Staying Focused, Engaged and Healthy
The Office of Student Involvement wants to help you find ways to stay engaged while OASIS wants to help you stay focused on your studies and Student Counseling Services will help keep your mind and body healthy.
Tips
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Virtual Activities
Looking for somewhere “to go” during your study breaks? We have some FREE trips you can take and still do your part to #TouroNevadaStaysHome!
Museums
- National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.)
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)
- National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Gwacheon-si, South Korea)
- Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
- The National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico City, Mexico)
- The British Museum (London, England)
- The Louvre (Paris, France)
Sightseeing
- Check out this tour of Ellis Island!
- Take a tour of England thanks to virtual reality!
- How about a hike through Yellowstone?!
- While you’re at it, you might as well check out these other National Parks
- Have you ever wanted to visit the Great Wall of China?
- Try to maintain social distancing while walking through Pompeii
- Free trip to Mars!!!
Events
- Can’t make it to Broadway, no need to fear! Here are some Broadway shows you can watch from your couch!
- Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems. Hangout with a creative artist as he teaches you how to create some fun doodles! Every day at 1 p.m.
- Learn to make towel animals! This is a cool event we wish we could’ve hosted on campus! It’s DIY so grab a towel to get started!
- Free. Coloring. Books. How awesome is that?!
- Do you love a good poem? Poets.org is releasing a Poem-a-Day!
Workin’ on Your Fitness
- Planet Fitness is committed to helping you workout from home! Check out their Facebook link for more information!
- Channeling your inner yogi? Core Power Yoga is streaming all sorts of classes which you can do right from your bedroom!
- Nike Training Club - Free workouts through the app, variety of workout styles and levels
- Make art and crafts. Kids love drawing, painting, and creating with playdough or clay. Choose a new subject each day or let them explore subject matter on their own. The Art for Kids Hub on YouTube has guided drawing videos that are easy for kids to follow. Or download these coloring and activity pages from Life Time Kids.
Stay Connected with Stay-At-Home Parties!
We know that being away from your friends can be tough. We are here to find ways for you to be connected!
- Watch Netflix Party! This platform allows you and your friends to watch Netflix shows and movies at the same time, while interacting through a chat platform!
- Create a collaborative playlist! This is a great way for you and your friends to listen to music together and share the newest bop (that you really hope your friends will like too)
- Learn a new language together! Rosetta Stone is giving students FREE access to all their services for 3 months
Hangin’ With Animals
Penguins, tigers, (polar) bears oh my! The links below take you to webcams where you can watch various animals.
Virtual Disney World
Who knew that you could take a trip to Disney World in your PJs?! Grab your Mouse Ears and buckle up! A few of our staff members are huge Disney fans (remember when we did Disney trivia?!). We couldn’t pass up on this virtual opportunity!
- Space Mountain
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
- Slinky Dog Dash at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- It’s A Small World in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom
- Frozen Ever After at Epcot
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at Tomorrowland
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Keep the Kids Entertained Too!
- Spend time listening to soft music, nature sounds, or a guided meditation for kids like these from Headspace.
- Make slime.Kids just really love slime. Try this fluffy slime recipe from The Best Ideas for Kids that adds shaving cream for an extra-fun texture.
#MedReady Wellness Resources
Students from Touro Nevada have gathered resources to help you stay active and manage stress.
OASIS Study Tips for Online Learning
- Plan at least one fun activity for each Saturday and Sunday, whether it's alone or with family, to give you a reward to look forward to each week
- Get dressed and ready (cologne/makeup/hair/outfit) Monday-Friday to help put yourself in go-mode for the day
- Eat at least one meal a day outside, or away from screens
- OASIS learning specialists are here to help you stay accountable! Whether you want to drop in via Zoom for accountability as you get your day started, or talk about how to organize your time to fit your needs
- Pick one or more classmates you are comfortable with and form a silent study group via Zoom. Try the pomodoro technique and chat for a couple minutes with your partner(s) during the breaks
- Check out Figure1 for live scans/labs and cases of COVID-19 and other diseases to remind you what you're working towards
- Utilize Hoopla through your local library to rent free, uplifting audiobooks and schedule some time each day to let an inspirational story brighten your mood
- Check out a podcast. OASIS has begun a podcast featuring advice and experiences from current TUN students in varying programs, and there are lots of inspiring medical podcasts about a variety of topics
- Make an appointment with a learning specialist to reflect on how you got here and why you chose your program, telling your story will remind you that the struggle is worth the pain!
