With Thanksgiving behind us and final exams and the holidays quickly approaching, this time of year often comes with increased anxiety and unease.

Breathe — you’ve got this! Make a plan for preparation, schedule time for study and for self-care, do one thing at a time and check things off the list as you go. You will reach the finish line.

To help you balance your schoolwork with opportunities to refresh and recharge, I am sharing the many UCF resources available to support your success and well-being.

Academic Support

If you are looking for some additional support with particular classes, check out now through Dec. 5. Before and during final exam week, the will host multiple in-person and virtual final exam review sessions spanning a variety of academic subjects.

helps you navigate state and university policies related to academic record changes, curriculum file management, degree audits and graduation requirements. For more information about any of these services, you can visit us in Millican Hall in Room 161.

Mental Health Resources

It’s important to prioritize taking care of your mental health. Take advantage of these resources here at UCF to help you:

• : CAPS offers free mental health walk-ins, and their 24/7 crisis hotline can be reached by calling 407-823-2811 and pressing 5.
• : TAO is a self-guided interactive program that aids with managing anxiety, depression and other concerns.
• : Togetherall is a peer-to-peer space to connect with others experiencing similar feelings in a supportive environment, with trained professionals on hand 24/7.

Well-being Services

If you are facing unexpected challenges, reach out to  for wrap-around care and support. The office can be reached by calling 407-823-5607, emailing caremanager@ucf.edu and by submitting a  for yourself or a fellow Knight.

 offers wellness coaching to assist with your health goals and help you make lifestyle changes to optimize your well-being. Staff can help with nutrition, physical activity, stress management and more. Call 407-823-5841 to make an appointment.

Other UCF Resources

UCF has an abundance of additional resources available to you. Whether you need them now or down the road, please do not hesitate to reach out.

• : available for Knights who need support with items such as food, clothing and toiletries.
• : offers free legal advice, consultation and court representation in select areas of law that students encounter most often, including lease agreements and assistance.
• Emergency Funding: for those who are facing financial insecurity, contact Student Care Services for an application to be considered for emergency funds.
• : provides all members of the university community with an independent, confidential and neutral place to share concerns and seek resolution.
• : use this website as a guide to report an incident or concern.

We wish you every success on final exams and a happy, safe holiday season.

Keeping UCF a safe place to learn, live, work and play is a team effort that requires each of us to look out for ourselves and one another. Visit ’ website to learn about signs of distress.

If you are experiencing mental health crisis and need immediate help, always call 911. The National Suicide Hotline is also available 24/7/365 by dialing 988.

For Students

provides crisis-intervention services and comprehensive psychological services for students by appointment, walk-in or 24/7 hotline. CAPS can be reached by calling 407-823-2811. For after-hours services, call 407-823-2811 and press 5 to be connected to a licensed therapist.

UCF Student Care Services is the umbrella for student-related care resources and a great place to start if you are not sure where to go for help. Visit for resources and support with academics, finances or personal wellbeing. Free services and information are available for academic distress, homelessness, mental health concerns, financial challenges and more. E-mail ucfcares@ucf.edu or call 407-823-5607.

For Faculty and Staff

The , provided by Health Advocate, is a university-funded benefit that offers the support and resources you need to address any personal challenges and/or concerns that may affect your personal well-being and/or work performance. It is confidential and free to all faculty and staff (excluding OPS student employees) as well as their eligible family members, including spouses, dependent children, parents and parents-in-law. Health Advocate can be reached by calling their toll-free number at 877-240-6863 or by visiting their website at .

For Everyone

offers free, confidential advocacy and support to any student or employee who has been impacted by crime, violence or abuse. Specialists will explain options, make connections to appropriate campus and community resources, and provide other assistance. Reach a victim specialist 24/7 by calling 407-823-1200 or texting 407-823-6868 to discuss what you are experiencing.

“It’s really hard,” I said as I unsuccessfully fought back tears.

Everyone tells you parenting is hard, but no one tells you just how hard. You hear about the “baby blues” but not that you might endure weeks before finally experiencing a day without any tears — yours, not the baby’s.

