Hi ABSA family! On January 24, ABSA invited Standish Management and friends at Asian Alliance for Mental Health (AAMH) to collaborate on a mental health event. During this event, we discussed a variety of topics ranging from strategies on how to deal with mental health struggle as well as activities to practice mindfulness and how Standish Management as a company addresses mental health. We understand that as students we are busy managing our time with classes, extracurriculars, work, and self-care. We hope these tips and tricks can be helpful to you as we approach midterm season.
With that, here are key takeaways from Mental Health with Standish Management (guest speakers - Sabrina de Bont, Sarah Boyce, and Ian Christie):
What are strategies we can use to plan ahead when going into a stressful week?
Plan out your day:
This is super important because it helps make tasks more manageable for yourself
Ask senior team member for priorities:
When you start working, it’s a good idea to ask when you’re not sure which tasks should be prioritized so you can complete and process what comes first while everything else can come second afterwards
Communicate timing of projects:
It’s necessary to communicate with team members on projects
Trying to impress people can sometimes be in detriment to your own mental health
In order to overcome this, it’s important to come to terms with yourself and let someone help you because this is your biggest asset when it comes to mental health
Breaking down large projects into smaller pieces:
Understand what’s achievable for you today -- this makes it less daunting when you break it up, especially with procrastination
When we procrastinate, it often stems from perfection because we don’t think we’ll achieve it in the moment and wait
One suggestion to overcome this is to break a challenging task into smaller pieces so you’re able to take on the task sooner
Ask for help when you’re stuck:
This is crucial! Continue reaching out to professors to receive help and feedback that you actually need to keep going
Planning out PTO:
Although paid time off is more relevant for internships or work, make sure to take your vacation time because people need breaks
When you’re feeling down or stressed out, take a day off without looking at your emails
Plan time off so that you have something to look forward to after you’ve finished all your large deadlines
Decompressing is paramount for mental health so make sure to take time for yourself and take mental health days when needed
Having a good routine:
This is key! Taking those 10 minute breaks to get lunch or workout is necessary
Get into routines that become almost like a comfort for you, such as morning routines and sipping a cup of coffee after you wake up, for example
What are some personal activities or strategies to be mindful of to nourish ourselves?
Taking scheduled breaks
Getting up and stretching during breaks gives you more energy.
This is important to communicate once you’ve entered the workforce -- let your coworkers know or put it on the calendar so everyone can see it
Set up boundaries that respect you and that you deserve that time as a break
Planning out PTO
Take time for yourself!
The thing with mental health is that you have to be selfish about it and do what’s best for yourself
Communicate wellbeing and burnout
No one will know how your mental health is doing unless you communicate that
If you’re feeling burned out or overwhelmed, it’s good to communicate that and reach out to someone
Letting someone know where you’re at helps because people are willing to work it out with you and adjust
It’s hard to understand how people are doing, which is why it’s important to have these conversations
Be open and honest about it because it will ultimately help your team
Find a mentor
This can help when you’re first entering a job
Finding someone who’s been there before or has gone through the same steps and has experience can be super helpful
If possible, try to find someone who’s been in your shoes before and can give you tips and tricks
Form genuine relationships
Maintaining those relationships you have in your life and connecting with people on a personal level can boost your mental health
Get to know coworkers on a personal level because this makes being around them easier and more comfortable
You can start to bond with people and share common interests
Participate in social activities
It’s always good to do things to take your mind off the daunting task at the time
Go have fun with your friends
Do something that you enjoy so you’ll feel refreshed and have a more positive experience when coming back to tackle a daunting task
*Overall, know what works for you—something that could work for someone else might not work for you to reset your mindset. Get to know all the ideas, try them out, and see which work best for you!
How Standish Supports Mental Health
Coffee Chats
Mentor program
Onboarding buddy
Encouraged to take PTO
Recognize hard work
Celebrate milestones - birthdays, end of busy season party
Schedule flexibility
Highlights from Standish Management:
Importance of planning ahead
Personal activities to help
Changing our mindset
Being honest and open
Reflection
Prioritize yourself!
If you’re looking for more opportunities and internships with Standish Management, visit here.
Thank you to AAMH for collaborating on this event with us!
Here are the mental health resources that AAMH shared (if you ever need to reach out for help):
At UW
Urgent/Crisis Help: (866) 427-4747
UW Counseling: (206) 543-1240, washington.edu/counseling
LiveWell Student Care: lwcare@uw.edu, livewell.uw.edu/student-care/
Let’s Talk: wellbeing.uw.edu/virtual-lets-talk/
Outside UW
Interconnections Healing Center: interconnectionshealing.com
Asian Counseling and Referral Service: acrs.org
Asian Counseling and Treatment Service: actsrehab.org
MultiCare Asian Counseling: multicare.org/behavioral-health-programs-adults-asian/
That wraps up the blog for this week, thank you so much for reading! You should feel proud for being able to balance everything that’s happening in your life, especially on top of a pandemic. In case no one has told you today, you’re doing great! We hope you’ve been doing well so far this quarter and wish you the best of luck on midterms! Remember to stay safe, healthy, and happy and we hope to see you at the Lunar New Year Social next week (so we can all participate in a fun social activity to nourish ourselves)!