Wellness Resources

Survive or Thrive: Helping you drink from the water fountain instead of the firehose

This Week's Tip: Mindful Reflections

Mindfulness is the practice of intentionally focusing on the present moment with awareness and acceptance, observing thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment

Reflection is the deliberate process of thinking deeply about one’s experiences, actions, and thoughts to gain insight, learn, and improve. Below are three exercises to practice Mindfulness & Reflection:

  1. Nightcap Notes Spend 1-2 minutes recalling something you enjoyed today. Visualize it. Try to remember how it felt, what stood out, and why it mattered.
  2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation Tense and release muscle groups starting from your toes, onto your calfs, thighs, abdominal muscles, hands, forearms, shoulders-- working up to your head. Hold tension in each muscle group for 5 seconds, then release and notice the contrast. Focus on just major muscle groups for a quick version.
  3. 4-7-8 Breathing Inhale through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 7 counts, then exhale through your mouth for 8 counts. Start by repeating 4 times.

Other Tips

SLO Wellness Week (12/1-12/4)

Questions?

Email slquestions@mit.edu!

  • Week of November 17th: Self-Compassion

    Negative self-talk is the critical inner dialogue that judges and undermines yourself in ways that are usually untrue. It can look like self-blame, self-comparison, and perfectionism. It increases anxiety, lowers self-esteem, impacts our motivation, and creates patterns where we avoid challenges.

    Self-compassion is the kindness we can extend to ourselves when facing adversity. Practicing self-compassion is one way we can counter negative self-talk when we are being our own worst critics and build resilience. Below are three ways to practice self-compassion this week:

    1. What Would I Say to a Friend? When you find yourself thinking critically ask “is this is something I would say to a friend?" Think about how you would respond if a friend shared that thought with you and direct those thoughts back onto you.
    2. 3 Step Reset:
      1. Acknowledge the pain "This is really hard right now"
      2. Recognize shared humanity "Other students struggle with this too"
      3. Offer yourself kindness "May I be patient with myself as I work through this"
    3. Sensory Gratitude: Choose one sense and write down something you saw, heard, smelled, felt, or tasted that you were grateful for.

  • Week of November 24th: Resilience & Gratitude

    Resilience is your ability to adapt, recover, and keep going — even when things are tough. The good news: Resilience is not something you either have or don’t. It’s a skill you can strengthen with small, intentional strategies and shifts. Build your Resilience:

    1. Most Important Task Each day, identify the 1-3 priorities that must get done ahead of others and start with those.
    2. Rewire Your Day Pair strength exercises with daily activities. For example, try push-ups as soon as you wake up, crunches before lunch, and planks before bed.

    Gratitude is the practice of recognizing the good in your life, in others, and in your surroundings. It’s about acknowledging what’s working, who’s showing up for you, and what you value. When shared, gratitude deepens relationships. It tells others that they matter. Here are three exercises you can practice gratitude with:

    1. Thought of You! Text or email someone to thank them a professor, classmate, mentor, or friend. A few words of appreciation can strengthen a connection and brighten someone’s day.
    2. Body Appreciation Write about parts of your body and what they allow you to do, focusing on function rather than appearance. This promotes a healthier relationship with your physical self.
    3. Just Three Things Document in a notes app, on a post-it, or in a notebook three things that happened during your day that you are grateful for, big or small