Emotion Management Resources

Breathing

Benefits of Conscious Breathing Practices:

• Breath can often go unnoticed as an automatic response. Paying attention to your breath can foster a sense of calmness, enhance concentration, and help you to optimize performance to reach your fullest potential.

Breathing Techniques

• Heart Focused Breathing - HeartMath

  • Find a Comfortable Position: Sit or lie down in a comfortable position where you can relax without distractions.
  • Focus on Your Heart: Place your attention on the center of your chest, where your heart is located. Imagine your breath flowing in and out through this area.
  • Deep Breathing: Take slow, deep breaths in through your nose, allowing your abdomen to expand as you inhale. Count to five as you breathe in.
  • Exhale Slowly: Exhale slowly through your mouth, counting to five again. Feel the tension release as you breathe out.
  • Repeat: Continue this breathing pattern for several minutes, focusing on each breath and maintaining your attention on your heart center.
  • Stay Present: If your mind wanders, It’s okay. Gently bring your focus back to your breath and the sensation in your heart center. End Mindfully: After a few minutes, gradually bring your session to a close. Take a moment to notice how you feel before returning to your usual activities.

• Lion's Breath

  • Find a comfortable sitting position.
  • Take a deep breath, allowing air to fill your nose, lungs, and belly until you reach full capacity.
  • Upon exhaling, instead of releasing the breath through your nose, open your mouth widely and let out a forceful exhale with a pronounced "HA" sound.
  • Repeat as many times as needed.

• Belly Breathing

  • Position one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.
  • Close your eyes and mouth, shifting your focus to your breath rather than your surroundings.
  • Inhale deeply through your nostrils, counting to four, while ensuring that your belly expands instead of your chest.
  • Exhale slowly through your mouth, counting to four.

• Box Breathing

  • Exhale for a count of four, then hold your lungs empty for an additional four counts.
  • Inhale for a count of four, followed by a four-cout hold with the air in your lungs.
  • Repeat the cycle by exhaling and starting the pattern again. 

Emotional and Academic Success Skills

What Makes You Successful?

• Keep in mind that the idea of success is relative. Each of us has our own unique priorities, goals, and values. This means that your success can look quite different from your classmate’s success, and still, both of you can be equally successful, even if your paths and outcomes differ.
• There’s no “right” path to success—only the right path for you, and you get to decide what that path looks like. As you read through these helpful tips, take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and come back to areas that you want to revisit in the future.
  • Have a study plan
  • Assess your learning style
  • Go to class and attend office hours
  • Manage your time with intention
  • Know your goals and values
  • Treat yourself to breaks
  • Take care of your health – mental and physical
  • Maintain a school-life balance
  • Get involved – try something new
  • Sleep, eat, and stay hydrated
  • Practice breathing exercises
  • Reach out to someone if you feel stressed of overwhelmed

Grief

• Emotional Health after difficult event
• Faculty and staff aftermath of a difficult event
• How to Deal with Grief

Healthy Communication and Boundary Setting

• Communication can impact your relationships! Relationships can activate comfortable and uncomfortable emotions! To manage your emotions better, learn to improve the quality of your interactions with others by using the following skills:
  • Set healthy boundaries! Say “No” when you are overwhelmed. Remain true to your own values and needs.
• Steps for Effective Communication
  • Active Listening: Pay attention to what the other person is saying both verbally and nonverbally.
  • Empathy: Try to understand the other person’s perspective.
  • Feedback: Ask for and give feedback to ensure you are being understood.
  • Practice: The more you communicate, the better you will become at it.
  • Check-In with Yourself: It is important to first check in with yourself and ask how you’re feeling to get what you need.

Mindfulness Skills

• Mindful Meditation

  As you navigate through life, it is common for thoughts, emotions, and experiences to arise and fade swiftly, often without conscious awareness. You may find yourself speaking or acting based on your feelings, without fully recognizing the underlying influences. Through the practice of mindfulness meditation, you can cultivate a heightened awareness of these influences by consciously observing your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations from a detached perspective.

• Why Choose Mindfulness?

  Embracing the present moment— stepping away from overthinking and cultivating conscious awareness of one's surroundings— typically fosters greater happiness and reduced stress levels. Engaging in mindfulness exercises can assist in managing thoughts and emotions effectively

• Steps for Successful Meditation

  1. Find a place free of noise or distraction to practice.
  2. Take a seat on a cushion, the floor, or in a chair. Maintain an upright posture that facilitates effortless breathing.
  3. Shift your attention towards your breath. Observe the sensation of the breath flowing into your body and reaching your lungs. Be mindful of the physical sensations within your body as you exhale. Keep your focus attuned to the experience of breathing.
  4. It is natural for your mind to wander. Avoid passing judgment on your thoughts. Adopt the perspective of an external observer, noting, "I am having a thought." The same approach applies to your emotions. Recognize and accept your feelings, even if they are uncomfortable. Simply observe and acknowledge, saying to yourself, "I am experiencing this emotion."
  5. When the thought or feeling passes, return your focus to your breathing and your body.
  6. Try to practice for at least 10 to 15 minutes. If you are more experienced, aim for 30 minutes.

  Linked for guided meditation:

  • Calm App
  • Insight Timer
  • Ten Percent Happier
  • Balance
  • Headspace

   

Motivation

• Get Motivated

Stress Management

• Dealing with Uncertainty
• Election Stress Handout PDF (ADA Compliant)
• Living with worry and anxiety amidst global uncertainty
• Managing Stress During Finals PDF (ADA Compliant)
• Stress Management Techniques
• Student's Perspective on Helpful Apps
• Yoga Breathing for Relaxation

Transitions

Tips to Ease Transitions

• Be intentional about finding community
  • Invest in making new relationships and maintaining established ones. Focusing purposeful time with people who you love and care about can make a world of difference!
• Create routines
  • Establish routines around eating, sleeping, going to class, exercising, and socializing. There is a lot of change happening at once, so offering yourself some consistency can help! These are also great ways to engage in self-care.
• Give yourself a break
  • Remember that you are adjusting. Don't be so hard on yourself. Allow yourself time, patience, and self-compassion while you navigate this transition.
• Practice stress management techniques
  • Deep belly breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or meditation can be helpful in reducing feelings of stress and anxiety.
• Identify and use campus resources and ask for help
  • Reach out to others for support - be it friends, family, a faith leader, or a mental health professional.