Campus Food Pantry

USM Counseling Services for Students

USM Counseling Self-Help Resources for Students - (a long list of links, some general, many topics specific such as stress, or anxiety)

USM Mindful Mondays Group - Zoom 4:30-5:15 each Monday - open to students, staff, and faculty.  A group for folks interested in mindfulness, and meditation - no prior experience needed and very welcoming to new attendees and you don't have to attend every week.  

The USM ROCC - Recovery Oriented Campus Center

USM Office of Intercultural Affairs (including resources and connections for diverse populations of all kinds)

USM Religious and Spiritual Life Resources, Events, and Reflection Spaces

Grounding Exercises - Using Your  Senses for Anxiety Relief - Quick and easy practice

Website - Getting Started with Mindfulness - We highly recommend exploring this site further.  It is a magazine but there are numerous free resources on the website

Audio - Guided Self Compassion Audio Exercises 

* Video - Ted Talk - All it Takes is 10 Mindful Minutes - "...as someone who doesn't have a lot of experience in mindfulness training and meditation, I thought it was a good introduction to the concept.  I like that he explains that it only needs to take 10 minutes a day because for a long time I used excuses that it took too long or that I didn't have time to do it. ... Bonus he uses juggling tricks to explain the concepts!" (Student testimonial)

* App Book Website Podcast - 10% Happier Website w/Book links – Dan Harris and Podcast - Meditation and Mindfulness for Skeptics

"So sometimes I find mindfulness a little hokey because it’s become very commercialized and Westernized from the original practice in Buddhism. However, when I was working on learning how to manage anxiety, I read Harris’s book and some of the things he pointed out did help. Some of his podcast episodes are pretty interesting and it’s pretty easy to pick and choose which ones you want to listen to because he has a variety of speakers and topics." (Student testimonial)

"This book and app have been life changing me.  I was definitely a meditation/mindfulness skeptic but intellectually knew it was something I should learn more about and try for my own stress and anxiety.  Both of his books are accessible and entertaining.  I have subscribed to the 10% happier app and have been learning and maintaining a daily meditation practice for several months.  It has had a noticeable positive impact on my wellbeing." (Testimonial Dr. Provost) The app offers a student discount.

* App & Website - Headspace - some free resources - offers student discount for annual subscription - "This is a wonderful app that has an abundance of guided meditations. You can take your pick of 10-day courses on themes like creativity, dealing with regret, navigating change, managing stress, mindful eating, cultivating gratitude, and more. They also have a wonderful “SOS” section with 1-3 minutes meditations for moments of panic and overwhelm. This app is a daily tool that I use to manage my own stress and it has been a tremendous benefit to me in nursing school. Some of their content is available for free, but you do have to pay to access the full app—but they have a student discount of $9.99/year and I think it is so worth it!" (Student testimonial)

* App & Website - Calm.com - a meditation and wellness app - signup required to access resources but they have a free trial - "Takes you through a short survey to better understand what struggles someone is dealing with, to better understand what practices are best for the individual" (student testimonial).  Similar concept to Headspace but a different layout/approach.  If you have an Amazon Prime student account, they have a good membership deal for students. 

Mindful Eating      Article Overview & Practice Basics     The Raisin Practice "A great quick exercise to try out mindful eating, and you could use chocolate or any food that might be more fun than a raisin."  (Student testimonial)

* Book - Eat with Intention:  Recipes and Meditations for a Life that Lights You Up by Cassandra Bodzack - Amazon or Used on ThriftBooks - "It is a book that contains both nutritional and meditation tips for wellness...also beneficial tips on how to be grateful to your own body...and how to take time to care for yourself.  Sometimes, we tend to focus on the little things that make us feel unhappy, stressed, depressed, and forget about all the good things that our body does for us." (Student testimonial)

Book - Breath:  A New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor - "This book really helped me understand how little I breath and how shallowly I breath.  Science driven but very accessible and entertaining to read.  I've starting using an app like the ones below to work on my breathing through the day and it has made a big difference for my personal stress levels and generally feeling well in my body." (Testimonial Dr. Provost)

App - Breathe: relax and focus - IOS - free and has an Apple watch app.  - app for guided breathing sessions.

App - iBreathe - IOS - free basic features, $1.99 for more customization - app for guided breathing sessions and does notifications throughout the day to remind you to pause and breath.

Students - does anyone with an Android phone have recommendations for similar apps?

