About these resources
The articles, videos, podcasts, exercises, and online resources below have been hand-picked by our staff to provide information for students interested in self-help strategies, and support for students who may be waiting to see a counselor or other health care provider.
We also invite you to explore our Health Topics section and our Fact Sheet Library for additional resources.
Other resources for support:
Resources by topic:
Academic / career concerns
> Career Services (Cornell)
> Learning Strategies Center (Cornell)
> Tools for self-motivation
> Career / vocational choice test
> A compelling argument for Ivy League obsession falls flat
> How not to suck at grad school
> Humanities graduates are happy with their lives
> Toxic productivity
See also: perfectionism, procrastination, stress and time management below
Alcohol & other drugs (AOD)
> AOD information / resources (Cornell Health)
> AOD services (Cornell Health)
> BASICS (Cornell Health)
> Tobacco & nicotine cessation services (Cornell Health)
> Online alcohol assessment
> Alcohol and sleep
> Using Mindfulness to Help Cope with Urges/Urge Surfing
> Marijuana and the developing brain
> Urge Tracking Log
Anger
> Identifying and managing anger
> Tips for coping with anger (pdf)
> Anger is a secondary emotion (the "anger iceberg")
Anxiety
> Anxiety information / resources (Cornell Health)
> Managing anxiety and panic (pdf) (Cornell Health)
> Anxiety introduction / self-help
> Scheduling "worry time"
> How to stop ruminating
> Using exposure to lessen anxiety (pdf)
> Learning to manage anxiety demonstrations
> Coping with panic attacks online workbook
> Health anxiety online workbook
> Test anxiety booklet (pdf)
> Understanding Intrusive Thoughts
> Difference between panic and heart attacks
> Not Another Anxiety Show (podcast)
Assertiveness
> How to be assertive without alienating others
> Assertiveness Personal Bill of Rights
> Assertiveness online workbook
Athletes
> Convos Over Cold Brews with Emma Abrahamson
> Running on Om (podcast) - episodes 223 & 232
> The Lane 9 podcast (for female athletes)
> The Period of the Period podcast: Female athlete nutrition & REDs
> Phit for a Queen: A Female Athlete Podcast
Attention Deficit (ADD/ADHD)
> ADHD: Resources for evaluation & support (pdf) (Cornell Health)
> Understanding ADHD Guide (pdf) (Cornell Health)
> ADDitude Magazine
> ADHD and motivation
> Six strategies to get started on a project
> More strategies to get started
> Tips for navigating grad school with ADHD
> "How to ADHD" youtube channel
> Any.Do (app)
> Black Girl, Lost…Keys! Thriving with ADHD
> ADHD with Jenna Free (podcast)
Autism spectrum
> Neurodiversity (Cornell Health)
> Navigating college with autism online handbook
> College guide for students on the spectrum online handbook
> The world needs all kinds of minds (TED Talk by Temple Grandin)
> Goblin Tools (AI tools)
Bipolar
> Coping with bipolar disorder online workbook
> Living successfully with a mood disorder - free online course
> How to stop being overwhelmed by depression or mania - free online course
> Bipolar questionnaire (pdf)
> Mood tracking log (Cornell Health)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
> 25 CBT techniques and worksheets
> CBT worksheets, handouts, and self-help resources (downloads available with free signup)
> CBT manual for those with depression (pdf)
Depression
> Depression information / resources (Cornell Health)
> The depression cycle fact sheet (Cornell Health)
> 10 tips for dealing with depression in college
> Coping with depression online workbook
> Cognitive Behavioral Therapy manual for those with depression (pdf)
> Depression - The secret we share (TED talk)
> How to get stuff done when you're depressed (TED Talk)
> How to stop being overwhelmed by depression / mania - free online course
> 9 ways to talk yourself out of unnecessary guilt
> Mood tracking log (Cornell Health)
Distress tolerance
> Tolerating painful emotions
> Enduring emotional pain
> Alternatives to self-harm
> Sitting with painful emotions
> Overcoming distress intolerance online workbook
