Feeling Stressed? Check Out These Campus Resources

While the return to campus life and in-person learning is something many of us have looked forward to, we know that the experience may also bring feelings of stress, fatigue and anxiety. These feelings are a normal response to difficult times. You have shown great resilience and strength over the last 18 months. But it is okay — and common — to feel uncertain and exhausted at the same time. 

Be aware of changes in your behavior or your friends’ actions that might be a cause for concern or indicate a need for extra support: missing class, seeming disengaged, showing less attention to self-care, or exhibiting any other out-of-character behaviors.  

All students (including graduate and professional students and post-docs), can connect with our wide-ranging University support resources. 

• Seek professional help before things get overwhelming. Initial visits to Counseling and Psychological Services are available Monday-Thursday from 9:00a-12:00p, and 1:00-4:00p and Fridays from 9:30a-12:00p and 1:00-4:00p. For urgent needs, you can reach CAPS 24/7 by phone: 919-966-3658. All students who paid the Student Health Fee in tuition and fees have access to these resources. 

• Get involved in healthy practices through Student Wellness by joining a Peer Health Organization, registering for a workshop or training, or working with a holistic wellbeing coach. 

• Reach out to staff on the Dean of Students team, who are available to provide a wide range of support and assistance. 

• Training in Mental Health First Aid can help you develop basic skills to assist someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis. 

• For tips and info on ways to stay healthy, sign up to receive updates from Healthy Heels: A blog dedicated to helping YOU stay healthy or follow @unchealthyheels on social media. 

• Seek support for challenges related to interpersonal violence by reaching out to the Gender Violence Services Coordinators; to file a report or seek assistance regarding discrimination and harassment based on protected status, please reach out to the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office.  

• Talk with a peer responder at UNC Peer2Peer, a student-led organization offering one-on-one peer mental health support.  

Other non-University resources include: 

• The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is available 24/7 for anyone who may need help personally or in support of a friend: 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741. 

• SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups and community-based organizations.  

• Hope4NC Helpline, 1-855-587-3463, to connect North Carolinians to additional mental health and resilience supports that help them cope during times of crisis.  

• National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233, offers highly trained advocates 24/7 to talk confidentially with anyone experiencing domestic violence, seeking resources or information, or questioning unhealthy aspects of their relationship. 

• Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network, 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), is the national sexual assault hotline, available 24/7. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of the resources above if you find yourself needing extra support.  

As members of the Carolina community, let’s take care of, and look out for, each other. Tar Heels Act. Tar Heels Care.