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Mindfulness Mondays in March

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator | Student Counseling Center, Division of Student Life

Florida Tech’s Student Counseling Center welcomes you to join us in the practice of “being in the now” and sharing in the experience of mindfulness. 

Every Monday in March, we will be providing information about what mindfulness is and how you can practice it, as well as offering a brief mindfulness activity for you to engage in throughout the week whenever you want to check in with your body and mind, notice what is coming up for you (thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations), and offer kindness to whatever your experience in the present moment.

You can find these activities every Monday on the Student Counseling Center Instagram.

Mindfulness is defined as the “awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and nonjudgmentally” by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the creator of mindfulness-based stress reduction. 

Mindfulness can help us cultivate the ability to be more attentive to the present moment, both internally and externally, in order to reduce the amount of time we spend in the past and/or future. The present moment is all we have right now, and mindfulness can help us be more in tune with ourselves and engaged in our lives. 

For example, have you ever checked the time at the end of the day and said to yourself “Wow, where did the time go and what have I been doing all day?” 

I guarantee you, the majority of us, if not all, have had this very relatable experience called “living on autopilot.” 

Autopilot is normal, and sometimes very helpful, especially when we have a lot to get done in a short amount of time. However, can you imagine what it would feel like to look back on your life when you are 80 years old and think the same thought? Scary! 

Thus, mindfulness allows us to notice what we are experiencing in the present moment. We might be experiencing thoughts such as “I am going to rock this test,” “I am not good enough,” or “I miss my family” and feelings such as excitement, anxiety, and sadness. 

This could also be bodily sensations such as increased heart rate, steady breath, or teary eyes and even outside experiences such as the warm sun, beautiful palm trees, and loving people around you. Whatever your experience, it is okay. This greater awareness provides us with information on how we might want to live our lives in the most meaningful way possible, in this very moment. 

A major way to practice mindfulness is through regular meditation practice. Typically, meditative practices include sitting or lying down in a comfortable position, closing one’s eyes, and bringing attention to internal experiences, like breathing, for a few moments every day. 

However, there are many additional ways to practice mindfulness and we encourage you to try them out and choose the best way for you! To learn more about mindfulness, follow the Student Counseling Center throughout the month of March where we will be sharing different mindfulness meditation practices via our Instagram page every Monday: instagram.com/fltechstudentcounselingcenter


If you find yourself in need of additional support, please reach out for help! The Student Counseling Center is here for you! Our center provides a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals. Please take a moment to visit our website: https://www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/ to learn more information about our services and support, as well as resources for psychological health and well-being. Be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be!

Mindful Eating for a Healthier You

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator | Student Counseling Center, Division of Student Life

From our humble beginnings, our bodies have known how to survive by understanding when they are hungry versus full. It is essential for us to be aware of and connect with both the physical and emotional aspects of our bodies so that we can be more intuitive and intentional in our eating habits. This is called “mindful eating.” 

According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, creator of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, mindfulness is the “awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, nonjudgmentally.” 

Being able to increase our nonjudgmental awareness of our internal and external experiences just as they are, without trying to push them away or cling onto them too strongly, allows us to use our thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations as information for what we might need at any moment. In this case, this would mean specific foods, water, body movement, and so on.

Our ability to mindfully eat starts with us acknowledging all of our senses while we eat – sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch – and the emotional, traditional, and cultural ties we have with food. 

This practice helps us to honor our body’s natural hunger and its satisfaction cues in order to nonjudgmentally choose foods for a variety of purposes. These purposes can include nourishment, social enrichment, and enjoyment. enhances our intuitive eating skills, overall. You can practice mindful eating here: Mindful Eating Exercise

When food is seen as a source of stress/anxiety, the natural relationship between the body and mind can be disrupted, especially in a society that emphasizes “diet culture.” This can influence disordered eating. Eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening conditions that are influenced by a variety of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors and can cause consequences for emotional, physical, and social health.