Eating / body image concerns
> Collaborative Health & Eating Program (CHEP) (Cornell Health)
> Body image & disordered eating information / resources (Cornell Health)
> Body Positive Cornell (Cornell)
> Nutrition Services (Cornell)
> Body acceptance and social justice
> Eating Disorders: What Are They? (video)
> Eating disorders self-screening tool
> Eating disorders from the inside out (TED Talk)
> Eating Disorder Hope: Self-Help and Recovery Tips
> Explore: Freeform
> Fierce Fatty
> Intuitive eating quiz
> Managing orthorexia
> Not Sick Enough (video)
> Orthorexia (obsessive pursuit of healthy diet)
> Project Health
> Project Heal's Meal Support Program
> Reach Out and Recover (ROAR)
Podcasts:
> You Can Eat With Us
> The Potluck Club Podcast
> Men Unscripted
> Body Justice
> The Hot Pot
> Girl Power Room (in Mandarin)
> Nourish to Flourish
Emotion regulation
> What is emotion regulation and how do we do it? (pdf)
> How to feel about your feelings
> Grounding and self-soothing for emotion regulation
> Affect labeling
> Accepting emotions improves emotional health
> How to avoid absorbing other people's emotions
> Achieving "Wise Mind"
> Alternatives to self-harm
> Tears: What are they, why we cry, and more
Gambling addiction
> Evaluate your gambling behaviors (self-survey)
> Free confidential support (HOPEline Services)
> International Center for Responsible Gaming
> knowtheodds.org
> NY Council on Problem Gambling
> NY State gambling resource centers - by region
> Responsible gaming information (ny.gov)
> responsibleplay.org
Grief
> Grief and loss (pdf) (Cornell Health)
> Grief support website
> Coping with grief or loss
> Coping with grief during holidays
> The long goodbye (9-part article series)
> Anticipatory grief
Happiness & well-being
> Building resilience information / resources (Cornell Health)
> Gratitude journaling
> The surprising science of happiness (TED Talk)
> What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness (TED Talk)
> Why our screens make us less happy (TED Talk)
Homesickness / New student transition
> Ways to get involved at Cornell (Cornell)
> Tatkon Center support for first-year students (Cornell)
> Freshman's video on loneliness of college transition goes viral (Cornell)
> What happens to your mind and body when you feel homesick
> 5 ways for college students to survive being homesick
> Mental health your freshman year
Internet / technology / video game addiction
> Benefits of a social media break
> Smartphone addiction
> Why our screens make us less happy (TED Talk)
> The psychology of video game addiction
> Coping with video game addiction
> Everything you need to know about pornography addiction
Introversion
> Introversion/extroversion quiz
> Stress management for introverts
> The power of introverts (TED Talk)
LGBTQ+
> Especially for LGBTQ+ students (Cornell Health)
> Gender-Affirming Care (Cornell Health)
> LGBT Resource Center (Cornell)
> The Trevor Project resources
> We're all hiding something (TED Talk re: coming out)
> LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory
Men & mental health
> The Good Men Project website
> Countering what it means to "be a man"
> NBA star Kevin Love on panic
> Jay-Z on therapy
> The lonely American man (Hidden Brain podcast)
Meditation / mindfulness
> An introduction to meditation (Cornell Health)
> Let's Meditate guided meditation series (Cornell)
> What is mindfulness about (video)
> Meditation benefits (video)
> Guided meditations & exercises
> Calm app
> Active meditation: How to meditate while you move
> Tara Brach Guided Meditations (podcast)
Nutrition
> Healthy Eating (Cornell)
> Nutrition Services (Cornell)
> Maintenance Phase (podcast)
> Dishing with Dina (podcast)
> Dieticians Unplugged (podcast)
> The RD Real Talk (podcast)
OCD
> OCD guide for college students (pdf)
> Explaining exposure for OCD
> Dealing with obsessive worry
> OCD assessment (pdf)
> Understanding Intrusive Thoughts
> The OCD Stories (podcast)
Perfectionism
> Perfectionism vs. healthy striving
> 14 signs of perfectionism
> Overcoming perfectionism
> Perfectionism and acceptance (pdf)
