Self-Care Tips and Resources

As we continue to respond to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s especially important to practice and maintain self-care. Remember, help yourself before you help others.

SHR has gathered some resources that may be helpful for your self-care routine. If you have any that you’d like to add, please send them to: shrweb@ucsc.edu for consideration.

Sincere thanks to those folks who contributed their tips and resources for this page!

Emotional/Behavioral & Physical Health

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
  • Update: One-Year Enhanced Benefit-Six Counseling Sessions available 06/01/2020, due to COVID-19
  • This is a benefit provided to faculty and staff members. Up to 6 free sessions per issue, per calendar year are available. Here’s the link.
• Upcoming COVID-19 webinars can be found at the Risk Services Wellness Page
• Wellness/Meditation/Mindfulness Apps - There are apps for everything nowadays, and many subscription apps offer free trials. Headspace is a popular mindfulness/meditation app, for instance; in addition to its usual free trial, it’s offering a selection of meditations for free during this crisis.
• Helping Remote Workers Avoid Loneliness and Burnout
• Avoid Burnout in a Remote Team
• Anthem Remote Doctors
• Health Net Blue & Gold Remote Doctors
• Kaiser Remote Doctors
• CDC info. and guidance for COVID-19.
  • COVID-19: Stress and Coping
• WHO info. and guidance for COVID-19.
• Articles and additional info. on self-care:
  Shine - Care for Your Coronavirus Anxiety
  Psychology Today
  Women’s Health
  Success
  Health
  Everyday Health this is geared towards those working from home
  verywellmind this is focused on self care from the whole person perspective

Team Building 

• Try this online Pictionary type game.
  Could be used as an ice breaker for Zoom meetings or perhaps as a way to reset the mind for a few minutes during hectic Zoom meeting days.

• Standing Lunchtime Zoom Hangouts
  This can be a great way to socialize and connect. Folks can drop in and out of these informal (but socially distant) gatherings.

• After Work Socializing
  Virtual happy hours or group participation in an online crossword puzzle, for example. 

Education & Learning

• Virtual Webinar April 16th 12:00pm to 1:30pm COVID-19 Mental Health First
  Aid. Employees can register here
• Learning & Development has its own page. L&D posts a monthly calendar listing trainings. While March was sparse as a result of COVID-19, there are trainings calendared for April, some of which are webinars.
• MOOC catalogues an array of free, online Ivy League courses.
• UC Learning Center can also be a vital resource for training and educational opportunities.

Fitness

• Planet Fitness has free “work in” online workouts.
• 24 Hour Fitness members have access to online workouts through its “24GO” app.
• Try YouTube for body weight workouts or yoga.

Other

• UCSC benefit hub offers discounts and specials that are updated periodically.