Written by Hannah Fusco, Class of 2023
With the continued stressors of college, the pandemic, midterms, and more, many of us have found it difficult to prioritize our mental and emotional well-being. Although it may be difficult at times to slow down during the crazy busy days, taking a step back and taking care of ourselves is very necessary in order to be able to get through the difficult times. This blog post will provide you with a recap of Vibe Time, and will provide some tips and tricks for coping with the various difficulties that come your way so that you can continue to perform and be your very best!
At Vibe Time, we brought in guest speaker Mackenzie Kim, who is currently a TA at Pennsylvania State University, where she studies Psychology. Mackenzie provided us all with very helpful tips that are directed at musicians and current college students that are attending school during the pandemic.
To begin, we went over the common signs of burnout and depression. Mackenzie mentioned that “burnout can lead to depression or feelings of depression”, so it is important to be able to recognize the symptoms and to apply coping strategies when we begin to feel this way so that we can learn to recognize and combat these symptoms.
Symptoms of Burnout and Depression:
Headaches
Feeling negative or critical
Exhaustion
Irritability
Physical illness
Insomnia/changes in sleep patterns
Anxiety or nervousness
Neglect of self-care
Feeling of numbness or apathy about life
Resilience and Window of Tolerance
As we continued the presentation, we spoke about the meaning of resilience, and how
emotional regulation is key to developing and maintaining a positive and productive mindset. If we are able to control and regulate our emotions, we will find that we may become more comfortable with being resilient, which will make having a positive mindset more achievable. There is a concept in psychology that is called the ‘Window of Tolerance’. The window of tolerance is very individual based, because everyone's window of tolerance may be different. The window of tolerance is what fits into what we are able to tolerate. This “middle ground” contains emotions and stressors that we know we are able to deal with no matter what, and this middle ground is called the optimal arousal zone. If we stay in this zone, we are able to successfully regulate our emotions and responses to daily stressors/negative emotions or thoughts. If there are events or emotions that become overwhelming, we may be pushed out of this zone and will be pushed into hypoarousal or hyperarousal. The goal of being able to use coping mechanisms to regulate our emotions is to be able to expand our window of tolerance so that we can have a broader window of tolerance in the optimal arousal zone so that we can successfully handle many more obstacles that life throws our way.
How to Cope:
Coping strategies may vary for everyone, but the following are tools that you can use in order to cope with any emotions or events that may cause you to feel stressed or overwhelmed.
Positive well-being:
Emotional awareness: Bringing attention to the moment and tuning in with ourselves to become aware of how we are feeling, and what certain events/things are making us feel this way. This is key to becoming emotionally aware and will create the ability to reflect on our emotions to hopefully improve them.
Emotional Reflection:
Emotional reflection is a very important part of becoming emotionally aware and creating a positive mindset. As musicians reflect on performances or listen to recordings in order to give feedback to themselves and improve the next time around, the same thing can be done with emotional reflection. A great way to get better at emotional regulation is to journal. Journaling throughout the day and taking note of triggers or emotions that were overwhelming is a great first step to cope with emotions that may be new or difficult to handle. At the end of the day, reflect on those emotions and come up with a “plan of action” on how to cope with them, or write down things you can do differently so that you can combat those stressors more effectively next time.
Acceptance:
Acceptance is an important part of positive well-being because there will always be things that are out of our control, and there will always be things that are out of our control. If we are able to identify what is in our control versus out of our control, this will help us to only focus on things that we are able to change, versus focusing on things that we have no ability to change. This will help eliminate some stressors that we may pick up that really do not have any place in our lives.
Coping / Mindfulness Exercises:
Mindfulness allows us to become comfortable with living in the moment and allows us to see all that is right in front of us, rather than focusing on our thoughts, the future, or the past. In order to live in the moment and practice applying mindfulness into our lives, we must first begin by finding coping exercises that allow us to connect with the moment. The following exercises can be added to your toolbag so that you can practice mindfulness!
5 Senses exercise:
This exercise allows you to identify 5 things that you can see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste. This exercise can be utilized in any situation that may cause stress or panic and is especially helpful before auditions or before performances. This exercise connects you with yourself and your surroundings because it makes you aware of what your body’s senses are experiencing.
Breathing exercise:
Step 1: bring awareness to what you are doing, thinking and sensing; be attuned to your current state and who you are
Step 2: bring awareness to your breathing for 6 breaths or for a minute
Step 3: expand awareness outward, first to the body and then the environment; notice sensations, colors, patterns, be present at this moment.
These coping exercises are helpful and are always available to use, and can serve as great tools to reconnect with yourself and improve your positive well-being. In Vibe Time, we also mentioned that through these difficult times, it is important for us to work together and be there for one another, rather than working against each other or working alone through things. It is important to reach out for assistance if you are struggling, and it is important to communicate how you feel when you are going through something difficult. If you are going through a difficult time and find that you may be interested in reaching out for help, the link below is the website for Rutgers CAPS. There are wonderful counselors and services that are provided for students in need, and are available for all students!
A huge thank you again to Mackenzie Kim for supplying us with many resources and exercises, and for opening a discussion panel for all to talk. I hope that these resources and exercises are helpful to all!
Comentários