding creative space as students at NYFA is essential. It's the core stuff that so many of you value and hold dear. It's the parts of yourself you want to maintain as leaders in moving through this time)
- Create some scaffolding of structure to break up the day. Achieving tasks leads to self-esteem. Instead of doing what's fun, do what's easy. Things that are automatic to you, that you've mastered, that you can feel good about. Cooking, talking to certain people, taking a shower or bath, reading, organizing, taking time to read a NYFA Wellness newsletter.
- Pay attention to the language in your head. Do your best to remove the 'shoulds', 'have to's," and "need to's" and instead find some of the more gentle and empowering thoughts involving possibility and freedom
REMEMBER: this isolation is going to end and we can learn from it!
Ways to Reframe Your Time at Home:
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| I’m going to school from home | I’m at home going to school | | I’m stuck at home | I’m safe at home | | I’m not even sick, I shouldn’t have to do this | I’m staying home to make sure others don’t get sick | | I hate not going to campus! | Think of those days when the last thing you want to do is get up and go to school... |
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 | Yuck, I feel like I’m always in school!
We hear you: one thing that works is routine. Keep regular hours, a designated study/work space if you can. If you’re space is small, here are some ideas to consider:
Studying from bed: get up and make the bed before class. Change your clothes, wash your face, brush your hair and your teeth to create some routined distance between waking up and “going to school.” Move to the foot of the bed while you’re in class. Get up and stretch regularly to shake out the kinks.
Studying on the couch/kitchen table: make it mobile if it’s doing double-duty. Pack up your workspace overnight so you mark the difference between your work and home life.
Studying in a crowded house: Talk to your family/roommates about what you reasonably need while in class. Post your schedule so they know when to keep it down. Schedule in short breaks in your calendar.
Create a ritual that marks starting and ending your day. This can be anything you want! Do a little dance, raise your arms over your head, pet the cat, have an apple: it doesn’t matter what the ritual is as long as you pair it with the understanding that your day is beginning or done. |
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 | How do I understand what I’m feeling right now? The weird feeling you're having might be grief
Grief and loss aren’t only about death. We experience loss with big and little changes: the spring we’d imagined on the sidewalks in NYC, the beach in Florida, and hiking in LA is gone. Our final projects are shifted to new assignments. While we are still grateful for the opportunity to learn in new ways, it’s OK to feel sadness, disappointment, and a sense of loss about the change. Be reflective and attend to your emotions. If you need some help, know that NYFA Counseling is here for you. If you’d like to meet with us via Zoom or have an idea for a wellness program, please email us! |
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| What an exciting chance to try a spiritual or religious practice at any distance. You can now practice, observe, and worship from anywhere in the world. Have you moved away from a spiritual home you used to love? Find out if they offer remote services. |
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| There’s no wrong way to isolate and despite popular opinion, you can do a little bit of nothing if that’s what works for you: there’s no pressure to do anything but what keeps you healthy! |
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