Emotional Well-Being During COVID

Woman meditating.

How you manage your daily stress during COVID can impact your emotional and physical health in the long term. There are many stress management tools available. Not every tool works for every person, and no tool works all the time.

Identify tools that may help you at different times. If something works for a time then doesn’t work  as well, try something new. As always, if you are in crisis, reach out for help (find resources below).

Medical personnel working at table.

Decompression Sessions – Drop-ins

Employee Well-Being & Nursing Excellence will have a variety of self-care activities to help cope with the stress of COVID-19 including breathing sessions, coloring stations, yoga mats, tranquil music, massage, snacks, and 1:1 Well-Being Sessions. No appointment needed.

Held in BBRP 3000

Mornings M-F 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Sometimes the hardest part about asking for help is recognizing the need to ask. Some good times to reach out for support are when:

  • …you have discussed your feelings with family and/or friends, and they/you do not feel they can help.
  • …you choose not to discuss your feelings further with family and/or friends for fear of “burdening” them.
  • …you feel isolated and believe that you have no one who cares about how you feel.
  • … you don’t spontaneously snap out of feeling badly within a few days to several weeks.
  • …you feel stuck in a behavior, thoughts, or feelings that you want to change but can’t change on your own.
  • …you want the perspective of a trained professional.
  • …you believe your work and/or relationships may be compromised by how you are feeling, thinking, or behaving.
  • …you want to learn a specific coping skill, i.e. relaxation, biofeedback, assertiveness, etc.
  • …you and your partner want help communicating better (couples counseling).
  • …your self-esteem seems to be draining away and/or you feel overwhelmed with responsibilities.
  • …you don’t necessarily feel you have a problem but would like to think “preventively” about your emotional health and personal growth.
  • …you feel you are using alcohol or illicit drugs to “self-medicate” or to make yourself feel better.
  • …you feel burned out and/or emotionally exhausted.
  • …you are thinking about self-harm or about suicide.
  • …you are engaging in self-harm or self-destructive behavior.
  • ...you think it would be helpful to you.

Common Questions About Emotional Health

Always feel free to reach out to the UNM Office of Professional Wellbeing or UNMH Employee Well-being from the  intranet or your VPN access – we are happy to work on connecting you with the right professionals – or meet with you 1:1. Please also see mentalhealth.unm.edu.

For HSC Students, Residents and Fellows Only:

Rebecca Ezechukwu, PhD, UNM Psychologist
505-274-8919 or Rezechukwu@salud.unm.edu

Raven Cuellar, Ph.D., UNM Psychologist
505-239-9880 or ravencuellar@salud.unm.edu

For SOM Medical Students, Residents and Fellows Only:

Jeff Dunn, MD is a psychiatrist who has 0.45 FTE to see SOM residents and fellows only. He can be contacted for therapy and/or medication management. He can be reached at JeDunn@salud.unm.edu and usually responds within 24 hours.

For UNMH Clinical Staff and Employees, all SOM Residents and Fellows:

Outcomes EAP provides 1:1 counseling, couples counseling, education and conflict resolution. Please call 505-243-2551.

For all UNMH Clinical Staff and Employees:

Steve Nuanez, LCSW, Director of UNMH Employee Well-being, is available to meet with individuals. Access UNMH Employee Well-being from the intranet or your VPN access.

For all HSC Faculty and Staff, Including Residents and UNMG Employees:

Counseling and Referral Services (CARS) is UNM’s main Employee Assistance program. They provide individual and couples counseling, seminars and workshops. Call 505-272-6868.

For Everyone Who Works at the UNM HSC, UNMH, SRMC and UNMMG:

  • The Women’s Resource Center, a UNM main campus resource, recently opened a resource center on the North campus called the Vassar House. The Vassar House provides counseling, group workshops, advocacy and more. All services are confidential and are NOT charted in Power Chart
  • 1:1 brief, confidential wellness checks with psychologists - no documentation in Power Chart, confidential, free of charge. Contact clinic coordinator Dalia Thompson at 505-272-6130.
  • Peer Supporters - For faculty, please contact OPW@salud.unm.edu to be connected with a faculty peer for anonymous, confidential support.