Caring and Healing in Life and Learning at UCI

Hello all,

It’s your co-VP Lexi here.

Words can not describe how much of an impact CHILL has done for me throughout my four years at UCI. Not only has it enabled me to broaden my knowledge on a subject I have such a great passion for, but it has also allowed me to teach others about improving their own lives. Mindfulness is not an assignment or activity, it’s a way of life and I will continue to encourage everyone I meet to practice it as much as they can. I hope that I have helped this club leave an impact on you, as I know it has left a huge impact on me. Please remember to take your mental health seriously, if you’re unhappy ask for help, seek out changes, be mindful of what’s making you unhappy, and most importantly be proactive. Thank you for allowing me to have a platform to represent mental health initiatives and for giving me a safe space for my own mental health. I will never forget CHILL and every face that has helped bring this club to life.

I graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychological Science. I will be pursuing a career in psychiatry, but for now I will be attempting to get into medical school. Wish me luck!

Thank you UCI! 💛💙

Hello beautiful people🤗 It is your Co-VP Carlie here! Since the school year is over and I have officially graduated, I would like to reflect on my time with CHILL and share my plans for the future✨

Gloria, Lexi, and I founded CHILL during our sophomore year of college as we noticed there was not any clubs that practiced self care and anxiety relief for students. Starting a club is hard, and we definitely struggled to make our imagined idea a reality. Because of this club, I learned so much about self-care, met some of the most amazing people who I am happy to call my friends, and most importantly, created a space where fellow students could talk about mental health without judgment🧠🗣! I also grew my relationship with our President Gloria and our Co-VP Lexi, as they remained my constants throughout the years💕. I never would have imagined how much this club has brought to my life and I am so happy to have been a part of it💛!

I graduated with my B.S. in Human Biology and plan on continuing my education by getting Masters and applying Medical School! I’m excited for the future and grateful for all I’ve gone through😊! Thank you UCI and thank you CHILL🙌🏽

We at CHILL are extremely saddened and infuriated at the deaths of innocent Black men and women at the hands of law enforcement. Racial injustice has gone on for far too long. We urge everyone to take action by using their voice and donating if means are available. But before all else, please make sure you are staying mentally healthy. CHILL recognizes that this is a difficult time filled with grief and frustration. We will continue to provide mental health resources available for everyone.
With Love, CHILL Team 💜✊🏽

Links: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j1Bn1a74bNhQ04BVuLRFG4-diLIMhI-dtEsHxaaAPd4/edit?usp=sharing

Hi friends,
I hope you guys had a great week! As you may know our topic for this week is uncertainty and I just wanted to make a quick note about it. Uncertainty is NOT a bad thing, it’s something that everyone goes through and it is part of everyones journey through life. I encourage you all to have compassion on yourself and remember that being unsure of the future does not mean that you will fail. Even being unsure of the next step isn’t a bad thing. Look at uncertainty with a positive and compassionate light to help your inner self as you move throughout life. You might now know what’s around that corner but it will sure make for a hell of a ride!
State safe please!!
Lexi ✌️

The school year is ending and that leaves a lot of open questions for the future of college students and graduates. While the future is still uncertain, the control that we have over the present still remains. Here are some tips that our members have to share about how we deal with this time of uncertainty and how we look forward to the future.

Yay it’s Friday! I wanted to end this week discussing something us students are STRUGGLING with... timing⏰. I know that everyone’s sleep schedule is practically non-existent at the moment, which likely means that we do have a normal eating schedule. Even if we sleep through breakfast or lunch, our bodies still need energy to start the day (regardless of what time it is), so it is important to eat when you wake up☀️ and try to have at 3 least meals a day! We need to remember to be kind to ourselves as we are all going through difficult time’s.