Eating disorders affect a diverse spectrum of individuals with approximately twenty million women and ten million men in the United States developing an eating disorder at some point in their lives. Although eating disorders are complex mental/physical illnesses, 60 percent of individuals with eating disorders make a full recovery with psychological counseling.  It should be noted that the earlier a person with an eating disorder seeks treatment, the greater the likelihood of recovery. 

If you or someone you know are experiencing difficulties with their eating, weight, and/or body, please consider taking the free eating disorder screener available on the Florida Tech Student Counseling Center website at: https://screening.mentalhealthscreening.org/floridatech. This eating disorder screening will consist of answering a brief questionnaire about your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors regarding food consumption, eating habits, and weight regulation. Afterwards, you will receive an explanation about your eating behaviors, as well as additional information about what you can do to help yourself and how to get professional help. For additional information on eating disorders, please visit the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness, and Eating Disorder Hope websites. 

National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA): https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

Eating Disorder Hope: http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/

If you find yourself in need of professional help after taking the screener, please reach out for help! The Student Counseling Center is here for you! Our center provides a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals. Please take a moment to visit our website: https://www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/ to learn more information about our services and support, as well as resources for psychological health and well-being. Be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be!

Spread Love to All (Including You)

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator | Student Counseling Center

As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches, many of us begin to reflect on the significant beings in our lives that we love very much. This may include a partner, close friend, family member, pet animal/plant, and even ourselves (yes, don’t forget yourself!) with whom we would like to share feelings of gratitude and love. 

Many times during this holiday, we focus much of our thoughts/emotions on romantic love and lose sight of platonic, familial, and self-love; therefore, we encourage you to reflect on both those in your life with whom you would like to share a kind gesture towards, as well as yourself! 

Although this holiday only comes once a year, we challenge you to practice offering yourself and others gratitude and love this Valentine’s Day (and everyday), as this is a great way to enhance your and others’ emotional well-being. Please take a moment to practice checking in with yourself and how you want to spread love to many this year!

For partners, close friends, and family members, you may feel that typical greeting cards, candy, and flowers is the move; however, we encourage you to offer significant others the gift of true connection in conjunction with fun holiday traditions. This may be something like cooking a nice meal, going on a nature adventure, or engaging in another mutual self-care activity. You may put your phone away for the day and share with others at least three things about them for which you are grateful (e.g., their calm presence, humor/laughter, energy, beautiful mind) and why it means so much to you. 

For pets, set your intention to buy a gourmet dog cookie, a can of wet cat food, or a new toy. as Enjoy a meal/play break with your fur babies as you tell them how much they mean to you. For plants, set your intention to buy special plant food, new fertilizer, or an additional plant friend and enjoy tending to the beings that bring you and the world life as you thank them for everything they do (have you heard that talking to your plants keeps them strong?!).

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Please don’t forget yourself! Practice offering yourself feelings of love and compassion by writing down at least five personal strengths or self-affirmations (that you believe in!) in a creative way, such as coloring in a dot journal or arranging photos in a collage. Hang them up somewhere you will readily see them. 

Using one of these strengths/self-affirmations, practice giving yourself a hug while you remind yourself (out loud!) how amazing you truly are! And remember, if you start having unhelpful thoughts during this exercise (e.g., “I don’t deserve this,” “I am not good enough,” “This is lame.”), notice it, take a deep breath, watch the thought float away as if it were a stream on a river, and get back to the work! You might be pleasantly surprised by how you feel after doing this every day for a week, a month, or even a year.

If you find yourself in need of additional support, please reach out for help! The Student Counseling Center is here for you! Our center provides a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals. Please take a moment to visit our website: https://www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/ to learn more information about our services and support, as well as resources for psychological health and well-being. Be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be!

Valued Resolutions for a Happy New Year! | Student Counseling Center

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator || Student Counseling Center, Division of Student Life

This past year was filled with many changes, some incredibly challenging and others quite exciting. While many of us have likely experienced both of these extremes and many more in between, I think most of us can agree that we were ready for that refreshing feeling associated with the beginning of a new year. 

