Dear Michael D. Eisner College of Education community,
As we get ready to return to a challenging virtual fall semester at CSUN, it has never been more important for us to consider how to help ourselves. According to the CDC, coping and self-care is a national resource for us during crisis. https://emergency.cdc.gov/coping/selfcare.asp. Making your own physical, mental, and social-emotional health your priority will help you support colleagues, students, family and friends, and the community we serve, and will set an example for them to do the same. First, it’s important to understand what healthy means for you personally. Find a few quiet minutes every day to check in with yourself. How are you doing, physically, mentally, and emotionally? The demands will be great on both students and faculty as we enter this fall virtually. Knowing how you are doing is the first step in making a healthy choice, whether it’s a walk around the block, a phone call, or a little extra sleep. Find resources that work for you. And check into the resources below. The best ones for you are the ones you are most likely to stick with. As you consider physical, mental, and social-emotional health, know that ‘healthy’ looks different for each of us. Meeting ourselves where we are, with compassion, is the healthiest step we can take.
Physical health refers to how well our body functions as it should. Physical distancing helps reduce the risk of disease; it also reduces opportunities for physical activity. Finding ways to maintain activity and commit to preparing healthy meals can help you maintain your physical health.
!. Visit the CSUN virtual Marilyn Magaram Center for healthy eating and nutrition virtual events and resources https://www.csun.edu/marilyn-magaram-center
2. Klotz Student Health Center https://www.csun.edu/shc is currently offering Telehealth services to students including Primary Care, Sports Medicine, Wellness Coaching, and Nutritional Counseling. Call (818) 677-3666, option 1 to schedule an appointment.
3. CSUN Human Resources for faculty and Staff-offers many health physical resources including 365 journeys to health and 3 wins to fitness https://www.3winsfitness.com/ Please go to their website for resources and information on faculty and staff health-care at https://www.csun.edu/hr
4. There’s an app for that: myfitnesspal, Couch to 5K, Pocket Yoga, Sleep Cycle, and myplate are a few that can help you track your progress.
Mental health is a positive regard for ourselves and others, and our ability to cope with stresses and adjust to change, make healthy choices, and meet the demands of daily life. COVID-19 is a challenge to mental health across the globe and in each of our lives. It’s important to acknowledge that. If you don’t feel like your normal self, that’s normal. So find ways to take good care of yourselves and always seek help when needed.
1. Institute for Health and Well-Being has many virtual live zooms for well-being and reducing stress. https://www.csun.edu/wellbeing Upcoming events include:
-Mindfulness Monday with Joshua Einhorn & Brian Lottman-Mondays - 12:00pm to 1:00pm Click Here to learn more about Mindfulness Monday
-Wellbeing Wednesday with Amy Rosenblatt-A new series of workshop-like sessions addressing financial, emotional, nutritional, physical, and mental wellbeing, in order to improve the health, happiness and prosperity of the campus community. Click Here to learn more about Wellbeing
2. CSUN University Student Counseling Services- (UCS) is committed to supporting student mental health, well-being, and academic success, during this challenging time. UCS is open virtually during regular business hours providing all services through tele-mental health (Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm). Please contact us at (818) 677-2366, option 1 to schedule an appointment. 24/7 crisis/urgent care services are always available by phone at (818) 677-2366, option 3.For students who may need additional information about emotional support at this time, please go to https://www.csun.edu/counseling
3. Teaching, Learning, & Counseling Consortium offers a variety of virtual services, including literacy tutoring and educational therapy, as well as family webinars and support groups through the Family Focus Resource Center (FFRC). The Mitchell Family Counseling Clinic (MFCC) provides free services to CSUN students, and counseling for families, with and without children with autism: https://www.csun.edu/teaching-learning-counseling-consortium
4. Strength United- offers 24-7 services for victims of domestic violence and abuse, with hotlines, telehealth counseling services, and special programs for LBGTQ youth and foster communities. Now offering parenting "virtual" groups focusing on supporting parents, a 24/7 hotline, as well as free telehealth counseling for students who are experiencing anxiety related to COVID 19. The hotline also offers resources for survivors of domestic and sexual violence who are experiencing additional anxieties at this time (offered in Spanish and English). Hotline numbers are 818-886-0453/661-253-0258.https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/strength-united
5. There’s an app for that: Sanvello, Simple Habit, Insight Timer and Headspace have free resources.
Social-emotional health is our capacity and practice of productive interactions with others, the ability to relate, and processing and expressing emotions appropriately. These resources promote self-care both for ourselves and the students and community we serve, so needed right now. One of our main resources is our COE SUN self-care website with links under Articles and Information on Self-Care in drop down topics on “coping with the coronavirus” as well as “resources to address racism and inequity” with new articles, webinars, and other resources regularly sent in by faculty and staff https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/self-care Please see a few other resources below:
1. The Institute for Community Engagement- https://www.csun.edu/undergraduate-studies/community-engagement As we face challenging times ahead, let's use this time to reconnect virtually with our colleagues, students, and community. The Office of Community Engagement offers resources and online sessions to help in these times of higher stress and feelings of isolation.
2. Additional Anti-black racism and implicit bias resources-below are a few examples of numerous resources available in our college, campus, and community.
-Retaining Educators of Color: Lessons learned from the field August 21, 2020 (10:00 AM – 11:30 AM) presenters include Jon Reveles, Josh Einhorn, and Al Restori Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf1VKm6AeRNG7Ij6Zp59OmE-uy2Dy9fX_y-RHt6Q83o3VNgrQ/viewform Offered by the CSU Chancellor’s Office
-A recording of a previous webinar on “Social Emotional Learning: Constructs and Practices that Recognize and Support All Students” is available on a YouTube link: https://youtu.be/5enJw_P6E_4
-CSU Diversity toolkit website for instructors- https://educatorpreptoolkit.calstate.edu/ with articles, blogs, and resources for teaching in diverse classrooms, such as the article titled “Urban Narratives: Life at the Intersections of Learning Disability, Race and Social Class” by Dr. David J. Connor.
-Watch for additional CSUN webinars to be announced on topics such as “Having difficult conversations around anti-blackness”
Please continue to look at our self-care website for additional resources for physical, mental, and social-emotional well-being at
https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/self-care/articles-information-self-care
May you find what works for you best in ensuring your physical, mental, and social-emotional health in the coming semester!
Warmly,
Shari and Josh