~ Carlie💛

hey everyone, hope y’all are doing well and hanging in there for the final weeks of school!

for healthy diets, i’ve been really mindful of what i input my body especially since i’m trying to gain weight and i struggled with that. so one way i do that is by making a protein berry shake! not only it helps give me the calories, but also giving me the nutrition from the strawberries and blueberries! definitely if you looking to gain weight or lose weight, make sure to properly research because it’s not all about eating more or less!! make sure you diet in a healthy way by paying attention to your calories and what you put into your body!

xo nina 💫

Hello everyone! Being mindful about what we eat starts with cooking😋 I’ve been using these past few weeks to find recipes that are simple and delicious to make. I always like to add my own twist onto certain recipes. One recipe that I’ve been perfecting is the perfect bowl of oatmeal.🌾

I found that the way I like to eat oatmeal best is by making overnight oats. 🌙 To do this, add your oats into a bowl, and pour in milk. Leave it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, the oats will have absorbed all the milk, and you can add in cinnamon, honey, and any fruits you have on hand. I also like go add in some coconut flakes and granola for some texture.

What other kinds of recipes have you all been cooking?

Nutrition is extremely important for taking care of our body. Don’t worry about staying on a strict diet, or of eating only certain foods. What we eat doesn’t define us, as long as what we consume is good for the soul. That’s why being mindful of what we eat, what we cook, and how we prepare our food is especially important. This week we will be sharing tips on how to create, consume, and be mindful of what we put in our bodies. Stay healthy everyone 🌈

hey everyone!

one way i practice gratitude is every night before bedtime, i recite in my head at least 3 three things I am grateful for. i recently started doing this last year and doing this activity helped me tremendously when it came to learning how appreciate simple joys in life!

if you’re prefer to write your thoughts down, i would recommend starting or buying a gratitude journal. if you guys want just a simple way to jot down your thoughts, i’ve included some story templates! feel free to screenshot and personally use them yourself

Hello friends! 👋🏾
Something I have found to lift my spirits during this quarantine is to show my appreciation to others. Making someone else feel good brings joy to my heart. Whenever I am with my family I like to bake them things so I decided to bake these cookies for my mom to take to work! My mom is a nurse and I wanted to show my gratitude for her and her colleagues for taking care of all of us. I added a little thank you note too🥰 - Carlie

This week's topic is appreciation and gratitude! During times like these, it is difficult to see all the positive things in our lives, but carving out some time to think about everyone and everything that is good in our lives can allow us to refocus our minds. We believe anyone can find joy when they are able to express their appreciation and gratitude. Think strong everyone!

🌞 I think one of the most inspiring things about nature is how patient you really have to be, in order to see growth. And I think that relates a lot to ourselves. 🌱 For me, at least, I find that I have an ideal self that I would like to achieve within a limited time. But the reality is that, like plants, we need time in which to grow. Growth will occur— maybe not at the pace we want it to— but it will happen and we have to trust and be patient with ourselves if we don’t see results right away. So during this time, I urge you to find a plant, or maybe start growing one from a seed. And during these weeks, take time to care, be patient, and take not of your plant’s growth, as well as your own.

These are just a few pictures of my succulents as well as my dad’s garden for you to enjoy and take inspiration from ✨- Gloria

Hiii

I hope everyone has had an amazing weekend, hopefully with some kind of connection to nature. Today I wanted to share with you how I spend my time appreciating our earth while practicing mindfulness. Although being mindful is something that you can do (and should do) in any kind of activity, being mindful in the outdoors is one of my favorite ways to help me relax. I love to sit on my balcony, especially at night, and notice every little thing around me. Analyzing each star that I see, feeling the difference in the night air, listening to the cars as they go by, or even feeling the slight breeze in the air. Being one with nature holds a lot of power as it helps me stay grounded and forget about stress, even if it’s for a few minutes a week. I encourage you to try being mindful in nature at least once this week, whether it be for 30 seconds or 30 minutes. Please try it out and let me know how it worked for you! Stay safe and healthy!

-Lexi ✌️

Hello everyone!

Spirituality comes in many forms for different people and I respect all forms of spirituality and faith. For me, spiritually is expressed in my religion. This quarantine has really allowed me to strengthen my relationship with my faith as I have had more time to evaluate what is happening in my life and in our world. I have always believed in the power of prayer and how essential it is to be hopeful.