Typically, people often take this time to reflect on the previous year and resolve to make some kind of change in the new year; however, many times resolutions are difficult to initiate and maintain throughout the year. One way to produce meaningful change in your life is to 1) clarify your values, 2) create small goals towards your values, and 3) commit to actively living by your values on a daily basis, despite unhelpful thoughts/emotions that may arise.

Values are like a compass. They can help guide you towards your own unique meaningful life. Values are a direction that you choose to go in based on what you care about most in your life; therefore, there are no “right” or “wrong” values and everyone’s values will be different. They are about action and how you want to “be” and “act” in the world, not how you want to “think” or “feel” on a daily basis. Values are not a destination you want to achieve. 

Think about values as yourself wanting to travel west. West is not a place that you can reach; but, you can travel in that direction. From Florida, you can go to Texas, then California, then Hawaii, then Japan, then Spain, etc. and you will continuously be traveling west. 

Hence, whether you are prioritizing self-care (e.g., exercise, study breaks, pizza nights), challenging yourself to be more assertive of your needs/wants with others (i.e., “I feel [insert feeling word] when you [insert a specific description of your needs/wants]”), or offering yourself greater compassion (e.g., “I am doing the best that I can in this moment, and that is good enough”), try your best to align your resolutions with the direction of your identified values.

If you find yourself swaying from your values from time to time (or traveling north instead of west), non-judgmentally acknowledge it and guide your intentions/actions back to your valued path. 

For example, I personally value connection. However, I am also an introvert, so sometimes talking with people causes me anxiety. Although these thoughts and feelings may arise and I may want to hide out in my room alone, I still choose everyday to live by this value by checking in with friends and family, creating friendships with new people, greeting people at the grocery store, and helping clients in therapy. 

For more information on Valued Resolutions, including Values, SMART Goals, and Committed Action, click here.  

On behalf of the Student Counseling Center, we wish you a Happy New Year and a successful start to the new semester! If you find yourself in need of additional guidance, please reach out for help! We are your counseling center and here for you in providing a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals. Please take a moment to visit our website to find out more about our services and resources for psychological health and well-being. Be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be! 

‘Tis the Season to Share Compassion

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator | Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

In times when we might feel disconnected and divided from others more than usual, it can be helpful to practice compassion for ourselves and those around us.

Compassion involves 1) noticing the suffering that you or someone else might be experiencing, 2) responding to the pain (the word compassion literally means “to suffer with”) with feelings of warmth/care and a desire to help in some way, 3) offering understanding and kindness when you or others’ make mistakes rather than judging or criticizing harshly, and 4) realizing that suffering (e.g., failure, imperfection) are part of the shared human experience. If the latter reality is denied, suffering tends to increase and manifest in other forms, such as stress and anxiety, whereas if this reality is accepted with kindness, greater emotional calmness has a greater chance of being experienced. 

On the other hand, self-compassion begins with the acceptance and awareness of your present moment experience, as it allows you to intentionally provide kindness to yourself during times of perceived inadequacy. The self-accepting view is that your “negative” thoughts and emotions are just another part of your experience and maybe even signify that you have gone/are going through tough times. Self-acceptance involves taking a broader view of yourself and works towards a kinder, more compassionate position in which you accept a difficult part of your history and/or current experience. 

This helps to provide stability in life, as self-acceptance is not based on your perceptions of successes or failures but rather a value of how you might aspire to treat yourself and others. Therefore, rather than fighting the difficult experience in a desperate attempt to feel better, practice choosing to make room for it, accepting that it’s there, and moving towards what would make your life meaningful. 

With that said, self-compassion can be very challenging for many of us, even more challenging than having compassion for others at times. Having compassion for yourself means that you accept your humanness, as things will not always go as planned, and that’s okay. The more you practice opening your mind and heart to this reality instead of struggling with it, the more you will be able to feel compassion for yourself and your fellow human beings in the experience of life. 

