This post is part of an ongoing blog series from Trevecca’s SWEET (Student Wellness Education and Engagement at Trevecca) team. Every other Wednesday for the next few months, they’ll be offering up wellness tips to help our students navigate life in a COVID-19 world.

Spending time with our families can be comforting, safe and even fun. At the same time, being with our families can be complicated, confusing and downright stressful. These days, however, things at home might be even more challenging. With a global crisis that has flipped our lives upside down, what seemed like annoying, pesky issues at home before may now feel heavy and unbearable. 

While a student at Trevecca, Katerine Hernandez Albert (’15) began honing her leadership skills, serving as a peer mentor, president of Trevecca’s FUTURO chapter and director of the University’s chapter of Best Buddies International. After graduation, she served as program coordinator, then program director for YMCA Latino Achievers before moving to Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), a global leader in music rights management. Albert currently serves as a human resources generalist for the Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC). 

A few years ago, Lisa Heffron set a goal. 

Dear graduates,

This post kicks off an ongoing blog series from Trevecca’s SWEET (Student Wellness Education and Engagement at Trevecca) team. Every other Wednesday for the next few months, they’ll be offering up wellness tips to help our students navigate life in a COVID-19 world.

We know that social distancing can be very difficult, but don’t worry! Social distancing doesn’t have to mean social isolation. Now more than ever, it’s important to connect with others and help ease some of the lonely feelings that come from being physically apart from friends and loved ones. 

The author of several books, including Following Jesus: Prophet, Priest, King and Kings and Presidents: Politics and the Kingdom of God, Dr. Tim Gaines is an associate professor in Trevecca’s Millard Reed School of Theology and Christian Ministry. Ordained as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene, Gaines has served in various pastoral capacities in Kansas City, Chicago and California, and presently serves on the pastoral staff at Trevecca Community Church. As a research fellow at the Stead Center for Ethics and Values, he conducted research in the areas of energy, economics, and bioethics. He has published articles in several academic journals and contributed chapters to several books on various topics related to theology, ethics and technology.

For the last few years—and especially now as you approach the end of your coursework, you’ve probably imagined walking across the stage to receive your diploma and celebrating with family and friends as you depart the Hill.

Unfortunately, many of the festivities that come along this special milestone are currently postponed as a result of COVID-19. As we approach graduation, Miller Folk, a counselor in the Trevecca Counseling Center, shares some advice on how to deal with a few common myths about grief.

Many of us are experiencing new challenges as Trevecca shifts to an online-only learning format. For some, moving from in-person to online learning means adjusting to a whole new way of doing things. For others, learning online means adjusting to the distraction of family members or roommates who are working from home or children out of school who need to be cared for. 

As we all grapple with the effects of COVID-19 on our world, it’s easy to let worry and fear creep in. What if I lose my job? What if I—or my spouse, my child or my parent—get(s) sick? What if my job responsibilities become so overwhelming that I don’t have time for my family, my faith or anything else I was planning to do, like going back to school? 

In times of uncertainty, it’s normal to struggle with fear, doubt and worry. With the threat of COVID-19 hanging overhead, it may be difficult to think about the future or next steps. But now’s the time to invest in what’s next for you, and you can trust Trevecca to help you along the way. Here are a few tips to help you navigate this season of uncertainty.

Right now the future feels uncertain. It’s easy to let anxiety and worries about tomorrow overtake us. But in moments of uncertainty, it’s always good to rest on the unchangeable character of God. As we head into the Easter weekend, University Chaplain Erik Gernand offers five truths from Scripture that never fade, no matter the current circumstances.