Personally, my most impactful form of prayer is through writing. I have many journals and note boxes filled with written prayers that I like to write every night. I like to reflect on my day, recognize my blessings, express my worries, and then give them to God. It is like writing a letter. While this is not the only way I practice my faith, writing things down really allows me to solidify what I’m going through.

- Carlie :)

Hello beautiful souls,

At one of the most stressful periods our world has encountered, taking time to ourselves to connect to our spirituality relieve our worries is detrimental to our mental (and physical) health. My absolute favorite thing to do when I am stressed is to remind myself to be in tune with my inner soul. I achieve this through meditation. There are MANY different types of meditation ranging from 1-60 minutes and even beyond. It’s not about how long or how well you do it, it’s about how well it can ground you within seconds. The easiest practice that I find myself doing, daily, is a breathing meditation which I have included instructions how to do. It’s the perfect way to focus on what’s going on inside you right then and there. I strongly encourage you all to try a guided meditation, which you can find on YouTube.

Stay chill, loves!

Lexi

What’s up everyone! We hope you have all had an amazing weekend under the sun. This weeks topic will be all about spirituality.

Spirituality can mean something different to everyone, but I think we can all agree that it can be an outlet for stress. There are many diverse activities that you can do to become more in tune with you inner self. This week CHILL will be explain what spirituality means to them and how it helps them relieve worries, both internally and externally.

hewwwo it’s nina here! For this week’s topic on physical activities, I want to cover the benefits of exercising!

If I had to be completely honest, I don’t exercise on a daily basis but I do it more on a whim like randomly running, playing sports with my friends, or playing Just Dance. However, if I do engage in exercise, it is sooooo rewarding on my body and mind! My mind feels so clear and my body doesn’t feel rusty anymore. My mood improves and I get better sleep! I used to be on the Track & Field Hurdles Team so that meant I exercised every single day and I honestly missed that routine so much 🤧 I’m planning to get back into exercising soon enough so fingers crossed 🤞

xo nina 💫

Hello everyone! 🌄

I hope you all are staying busy and healthy!

I know that quarantining and social distancing can be tough at times and may leave you hopeless, BUT you have to remember that social distancing DOES NOT equal social isolation! It is extremely important to stay connected, whether it be talking to you parent on a call, your friends on FaceTime, or even your teachers on Zoom. Social interaction has a huge influence on your serotonin levels so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure you are checking in with your loved ones and friends. This week Chill has gone through tons of things that you can do to stay connected if you are at a loss on what might work for you.

Feel free to reach out to us through DMs if you need someone to talk to, we will always have open arms to give you.

Stay chill, loves!

Lexi

Hey guys! One way to stay connected with people during this quarantine is to write letters! Yes (you can call and text) but if you want to make it more personal and fun, get out a pen and paper and start writing. Feel free to decorate the card as well🖍. The receiver of the letter will likely be presently surprised to receive a handwritten letter from someone they care about 😊 - Carlie

Hewwwwo everyone, I hope your week 3 is going well so far ☺️

One of the main ways I maintain my social relationships, especially with my friends or boyfriend, is that we play online games together while simultaneously video/audio calling! Beyond just texting and video calling itself, I love to play interactive online games with my friends and boyfriend because games allow you to bond in a different way! It’s so much to share the fun, whether through exploring or building or drawing in the games, with my friends and boyfriend 🥰

In the first picture, I put a few games I play with my friends and boyfriend. If you’re into exploring and building, I would suggest checking out Minecraft and Animal Crossing. If you’re into role playing games, then definitely check out Maplestory. Skribbl.io is a fun drawing charades game! If you play Animal Crossing, comment down your code so we can become friends 😆

As for the applications I use for calls, I either use Discord or Zoom. Discord is really nice in that you can screen share and it’s usually an app used for gaming. For Zoom, when I have big group sessions, it’s nice to be able to see every of my friend’s faces!

With that being said, I would suggest playing online games with your friends and partner! Games can enhance your bonds more than you can imagine 🤩

xo nina 💫 @ University of California, Irvine

Hi everyone! It’s Ariel 🤠 The coronavirus has put a lot of limitations on what we can and cannot do. In the past, to spend quality time together, my family and I would go to the movies and eat out often. Nowadays, we can’t that anymore. But we’ve found a new activity that we can do while social distancing: hiking!! Here are some pictures from our hike the other day, if you look closely you can see Taipei 101!!