Self-compassion involves 1) accepting that difficult life experiences are inevitable and offering gentleness, warmth, and understanding towards yourself during these times rather than self-criticizing, 2) recognizing that suffering and personal inadequacy are part of our common humanity rather than being something that “only happens to me,” 3) being willing to non-judgmentally observe your negative thoughts and emotions with mindful awareness rather than ignoring the pain or over-identifying with the thoughts/emotions. 

Thus, self-compassion encourages you to be kind to yourself in the midst of pain, such that you might ask yourself “What do I need right now?” and actually listen/act on whatever that might be in the present moment. For example, due to the current pandemic, many students might be experiencing the inability to go home or be with family during the break/holidays, which may lead to greater stress/anxiety, disappointment/sadness, and loneliness/isolation. If you find yourself experiencing similar difficulties, this is the time to practice extending compassion to yourself and others! 

To cultivate self-compassion, practice the following steps: 

  1. Pause without reaction.
  2. Take deep breaths for approximately 30 seconds.
  3. Notice judgmental thoughts and associated feelings.
  4. Provide a positive self-affirmation (i.e., “I am doing my best in this moment”).
  5. Ask yourself: “What do I truly need in this moment”? This could be:
    • Taking a break from constant homework/studying during finals week. 
    • Scheduling a virtual pizza night with a friend/family member. 
    • Snuggling your dog/cat while you watch a movie. 
    • Planning a whole day of self-care during break.  
    • Cooking/Decorating for the holidays and scheduling a Zoom tree lighting. 
    • Or whatever else comes to mind (remember, no judgement)!

To cultivate compassion for others, practice the following steps: 

  1. Start with yourself! Regularly provide self-compassion. 
  2. Actively listen to others (e.g., be present and validate their feelings) in difficult times without imposing your beliefs or trying to fix the difficulty for them. 
  3. Offer a gentle touch, such as holding a hand or giving a hug (if appropriate).
  4. Affirm others by providing praise and encouragement, highlighting strengths/talents you see in the person, and offering support and comfort in difficult times.
  5. Show kindness through your actions without expecting anything back (e.g., giving a compliment, making a donation, volunteering, helping someone advocate their wants/needs in a challenging situation, and/or paying for someone’s meal behind you in line). 

If you find yourself in need of additional guidance, please reach out for help! Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is your student counseling center and we are here for you! CAPS provides a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals. Please take a moment to visit our website: https://www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/ to learn more information on how to request services and find resources for psychological health and well-being. Be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be!

Anxiety is NORMAL

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator || Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

Anxiety is a physical, emotional, and psychological reaction to perceived threats, and many times the initial symptoms of anxiety can be characterized by what’s called the “fight-flight-or-freeze” response. The fight-flight-or-freeze response is one of the biological tools our bodies use to protect us from danger. When we feel threatened, the fight-flight-or-freeze response is automatically triggered and physiological changes prepare us to either confront, flee, or freeze in response to the threat. 

These symptoms include increased heart rate, rapid shallow breathing, tensed muscles, shaking, sweating, dizziness/lightheadedness, nausea/“butterflies” in stomach, racing thoughts, and difficulty concentrating. Therefore, anxiety is helpful in small doses, as it provides us with information about difficulties that may be arising in our lives and can protect us from danger. 

However, when anxiety becomes too severe and/or occurs too frequently, it can become debilitating and can lead to avoidance of the anxiety-provoking experience. Examples of avoidance include using alcohol/drugs to numb feelings, procrastinating on challenging tasks, and/or withdrawing in relationships. 

Although avoiding “scary” things can provide a sense a relief in the short-term, avoidance in the long-term can make similar threats feel even scarier and can prevent us from living our lives in the most helpful way possible for our emotional wellbeing. 

So, if anxiety is normal, and inevitable, how can we learn to notice our anxiety, allow it space in our lives, and continue living a valuable life? 

A first step in alleviating anxiety is to initiate the opposing biological reaction to stress, anxiety, and fear-the relaxation response, which includes slower and deeper breathing, relaxed muscles, and a slower heart rate. When you notice feelings of anxiety, try taking several long deep breaths at the pace of 1-2-3-4-inhale, 1-2-3-4-exhale, repeat, while intentionally trying to breathe from your diaphragm, or your stomach area. 