She gave me a look of understanding and then told me she didn’t feel like herself until six months after the birth of her own children.

OK, I thought. Six months. March 2020.

Ha.

Come March 2020 on top of my anxiety, depression and self-confidence issues, I was dealing with something that no one had experience with and could give me advice on: parenting an infant during a global pandemic.

Add into the mix that my husband — who I love with my entire being — and I were trying to figure out how to be around each other constantly. That presented its own set of challenges.

My professional life, which was now being done from home, included writing thousands of words daily about the impacts of COVID to the university’s students, employees and operations, publishing a magazine issue, and a university presidential search.

And I expected to navigate all of this with the perfectionist standards I’ve had my entire life.

The “shoulds” took over, as they often do.

I should be able to write award-worthy stories.

I should be able to whip up a variety of homemade solid foods for my son so his nutritional needs are met and he doesn’t become a picky eater.

I should be waking up at 5 a.m. every day to run at least a 5K.

I should be able to do all of this and more because, in my mind, parents always have — and many during more dire circumstances with far fewer resources than I have.

But I just couldn’t do all of it and none of my go-to coping mechanisms — exercise, adequate sleep, limiting caffeine — were working.

“I was tired of measuring the success of each day by if I merely survived it. I didn’t want to just survive my life. I wanted to appreciate it and live it.”

By July 2020, I decided I couldn’t live like this anymore. I was tired of measuring the success of each day by if I merely survived it. I didn’t want to just survive my life. I wanted to appreciate it and live it.

I think that feeling coupled with my devotion to the only podcast I listen to religiously, Armchair Expert — which advocates the benefits of therapy nearly every episode — motivated me to finally take some action. The hosts Dax and Monica made me feel seen and like I wasn’t alone in needing help; that seeking counseling isn’t a sign of weakness — a philosophy of which I think our society has a long way to go.

I had heard about UCF’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which offers six sessions of free therapy per topic, but in the past I had always shooed away the idea. I shouldn’t need that. I have no major trauma in my life to cope with. I just need to suck it up and get through this.

But one day I vowed, today is the day I call. In less than 30 minutes, I was matched with a counselor. I had never done counseling, so I had no clue what to expect.

In my first online session, I explained my anxieties — that even though rationally I knew I was a good mom, a good wife, a good coworker, it didn’t keep me from feeling like nothing I did professionally or at home was good enough. That I was so overwhelmed at times, I was missing out on the joy of my son and my husband. That I wanted to be me again.

My counselor asked me an important question that has continued to help me shape the way I reason with myself when I start to spiral:

If a friend was telling you these same things about herself, what would you say to her?

I realized I couldn’t extend myself the same compassion that I would give anyone who was in such distress. And I mourned that I subjected myself to such negative self-talk when I would never let a friend talk about herself that way. Why couldn’t I want that for myself? How many days of my life have I ruined doing this?

So that’s what I’ve been working on. I’ve since done 11 video sessions with my counselor. We message from week to week in between sessions, and it has been so helpful to just talk to someone.

There are days I am better at giving myself grace than others. I’ve learned the end goal isn’t to be happy. Life isn’t happy all the time, and all of your emotions, even the tough ones, are meant to be experienced. That means you’re living.

My husband and I have even done a couple of counseling sessions together since EAP covers family members too. We both love each other, and we both are confident in the strength of our relationship, but again it’s free; what do we have to lose? One of the strategies we’ve adopted from counseling is to set aside time during the week to check in with each other; to hash out anything that might be lingering, address needs that aren’t being met, or tell each other about the moments we truly appreciated one another during the week.

I plan to continue counseling. I know now that practicing self-compassion and self-care need to be included among what we demand of ourselves.

I resent that our society doesn’t normalize, prioritize or validate mental health like it does physical health. Maybe if it did, I would have sought counseling sooner.

Nevertheless, I am here now and I am thankful that UCF offers the resources that serve as a reminder that, as Albus Dumbledore said, “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

Resources available to UCF students and employees

UCF offers its to all non-student employees. This program provides resources to help employees and their eligible family members — including spouses, dependent children, parents and parents-in-law — to address any personal challenges and/or concerns that may affect personal well-being and/or work performance. The EAP, administered by Health Advocate, provides confidential, short-term counseling at no cost to the employee.