Even though the whole pandemic sucks, I’m grateful for this extra quality time I’ve been able to spend with my family. Hope you all are doing well!
@ Taipei, Taiwan

Benefits of Social Media in a time of quarantine:

I read an article earlier that stated that this pandemic is the first one to exist in our current time of social media. Meaning information can be spread the instant it happens to the entire world. While social media can lead to information overload and mass panic-buying of toilet paper, it can also offer us the chance to connect with friends and family in a time where safe social distancing is now more important than ever.

So take this time to video chat with family in another state, tag your friends in memes, create tiktoks to share with your groups. These are all ways that we can utilize social media to help us stay connected to one another. And if you want to create new friends, there are apps like Bumble that can allow you to find your new BFFs. So take this time go reach out to others because I can almost guarantee that there’s someone out there waiting for a person to chat with them 💛 -Gloria

Happy Easter everyone! The topic for the upcoming week is ways to maintain social relationships.

Maintaining relationships during a time of social isolation is a tricky road to navigate. However, relationships are especially important to maintain during this time of social distancing. This week, we will be sharing some of our tips on how we strive to maintain our connections with others.

Hewwwo y’all, it’s Nina, your social media chair, here!

One of the ways I ensure structure and incorporate time management in my life is by using a physical planner. I’ve built a habit of using a planner since middle school and it has stuck with me until college. I am a person who likes writing things out so a planner really helps me organize my thoughts, ideas, and tasks.

So if you’re a person like me, I would highly suggest on getting a planner because it’s really nice to see a physical schedule laid out in front of your eyes and plus it’s soothing to fill it out according to your aesthetic!

I really like the planner I got for this year because not only does it include a calendar, but it has other activities to fill out! If you swipe left, you can see what other things my planner offers and I honestly love this extra bit of my planner. So if you’re planning on buying a planner, make sure to check out what additional features the planner has (if you’re into that)

PS I bought my planner from Marshall’s and the planners there are really affordable (mine only costed $8) So be sure to head on over there if you’re considering to purchase a planner 🤩

xo nina 💫

@ University of California, Irvine

Having online classes makes it a bit more difficult to manage your schoolwork because you can be tempted to just hold off on assignments, or even forget to attend lectures 🤭. But one thing that has helped me throughout the years is to create a to-do list at the start of each day.

☑️Creating a to-do list is great because it narrows down your focus onto what you want to accomplish for the day. It keeps you accountable in order to complete tasks, and can double as a schedule. There’s a lot of flexibility on how you want to structure your to-do list as well. You can include an over arching goal you want to complete by the end of the week, or for the day. Personally, I like to include a bunch of small tasks, and throw in a few larger tasks, just so I don’t get overwhelmed with only big tasks. Another way in which to organize your list is by grouping your tasks in levels of priority. The passion planner provides a good outline for that, and they have free downloads on their website as well.

Hope this helps you all! -Gloria ✨

Hellooooo, we hope spring quarter is starting off well for everyone! CHILL is back better than ever and we have exciting things planned for our followers.

Up until Week 10, CHILL is now going to post a meaningful topic every Sunday. We will briefly discuss the importance of this topic on the Sunday’s post. Then from Monday to Saturday, each CHILL board member will take over the account for 1 weekday and show you guys how they demonstrate that topic in their life 🤩 We hope to make our posts and stories personable and relatable to you guys! Don’t be afraid to participate and ask us questions, we would love to chit-chat 💕

With that being said, our first topic is structure & time management. Spring quarter has been changing and working and studying from home has been more difficult. But we can counter this by having a set schedule and goals to help with time-management and to provide some structure to your daily routine.

Long time no see everyone

Hello everyone!! CHILL is hosting a workshop on the upcoming Tuesday. Midterm season is finally over and so come de-stress with us! We will be making DIY stress balls that the next time finals come around, you will have a tool to help you cope with stress 😌😌