Video *The Empathetic Civilization 10 min. animated video about the science of empathy.  "Highly recommended!  I learned a lot from this short video and it helped me understand why community and relationships are linked to wellbeing." (Student testimonial)

Video *Brene Brown on Empathy vs. Sympathy - 3 min. video.   "This was so impactful!  It really made me think about how I can better express empathy to others in a positive way and made me think about how I could be more empathetic to myself too." (Student testimonial)

Article - The Atlantic.  "What the Longest Study on Human Happiness Found is the Key to a Good Life" by Waldinger and Schulz, 2023

* Pomodoro Technique for Time Management & Focus - "This was really useful for me when I have a hard time initiating work or am getting overwhelmed with what needs to be done. I have a lot of distractions in my house, so setting this and putting it where my husband could see it would make it so that he knows he can’t interrupt until the timer has gone off. Also helps to break down large chunks of work into smaller more manageable amounts." (Student testimonial).  

• Article about Pomodoro Technique 

• App Bear Focus Timer - $1.99 one-time cost app that uses the Pomodoro model.  Has apple watch app and "you also get super cute compliment cards whenever you finish a session.  I used this technique through much of grad school to study and now I use it almost every day to help me focus on projects at work." (Testimonial Dr. Provost)

• Other Apps - if you search your app store for Pomodoro you can find different apps, many of them free

Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset for Learning - Article    Video Ted Talk from Carol Dweck    Video Animation Short with definitions

* Podcast - Straight A Nursing - "They give informational podcasts about different topics in school, but also tips about how to study, how to manage stress, etc. I really enjoy it especially when I need to get refocused and head back in the right direction. I tend to listen to it after vacation heading into a new semester to try and start in the right mindset." (Student testimonial)

Book - Deep Work:  Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport - "This book changed how I work.  Newport's concepts of deep vs. shallow work and time management strategies are amazing.  Shallow work are quick things that don't require focuses attention vs. deep work (or learning) which is moving forward and progress on projects or tasks that instigate meaningful forward progress.  Highly recommend this and his book on A World Without Email." (Testimonial Dr. Provost) 

* Article - Advice for Managing Test Anxiety - "I like this article by Brown University of how to manage test anxiety. I think it would make a good infographic. This information is important for all students to remember, but especially for nursing students when a grade of 77 is needed to progress in the program for some classes. Test anxiety can add additional stress that can affect your grade more than studying can help!" (Student testimonial)

* Audio - Focus/Study Music NatuSamba on Amazon Music Unlimited.  Search to find it if you use this service - "I like this one because it is literally one song, the same thing, for 3 hours.  It also doesn’t change so you don’t get distracted by change in tempo or instrument or volume. As a previous band kid and dancer… this is important to me because even when I don’t think I’m paying attention to music playing in the background I find that I’m keeping time to whatever is playing, and I have come to learn this distracts me. I also feel like other ambient study music sounds too much like being at a spa and studying should equate to focus rather than relaxation." (Student testimonial)

• Students - if you have other favorite study music playlists or artists on different services let us know so we can add more music to this list!

The Power and Benefits of a 5 Minute Walk

The Joy Workout  - "Researchers have identified several movements like this that are recognizable in many cultures as inspired by joy: reaching your arms up; swaying from side to side, like concertgoers losing themselves in the music; other rhythmic movements, such as bouncing to a beat; or taking up more space, like dancers spinning, arms outstretched. These physical actions don’t just express a feeling of joy — research shows they can also elicit it." (Kelly, McGonigal, 2022 New York Times)

* Video - Yoga with Adrianne - free YouTube series - very beginner friendly - "Her YouTube channel offers tons of free yoga videos for all levels and of various lengths. Every January for the past seven or eight years she has offered a 30-day yoga experience centered around a theme that are available for free all year long. I often enjoy repeating those sequences when I want to have a plan for practice selected for the next month, but she also has so many wonderful individual classes that nearly everyone can find something they like. I especially love her bedtime yoga sequences when I am trying to switch gears after a long day of classes or clinicals and prepare for a good night’s sleep." (Student testimonial)

• Suggested Videos

  • Take 5 Yoga Break!

  • Wind Down Yoga - Calming Practice

  • Office Break Yoga 14 minutes

  • Yoga to Feel your Best

* Podcast - Hidden Brain from NPR hosted by Shankar Vedantam - "As someone with a logical mind and in touch wit their emotions, I think learning about the science behind sociology/psychology is fascinating and helps me understand my own behavior and thoughts.  Everyone behaves differently and our experiences shape how our individual behavior compares to societies "normal".  Hidden Brain discusses many topics such as why conversations can go wrong, minimizing pain and maximizing joy, what makes relationships thrive, and the psychology of self-doubt [among many other topics]."   (Student testimonial)

Website - Cute Animal Live Videos at Explore.org - many animals to watch.  A great 5-minute break to watch some kittens or panda's playing or to pull up a relaxing underwater view with tropical fish.  

Interactive Website - This Is Sand - virtual colored sand that you can make into interesting sandscapes.  They also have an app.

We'd love more suggestions for this section!  What do you go for when you need a 5-minute mental pick-me-up?  Links are great but also any practices you have.