Emotional Wellbeing

Health Empowerment Tools

BWell has developed a collection of health empowerment tools specifically for Brown students.   Each tool is community- and evidence-informed and created to address some of the social determinants of health as well as safety practices that are currently impacting individual and community wellbeing.  You will find worksheets, infographics, videos, an online assessment, and links to additional resources. Click on anything that appeals to you to try it out!

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Safety Planning Worksheet for Self and Community

This safety planning tool is a resource to help you proactively consider ways to care for yourself and your community in times of distress. Consider setting aside time to map out the people, practices, and resources that ground you and help to keep you and your community safe.

PDF iconTapping in to Self & Community Care.pdf

Bystander Intervention as Safety Planning

This resource is meant to help you create a proactive care plan for yourself, and your community, in difficult times. In particular, it may be helpful to think about the ways you want the people in your life to intervene if they see a harmful action being taken towards you. Use this worksheet to choose strategies that are informed by, and prioritize, each person’s strengths, boundaries, and safety. However, while many strategies are available to prevent and respond to harm and this worksheet offers one approach, please remember that harm and harassment is never the fault of those who are being targeted.  The responsibility for the harm lies with those who are perpetrating and perpetuating harm and prevention requires them to stop and be responsible for their behavior and actions.

PDF iconSafety Planning BI worksheet.pdf

Self-care assessment and planning worksheet

Reflection on Fulfilling Relationships

Fulfilling relationships look different for different people and can vary based on your identities, lived experiences, and culture. It can be helpful, to begin with some personal reflection on your individual values and how those connect to what you are looking for in your relationships. Consider using these worksheets to help you define what a fulfilling relationship looks like for you.

PDF iconFulfilling Relationships Worksheets (1).pdf

Daily practice development worksheet

Mindful journaling worksheet

Social support network mapping worksheet

Coping with worry video

Breathing technique videos

Simple breathing techniques are an effective stress management technique which can be practiced almost anywhere at anytime. Try these two videos for two simple guided breathing practices:

Box breathing

Breathe

 

 

5 simple skills to "reset" video

Sleep hygiene assessment tool

Self-massage

You’re probably already aware how much a professional massage at a spa or health club can help reduce stress, relieve pain, and ease muscle tension. What you may not be aware of is that you can experience many of the same benefits at home or work by practicing self-massage—or trading massages with a loved one.
Try taking a few minutes to massage yourself at your desk between tasks, on the couch at the end of a hectic day, or in bed to help you unwind before sleep. To enhance relaxation, you can use aromatic oil, scented lotion, or combine self-message with mindfulness or deep breathing techniques.

A five minute self-massage to relieve stress:

A combination of strokes works well to relieve muscle tension. Try gentle chops with the edge of your hands or tapping with fingers or cupped palms. Put fingertip pressure on muscle knots. Knead across muscles, and try long, light, gliding strokes. You can apply these strokes to any part of the body that you can reach easily.

For a short session like this, try focusing on your neck and head:

  • Start by kneading the muscles at the back of your neck and shoulders. Make a loose fist and drum swiftly up and down the sides and back of your neck. Next, use your thumbs to work tiny circles around the base of your skull. Slowly massage the rest of your scalp with your fingertips. Then tap your fingers against your scalp, moving from the front to the back and then over the sides.
  • Now massage your face. Make a series of tiny circles with your thumbs or fingertips. Pay particular attention to your temples, forehead, and jaw muscles. Use your middle fingers to massage the bridge of your nose and work outward over your eyebrows to your temples.
  • Finally, close your eyes. Cup your hands loosely over your face and inhale and exhale easily for a short while.
     

Visualization

Visualization, or guided imagery, is a variation on traditional meditation that involves imagining a scene in which you feel at peace, free to let go of all tension and anxiety. Choose whatever setting is most calming to you, whether it’s a tropical beach, a favorite childhood spot, or a quiet wooded glen.

You can practice visualization on your own or with a therapist (or an audio recording of a therapist) guiding you through the imagery. You can also choose to do your visualization in silence or use listening aids, such as soothing music or a sound machine or recording that matches your chosen setting—the sound of ocean waves if you’ve chosen a beach, for example.

How to practice visualization: 

Close your eyes and imagine your restful place. Picture it as vividly as you can—everything you can see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. Just “looking” at it like you would a photograph is not enough. Visualization works best if you incorporate as many sensory details as possible.

For example, if you are thinking about a dock on a quiet lake:

  • See the sun setting over the water
  • Hear the birds singing
  • Smell the pine trees
  • Feel the cool water on your bare feet
  • Taste the fresh, clean air

Enjoy the feeling of your worries drifting away as you slowly explore your restful place. When you are ready, gently open your eyes and come back to the present.

Don’t worry if you sometimes zone out or lose track of where you are during a visualization session. This is normal. You may also experience feelings of heaviness in your limbs, muscle twitches, or yawning. Again, these are normal responses.

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