- Schedule 10 minutes when you wake up in the morning to reflect on what's coming up in the day and how you feel about it, and 10 minutes before you go to bed at night to reflect on how the day went and how you feel about it
- If you can barely put one foot in front of the other, try writing a post-it note checklist of simple things you want to accomplish in a given time period
- Reach out for help early and often. Classmates, tutors, faculty, staff, administration--we are all in this together. Maybe you want to schedule an appointment with a learning specialist just to talk about your favorite hobby or a person you admire. Talking about things close to your heart with others can help energize and ground you in this uncertain time.
Prioritize Your Emotional Health
Prioritize Your Emotional Health
As you navigate a new path, a new reality, associated with COVID-19, we want to remind you to prioritize your emotional health and help you create moments of peace, joy, and comfort. After all you’ve done to adjust to distance learning and social distancing, you deserve it!
Feeling Stressed/overwhelmed…
- Join TUN Student Counseling Services for Monday Meditation and Wednesday Wellness each week. Be sure to check your email for details.
- The struggle to focus is real.
- Practicing the "APPLE" technique can help decrease anxiety and worries:
Acknowledge: Notice and acknowledge the uncertainty as it comes to mind
Pause: Don't react as you normally do. Don't react at all. Pause and breathe
Pull back: Tell yourself this is just the worry talking, and this apparent need for certainty is not helpful and not necessary. It is only a thought or feeling. Don't believe everything you think. Thoughts are not statements or facts
Let go: Let go of the thought or feeling. It will pass. You don't have to respond to them. You might imagine them floating away in a bubble or cloud
Explore: Explore the present moment. Notice your breathing and the sensations of your breathing. Notice the ground beneath you. Look around and notice what you see, what you hear, what you can touch, what you can smell. Right now. Then shift your focus of attention to something else - on what you need to do, on what you were doing before you noticed the worry, or do something else - mindfully with Your full attention
- Being present eases anxiety and worry. Try 1 or all 52 free mindfulness exercises
- Feeling overwhelmed is OK
- Be kind to yourself--practice self-compassion
Feeling a little down in the dumps...
- David Kessler, a grief expert discusses how COVID-19 may be bringing up feelings of grief and anticipatory grief and provides strategies for coping
- It’s ok to grieve the little things
- As long as we also, practice gratitude
- Try the Woebot app--hundreds of expert-crafted tools to learn about yourself and improve your mood whenever you need them
- Advice from an astronaut on coping with isolation
- Learn more about how to cope and stay emotionally well during COVID-19 related school closures
- Ask yourself these six questions every day.
- Get instant access to self-care tips, resources, and connections with other students by joining the Active Minds Student Slack Network.
- Enroll in Yale’s free course, The Science of Well-Being--engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits
Feeling Lonely…
- Connect with a TUN therapist at tun.student.counseling.services@touro.edu
- Host a virtual NetflixParty. Netflix recently announced a new way to watch Netflix with your friends online. Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favorite Netflix shows
- Send a virtual hug
- If you are self-quarantining with loved ones, did you know that a 20 second hug does wonders? Oxytocin (the “cuddle hormone”) is released, a hormone that relaxes us and lowers anxiety. When it's released during these 20-second hugs it can effectively lower blood pressure and reduce the stress hormone norepinephrine
- Have a dance off with friends and have a live virtual dance party
- Cards Against Humanity or Checkers more your speed? Have a virtual game night and use Google Hangouts or Facetime to chat while playing. Wirecutter has more game night options and suggestions
- Go old school and phone a friend. This is a great time to check in with people you haven’t heard from in a while
- Pets are benefitting from our increased time at home. Share some of your best furry friend’s antics with others online
- Host a dinner party with friends or family over Facetime or Google Hangouts. Invite someone to a virtual lunch or coffee break.
- Find a penpal or write handwritten letters to friends/loved ones
- Contribute to history by sharing your coronavirus diaries.
Feeling sleepy…
- Take a break from the news and your screens
- Learn and practice good sleep hygiene
- Create your own sleep soundscape
- Get help for insomnia