A second step is to check in with yourself regularly and notice if any thoughts, emotions, and behaviors arise throughout your day, including in anxiety-provoking experiences. Allow these thoughts/feelings to be present, while also using them as information that let you know “Hey, I am feeling anxious right now and that’s okay. What might help me feel better in this moment and moving forward?” There are many healthy coping strategies that can help you reduce anxiety!

Examples of coping strategies for anxiety: 

  • Relaxation exercises, such as progressive muscle relaxation. (Progressive Muscle Relaxation)
  • Grounding exercises, such as the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. (Grounding Exercise)
  • Challenging irrational thoughts, such as examining the evidence of your thoughts and gently challenging them in the moment. Ask yourself: 
    • Is my thought based on facts or feelings?
    • How would my best friend see this situation?
    • How likely is it that my fear will come true? And if it does, will it still matter in a week, month, or year from now?
    • What’s most likely to happen?
  • Imagery, such as imagining a calm environment. (Calming Guided Imagery) 

Lastly, commit to living a life that is meaningful to you, by taking small steps to live by your values despite feelings of anxiety. 

For example, although you might have some anxiety related to meeting new people, you might also really enjoy socializing and making connections with those who have grown close to you.

Therefore, challenge yourself to practice embracing the anxiety AND living your valued life, as these two experiences can coexist together. You might be pleasantly surprised by how taking deep breaths, noticing your anxiety, practicing healthy coping strategies, and making movement towards your values can actually help to reduce avoidance (which only increases anxiety) and alleviate the intensity of the anxiety. 

Remember, anxiety is normal and will likely exist in many experiences. However, the way that we engage with and move through the anxiety is how we can enhance our emotional wellbeing.  
If you find yourself in need of additional guidance during times of anxiety, please reach out for help! Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is your student counseling center and we are here for you! CAPS provides a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals. Please take a moment to visit our website: https://www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/ to learn more information on how to request services and find resources for psychological health and well-being. Be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be!

Midterm “Thrival” Guide

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator | Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

Midterms can be a stressful (and sometimes relieving) time of the year, as they may remind us of the various academic tasks we still need to accomplish in the short-term, while also providing us with semester breaks to look forward to in the long-term. Many students around this time might find themselves feeling burned out by countless obligations and not knowing how to thrive at a productive, as well as emotionally healthy, pace for the rest of the semester.

Although academics are important, many times it can be easy to lose sight of how important it is to maintain your psychological health while also pursuing your goals. Therefore, it can really be helpful to create a workable schedule that includes specific time periods for studying and taking care of yourself, while also remaining physically and emotionally flexible when inevitable deviations occur.

Self-compassion is essential during times of overwhelming stress; thus, I encourage you to be kind to yourself and check in with what you may want/need in the present moment. You just might be pleasantly surprised with how helpful listening and caring for yourself can be during midterms! 

A helpful and healthy study schedule includes academic responsibilities, study breaks, socialization, and self-care. An example of a midterm “thrival” guide may include: 

Monday

  • Wake up: 8am
  • Get ready for class: 8am-9am
  • Class: 9am-12pm
  • Lunch: 12pm-1pm
  • Homework/Projects: 1pm-3:15pm 
  • Socialization: 30-minute video chat to a family/friend (3:15pm-3:45pm)
  • Study for Midterms: 3:45pm-6pm
    • 15-minute break after the first hour (Eat a snack; 4:45pm-5pm)
  • Self-Care: 
    • Exercise: 6pm-7pm
    • Dinner: 7pm-8pm
    • Shower: 8pm-9pm
    • Watch TV/Read a Book/Talk to a Roommate: 9pm-11pm
  • Sleep: 11pm-8am 

Please remember, this is a workable schedule, so be easy on yourself! Some days will come easier than others, as some days may have more distractions, detours, anxiety, etc., and that’s okay! Take each day one step at a time, check off progress, and remember to care for yourself!

