SIMPLE TIPS FOR SELF CARE

Blue Dots

A visual reminder can help short circuit stress. Blue dots which you can buy at any stationary or office supply store will do the trick. Where should you put them? Any place where your stress meter tends to swing upward: on a car dashboard, on your computer, on your cell phone, and even on the cabinet where you stash your sweets.

Let the blue dots remind you to stop and breathe while putting a stop to negative thoughts or distortions. Put aside some time for the relaxation response: reach out to a classmate, try the mini-relaxation response you have been meaning to do. Simply take a few deep, calming breaths.

Mini Body Scan

While sitting down, take a break from whatever you’re doing and check your body for tension. Relax your facial muscles and allow your jaw to fall open slightly. Let your shoulders drop. Let your arms fall to your side. Allow your hands to loosen so that there are spaces between your fingers. Uncross your legs or ankles. Feel your thighs sink into your chair, letting your legs fall comfortably apart. Feel your shins and calves become heavier and your feet grow roots into the floor. Now breathe in slowly and breathe out for a short while.

Mini Relaxation

Mini-relaxations can help calm fear and reduce stress while you sit in the dentist’s chair. They are equally helpful thwarting stress while sitting in the auditorium waiting to take an exam or faced with the situation that annoys you like not being able to download your quiz.

Minis are intended to take only a few seconds to a few minutes, though you can do them for any amount of time you want. Here are a few mini relaxation techniques to try. It is recommended to try and do 3-4 mini-relaxation exercises daily.

Mini Breath Focus

Place your hand just below your nave so you can
feel the gentle rise and fall of your belly as you breathe. Breathe in slowly. Pause for a count of three. Continue to take a few slow, deep breaths.

Alternatively, while sitting comfortably, take a few slow deep breaths and silently repeat to yourself “I am” as you breathe in and “at peace” as you breathe out. Repeat slowly two or three times. Then feel your entire body relax into the support of your chair.

Mini Guided Imagery

Start by sitting comfortably in a quiet room. Bring your awareness to your breath for a few minutes. Now picture yourself in a place that conjures up good memories. What do you smell the heavy scent of roses on a hot day, crisp fall air, the wholesome smell of baking bread, hot coffee brewing? What do you hear? Drink in the colors and shapes that surround you. Focus on sensory pleasures: the swoosh of a gentle wind; soft cool grass tickling your feet; salty smell and rhythmic beat of the ocean.

From the desk of Kathy Killian-Harmon at RVUCOM-SU:

For those of you who don’t know me I am Dr. Kathy Killian-Harmon, LMFT. I am honored to be the counselor for the Mental Health and Wellness Center here at RVU. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the first edition of the Positive Pulse Newsletter. I am acutely aware of the struggles and concerns that student doctors, married or single, go through personally and professionally. I have an extensive professional history as well as having a married student doctor son that graduated in May of 2018 from RVU-Colorado. My goal is to share positive ideas that can help you cope with the rigors of medical school. I am invested in helping you thrive to be the best student doctor that you can be by first taking care of yourself mentally and physically. I would like to help you learn how to contend with medical school’s demanding, unpredictable schedule and help you deal with the various feelings and emotions that you will probably endure at one time or another. I would like to present to you a compilation of ideas, techniques, and approaches from a host of different sources. Some of the ideas will be new to you. Some of what you will read focuses on basic skills that we seem to easily forget when caught up in exceptionally difficult problems and situations. I hope to provide you with a multitude of approaches that will improve and enhance your academic journey.

If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope or if you feel that you can’t find the solution you are looking for, please feel free to reach out to me or schedule an appointment. You can e-mail me at kkharmon@rvu.edu or click here to schedule an appointment.