Can you believe it? I can’t. It seems unbelievable that universities around the country have had to resort to closing their doors mid-semester, sending students home and telling them to get online to finish their course work.
I’ve talked to a lot of students about this, and of course am hearing a variety of responses. Some are elated that their spring breaks are extended and they don’t have to return to class. The possibility of getting caught up on work and finding time to study for that GRE feels liberating.
And then there are students who are having quite a different reaction. When dorms are closed, they have nowhere to go. When their school facilities are closed, their research may lie dormant, destroying months or even years of work.
International students are in a particular pickle, without the means to get home, the uncertainty of being able to return, and the fear their education will be interrupted indefinitely.
All of these students are facing rising tides of intense fear and worry. What to do?
Here at the Koru Center, we are feeling a lot of concern for all of the students out there who are suddenly facing uncertainty, loss and change.
When the future is uncertain and our path forward is out of our control, it can be tricky to stay calm and grounded, ready to respond with thoughtfulness and wisdom to whatever comes our way.
Mindfulness, of course, can help. If you are needing a little stress relief, and want to either polish up your mindfulness skills or maybe learn mindfulness for the first time, you can try these options:
Join our Koru Un-Class
The Koru App is typically only available to folks who are enrolled in a Koru class. But there are features on the app that can help you de-stress, develop your mindfulness skills, and build up the skill of gratitude (which can decrease stress even further).
In honor of the extra stress-busting needed right now, we have created a way for folks who are not enrolled in Koru classes to purchase and access all the awesome features of the app. Koru faculty member Libby Webb will be providing some guidance and mentoring via your log book on the app. Visit koru.site/coronaresilience to sign up and create your Koru account.
Visit the Koru Student Site
We have free resources available at our Koru student site that anyone can use. You can access guided meditations and videos to help you fight stress. We’ve also put together a special guide for you to help cultivate resilience during this time.
A little mindfulness can go a long way towards building your resilience and managing unease. We hope you give it a try and let us know below how it goes for you.