Health Advocate toll-free number: 877-240-6863

Health Advocate website: 

If you are a student looking for help, (CAPS) is UCF’s mental health resource for students. You can visit CAPS’ website for . Students can also schedule phone or virtual consultation with CAPS by calling 407-823-2811 or visiting .

Student Care Services continues to work remotely with anyone who needs additional academic or personal support during this time.

Jenna Marina Lee is a features writer for the UCF Marketing and Communications department. She has also worked for the university’s alumni and athletics departments.

To ensure the health and safety of Knight Nation, UCF has organized an effort to help students and employees who are struggling due to COVID-19.

We are committed to supporting and offering relief resources for our Knights. UCF students who are experiencing a distressing situation that significantly impacts academic or personal success should contact  by email at caremanager@ucf.edu. Faculty or staff experiencing a distressing situation should contact  at askhr@ucf.edu.

If you’re among those in a position to help UCF students who are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, your support is urgently needed. Without a safety net, someone losing a job or a housing arrangement can face disaster.

In recognition of the unique circumstances in which we are in, UCF has postponed its annual Day of Giving. However, in response to questions and offers of help from alumni and friends, we provide the following information and ways in which you may lend your support, if you wish.

Gifts to the funds listed in this story will provide immediate relief for students or employees who are housing- and food-insecure, or who need emergency funding to get through this stressful experience and time of uncertainty.

• The Student Emergency Fund provides funding for students facing hardship or obstacles that make it difficult to continue their education at UCF. Students are selected based on merit and financial need, receiving support for tuition, textbooks, fees and other costs related to education. 
• °Őłó±đÌę Student Housing Insecurity Fund provides hardship support for students experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness.
• °Őłó±đÌęEmployee Relief Fund provides financial assistance to qualifying employees who are particularly hit hard by major events like global pandemics and hurricanes.

Visit for more information about this effort.

Members from 11 Florida institutions and one Georgia institution participated in the day-long conference. Participants included Dean of Students, Counseling Center staff, case managers and staff who support students of concern or students in distress as part of their primary job responsibilities.

Michael Freeman, education and training coordinator for UCF Wellness and Health Promotion Services, presented on self-care and cultural competencies for case management, “Balancing Case Management and Care Services on a College Campus: The Fine Art of Managing Expectations & Self-Care.”

Ann Marie Palmer, assistant director for Student Care Services, reflected: “We were very excited to host the conference again this year. It is an opportunity to meet with peers and discuss how case management is growing and evolving in higher education. Since most institutions only have one or a handful of case managers, having the opportunity to meet with peers is essential in order to best serve our students.”

For more information about Student Care Services, visit: .

The program, Student Care Services, is a new collaboration of departments on campus to ensure the wellbeing of UCF’s more than 60,000 students so their academic and personal success is not affected.

Students who have problems such as difficulty with economic or personal responsibilities, an unexpected health or financial issue, or who even just want to become more involved or connected on campus can find help.

The goal of the program is to intervene “before a student reaches crisis level and ensure the safety of both the student and the UCF community,” said Maribeth Ehasz, vice president in charge of SDES.

When a student reaches out, the Student Care Services team develops tailored action plans for individual success. Staff also coordinate referrals to campus and community resources, and provide education and outreach to university and community members.

Student Care Services also oversees UCF Cares, an umbrella of care programs and resources to foster a caring university community. The UCF Cares’ focus is more on safety and wellbeing, respect, sexual violence and mental health as part of its goal “to build a culture of care one Knight at a time.”

For a complete list of services offered by Student Care Services, go to . The office is in Ferrell Commons Room 142.

If any parents, student, or faculty and staff member have concerns about a student on campus, they should file a Student of Concern report available on the Student Care Services site. For reporting emergency and life-threatening situations, contact the UCF Police. 

For more information about the programs, contact caremanager@ucf.edu or call 407-823-5607.