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While You Are
Waiting For Your Counseling Appointment
Now that you've made the important
decision to seek help with your difficulties, below are some ideas to take
care of yourself while you are waiting for your counseling to begin. Not
all of the ideas will work for everyone, but you can try a few of them
every day to find ways to best help yourself. The first five are basics
that are helpful for just about everyone.Now that you've made the
important decision to seek help with your difficulties, below are some
ideas to take care of yourself while you are waiting for your counseling
to begin. Not all of the ideas will work for everyone, but you can try a
few of them every day to find ways to best help yourself. The first five
are basics that are helpful for just about everyone.
However, if
you are experiencing a crisis, are considering hurting
yourself or someone else, or are considering using alcohol or other drugs
to cope with an immediate crisis, and need to talk to someone immediately,
please contact one of the following services:
During Business
Hours:
Call the University Counseling Center
at
361-825-2703 or stop by the
University
Counseling Center at
Driftwood
102.
After Hours & Weekends:
Call
the University Police at 361-825-
4444
and the on-call counselor will be
contacted
to return your call.
Off-Campus Alternatives:
Call
the Spohn Memorial 24-hr
Psychiatric
Triage 361-902-4006 or call
1-800-SUICIDE
(1-800-784-2433) a
national
hotline
The following is for informational purposes only. It
is not intended to diagnose or treat any conditions. It cannot substitute
for a consultation with a physician or a mental health
professional.
SUGGESTIONS FOR
COPING WHILE YOU WAIT
Compiled by Brigid Cahill, Ph.D. at the University of
Rochester
Stick to a routine - get dressed, go to classes, go
to meetings. Keeping structure in your day can
help things feel less overwhelming.
Be sure to eat regularly and in a healthy way.
Skipping meals or overeating can wear down your
coping resources.
Get as much sleep as you need - and avoid sleeping
too much. Six to eight hours are what most people
need. To help with sleep, go to bed and get up up
at the same time every day, avoid napping, and do not study in
bed.
Do some physical activity that you enjoy - walking,
running, swimming, working out, playing sports,
etc. Moderate physical exercise can help you feel
better emotionally. Start small with walks around campus.
Talk to friends and family who are supportive and
positive influences. Isolating yourself can make
things feel even worse.
Try to do at least one fun or enjoyable thing each
day.
Practice relaxation activities, such as progressive
muscle relaxation and deep
breathing, hot baths, massages, and yoga.
Avoid using alcohol, other drugs, and caffeine for
self-medication.
Keep a journal - write down your thoughts and
feelings. Remember, this is just for you - so it
doesn't need to be perfectly written. It's an outlet for
you to express some of the things going on inside
you.
Self-soothe using one or more of your five senses -
watch the beauty of snow falling, listen to your
favorite relaxing music, wear your favorite
perfume, give someone a hug, eat strawberries,
etc.
Visualize a pleasant memory, a relaxing place, an
image of yourself feeling better. These can be
real memories or imagined events and places.
Visualize with lots of detail, using each of your senses to create
as vivid an image as possible.
Give yourself permission to not worry about your
problems for a while. Save your worries for one 20
minute period each day and only think about them
then. Visualize blocking away your worries or sad thoughts -
build a wall, bury them, lock them up.
Use humor - spend time with people who make you
laugh, watch a funny movie, read a funny book.
Challenge negative self-talk - pay attention to
negative messages you may give yourself and
challenge their validity.
Distract yourself temporarily from your difficulties
- watch a movie, read a book, play a game. Give
yourself permission to attend fully to something
besides your worries and concerns.
Attend to your spirituality - go to
church/synagogue/mosque - pray, read religious
works.
Visit the UCC Virtual
Pamphlets or
University
of Chicago Virtual Pamphlet Collection web pages for
more suggestions for coping with difficult
situations.
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