In the Loop Newsletter
April 30, 2025
First, we, the CIRCLE team, want to acknowledge the confusion, concerns and worries that the recent national news about the international communities may have brought upon. We deeply care for your overall wellbeing during this stressful time of uncertainties, whether through 1-on-1 conversations, group activities or resource sharing and referrals. Considering the fluidity of the situation, we strongly suggest you stay up to date via official UW communication channels for reliable sources of information. For instance, check out the ISS Director’s Update for the most relevant immigration policies and the ISS Blog for recommendations on travel and requirements on maintaining your visa status. Trust that the university community is working on addressing some of these issues resulting from policy changes. We hope you know that we are all here to support you.
Our greatest resource during difficult times is each other. In this newsletter, we would like to share some thoughts on caring for your well-being during these challenging times. With Mother’s Day approaching on May 11, we encourage you to reach out to all those who have cared and supported you throughout your journey. Mother’s Day can be an opportunity to acknowledge all forms of nurturing presence in your life. They may be family members and friends across oceans who continue to provide you with emotional support. They may be mentors, professors or coaches who have offered academic and professional guidance. They may be local friends’ family who have welcomed you into their homes during festivals and holidays. They may be roommates who helped you feel at home while away. They may even be a nurse practitioner at a school clinic or a cafeteria worker who cared for you. Notice these caring moments that have surrounded you and consider reaching out to loved ones with a heartfelt message or a call to express your care.
At the same time, we want to reiterate the importance of self-care. With uncertainties looming around us, it is tempting to retreat into oneself and fixate on the unknown. Nonetheless, there are still things in life that can help you maintain perspective and emotional balance. Consider taking an inventory of activities that energize you on a daily or weekly basis. Energizing activities utilize your character strengths, creating a state of flow where time seems to disappear as you become fully engaged. These are activities you genuinely enjoy doing and are looking forward to doing. Our CIRCLE SAB members have shared some of their energizing activities such as going to a gallery to enjoy the beauty of art, travelling to a new city or country to fulfill one’s curiosity and gaining new perspectives, taking a dance, knitting or pottery class outside of school to cultivate creativity.
We all juggle many responsibilities in life. During challenging times, there will be more energy-demanding tasks that are added to our already packed schedules. Try incorporating more energizing activities into your daily routine, even if just for 20 or 30 minutes. We encourage you to also explore ways to approach these additional tasks by leveraging more of your strength, sometimes simply through a mindful recognition of your feelings prior to or after completing the task. Even small adjustments can bring significant improvement to our sense of purpose. To learn more about helpful practices and mental health resources on campus, check out this article written by SAB members.
As always, CIRCLE is here to advocate, engage and support you at UW. Feel free to visit us in 250 Schmitz Hall every Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for office hours. Drop in and talk to a friend!