If you find yourself in need of additional guidance during this stressful time, please reach out for help! Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is your student counseling center and we are here for you! CAPS provide a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals. Please take a moment to visit our website: https://www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/ to learn more information on how to request services and find resources for psychological health and well-being. Be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be!

Feeling Depressed? You Are Not Alone.

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator | Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions in the United States, affecting approximately 14.8 million adults every year. It is a common, yet serious, mood disorder that can affect one’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. 

Depression that is left untreated can result in severe functional impairments that may interfere with one’s ability to adequately engage in everyday life, such as school, work, socialization, and even taking care of oneself. Although the prevalence of depression is relatively high, approximately 35% of individuals who experience depression do not receive treatment, even though there are many evidenced-based treatments that can help to improve depressive symptoms and emotional well-being. 

Up to 80% of individuals who are treated for depression show an improvement in their symptoms generally within four to six weeks of beginning treatment. Depression is highly treatable with counseling, medication, and lifestyle changes, such as exercise, nutrition, sleep, social support, and stress reduction. 

National Depression Screening Day is celebrated in October during Mental Illness Awareness Week to increase awareness and education on depression and its effective treatments, to offer individuals the opportunity to engage in screening for depression, and to connect those in need of mental health treatment to helpful services and resources.  Just like any other illness (e.g., heart disease, diabetes, etc.), health screenings can provide helpful information regarding the first signs of a serious illness and can guide individuals to receive professional consultation and treatment, if needed. 

If you, or someone you know, are experiencing any of the following symptoms, please consider taking the free depression screener available on the Florida Tech CAPS website at: https://screening.mentalhealthscreening.org/floridatech

  • Persistent sad or “empty” mood
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
  • Fatigue or loss of energy
  • Sleeping too much or too little
  • Reduced appetite and weight loss, or increased appetite and weight gain
  • Restlessness or irritability
  • Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
  • Thoughts of death or suicide

The depression screening will consist of answering a brief questionnaire about yourself and your thoughts/feelings, and then receiving an explanation about your mood and behaviors, as well as gaining access to informational materials about what you can do to help yourself and how to get help from a professional. For additional information on depression, please visit the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) websites. 

NIMH: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/index.shtml 

SAMHSA: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/all-reports?keys=Depression&sort_bef_combine=search_api_relevance+DESC

CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/depression-anxiety.html

If you find yourself in need of professional help after taking the screener, please reach out for help!  Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is your student counseling center and we are here for you! CAPS provide a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals. Please take a moment to visit our website: https://www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/), which includes information on how to request services, as well as many other resources for psychological health and well-being. Our services are highly utilized and encouraged, so that you can be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be!

Togetherness While Socially Distancing

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Natalia Velásquez, M.S., Outreach Coordinator || Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the technical definition of social, or physical, distancing is “keeping a safe space (e.g., six feet) between yourself and other people who are not from your household in both indoor and outdoor spaces.” However, what does “social distancing” mean to social beings like us, especially when social support has been repeatedly proven to be such a critical resource for our psychological health? What can social distancing even look like so that we can balance not only the physical health and safety of ourselves and others, but also for our psychological health and well-being?

Many college students have likely moved from their childhood homes to a university where they may have expected to create relationships with faculty, friends, peers, colleagues, partners, etc. Whether these social connections were anticipated to be created during classroom learning, walks through the botanical gardens; soccer games; lunch breaks at PDH; fraternity/sorority gatherings; or other academic, social, or service organizations, all of us desire, and likely need, meaningful doses of social connection and support in our lives. 

So how do we create meaningful relationships at a “social distance,” so that we can prioritize safety and health while also providing space for insightful conversations, entertainment, joy, laughter, and love? 

During times like these, creativity is your best friend, so have fun with it! Maybe plan a weekend game night with friends, when classes have paused and self-care is needed. Organize a Zoom yoga session with classmates and screenshare a YouTube video that the group can follow along. Call your close family member or friend once a week while taking a walk “together” (you can walk through the botanical gardens and they can choose their favorite spot). Have a spaced-out beach date where everyone brings a snack and you decompress by the waves. There are also multitudes of multiplayer games (e.g., Jackbox, Animal Crossing, COD) that can be played online via Zoom, as well as socially distanced activities that can be enjoyed outside such as park walks, beach hangouts, and fitness challenges. 

Please consider these questions as you organize socially distanced activities: 

  • Are you and your family/friends comfortable being physically together while at a distance? If not, consider virtual activities!
  • What activities do you typically like? Try and make it distance friendly or virtual!
  • How can you make this activity socially distanced friendly? Be creative!

If you find yourself having significant difficulties during your time at Florida Tech, please remember your student counseling center as we are here for you! CAPS provides a variety of mental health and wellness services to assist you and other students in successfully reaching personal, academic, and career goals.  Please take a moment to visit our website:  https://www.fit.edu/counseling-and-psychological-services/, which includes information on how to request services, as well as many other resources for emotional health and well-being. Our services are highly utilized and encouraged, so that you can be the healthiest Florida Tech Panther you can be!

Social distancing, isolation and stress: what it’s like and how to manage

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Irritability. Sadness. Loss of appetite. These are a few signs and symptoms individuals may experience due to social distancing and isolation, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 

“Feeling lonely or isolated can be a crippling sensation,” Erika Pobee-Mensah, the outreach coordinator for Florida Tech’s Counseling and Psychological Services, said in an email.

According to the SAMHSA, signs of stress include: increased irritability, trouble sleeping, or having difficulty communicating; physical signs like headaches, loss of appetite, or being easily startled; and emotional signs like feelings of guilt, anger, and overwhelming sadness.

This stress can lead to changes in sleep or eating patterns, worsening of chronic health problems, and increased use of alcohol, tobacco, and other substances, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Pobee-Mensah said that students may alleviate feelings of anxiety by scheduling time to worry, and pursuing alternative behaviors like classwork, exercising, or playing music outside of that scheduled time. 

Gianna Petrazzulo, a junior studying biomedical science, said that it has been difficult to adjust from going out regularly to staying inside most of the time.

Petrazzulo has found some positivity in social distancing; she’s used her extra time to do things she enjoys, like creating art and playing video games. 

“I feel like I have a lot of time on my hands to focus on myself,”  Petrazzulo said, “it’s rekindled my creative side.”

To alleviate outbreak-related stress, the CDC also recommends establishing a routine of well-balanced meals and regular sleep and exercise. 

Pobee-Mensah stated that many individuals are experiencing feelings of grief during this time of isolation, whether it be due to the loss or illness of a loved one, or the loss of work, income or social interaction. 

“Whatever grief or loss you can identify, it is important to give yourself time to grieve and express these emotions,” Pobee-Mensah said. “Allow yourself to cry, to scream into a pillow, to call up someone and vent, or to write about how this pain feels.”

In addition to reaching out to friends and family, Pobee-Mensah said students may benefit from virtual socialization methods such as group chats, or multiplayer gaming. Gaming engagement has seen an uptick; concurrent users of gaming distribution service Steam exceeded 24 million multiple times between April 12 to 18, according to the Steam Database. 

The CDC advises taking breaks from news consumption relating to the pandemic, including the use of social media. The National Alliance on Mental Illness further advises managing how one consumes information; the organization states that “false information spreads very easily on social media and can have serious consequences for individual and public health.”

The SAMHSA advises making time for conversation unrelated to the outbreak, in addition to sharing emotions related to the outbreak and exchanging reliable health information. 

“Take a moment to put your doubts aside and reach out to friends or family,” Pobee-Mensah said, “Strike up a conversation with an old friend you haven’t spoken to in a while.”

The CDC states that those at higher risk for serious illness, including older adults and people with underlying health conditions, may experience higher stress levels. These individuals may become concerned that regular medical care could be disrupted.

As many individuals experience feelings of anxiety, stress, and grief, Pobee-Mensah advises staying connected: “If you are in need, ask for help from family, friends, or your local community.” 

This article was edited to correct the spelling of a source’s name. The previous version displayed “Petravvulo” where the article now reads “Petrazzulo.”