> Princeton professor's CV of failures
> 3 things I wish I knew about perfectionism in my 20s
> Toxic productivity
Procrastination
> The procrastination equation
> How to break the procrastination doom loop
Race / ethnicity / culture
> Office of Academic Discovery and Impact (OADI) (Cornell)
> Student Development Diversity Initiatives (Cornell)
> Asian & Asian American Center (Cornell)
> Undocumented / DACA support (Cornell)
> English Language Support Office (Cornell)
> Mixed at Cornell (short documentary video on/by biracial students)
> Racism's psychological toll
> The cost of balancing academia and racism
> How to overcome stereotype threat
> The Steve Fund
> Young people of Color self-help guide
> People of Color online support group (for students)
> My tiger mom prepared me for the ultimate sin: not being the perfect daughter
> How to disobey your tiger parents, in 14 easy steps
> Anti-racist resources for mindfulness and meditation
> Therapy for Black Girls
> Brown Girl Therapy
> Latinx Therapy (podcast)
> Dr. Raquel Martin, PhD: Black Mental Health & Liberation Psychology (resources & podcast)
> Fresh Out of the Cocoon (podcast)
> Relatively Asian (podcast)
Relationship / communication issues
> An Adult’s Guide to Social Skills
> Four S's of a healthy relationship (safety, secure, seen, soothed)
> How does the brain react to a romantic breakup?
> Is my relationship healthy?
> 5 small ways to avoid losing yourself in your relationship
> Dealing with jealousy
> Communication tips
> We're all hiding something (TED Talk)
> The power of vulnerability (TED Talk)
> What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness (TED Talk)
> The Sabrina Zohar Show (podcast)
Self-care / self-soothing
> Massage therapy (Cornell Health)
> Self-care when you're not feeling okay
> 60+ essential coping skills
> Grounding and self-soothing for emotion regulation
> Dealing with being touch-starved
Self-compassion
> Why self-compassion is healthier than self-esteem
> Trauma and self-compassion
> Building self-compassion online workbook
> Self-compassion videos
> Take a self-compassion break
Self-injury
> Understanding nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) (pdf)
> Distraction techniques and alternative coping strategies (pdf)
> Alternatives to self-harm
> Using Mindfulness to Help Cope with Urges/Urge Surfing
Sexual assault
> Victim advocacy (Cornell Health)
> SHARE (Sexual Harassment and Assault – Response and Education) website (Cornell)
> Recovering from sexual violence
> Why many rape victims don't fight or yell
Shame
> Overcoming toxic shame
> Listening to shame (TED Talk)
Sleep issues
> Sleep information / resources (Cornell Health)
> Let's CU sleep: sleep tips (pdf) (Cornell Health)
> Insomnia: what to do when you can't sleep
> Alcohol and sleep
> Alarmy app (can't snooze; have to get out of bed to turn off)
Stress management
> Stress management information / resources (Cornell Health)
> An introduction to meditation (Cornell Health)
> Let's Meditate guided meditation series (Cornell)
> Massage therapy (Cornell Health)
> Stress-reaction cycle
> Stress management strategies (pdf)
> Stress management benefits of taking a break from social media
> How to make stress your friend (TED Talk)
> Relaxation exercises in English and Spanish
> Relaxation exercises in Mandarin
> Calm app
> BellyBio interactive breathing app
Suicide
> Suicide information / resources (Cornell Health)
> Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service (Ithaca)
> Suicide Prevention Lifeline (national)
> How suicide deceives
> Stories of hope and recovery
> Suicide safety plan app
Time management
> Learning Strategies Center at Cornell (Cornell)
> Learning Strategy Center's tips and videos on time management
> Learning Strategies Center's time management system (pdf)
> Alarmy app (can't snooze; have to get out of bed to turn off)
Tolerating uncertainty
> How to tolerate uncertainty
> Understanding and overcoming fear of the unknown
> Acceptance of uncertainty workbook (pdf)
Trauma
> Victim advocacy (Cornell Health)
> Trauma and self-compassion
> Understanding the impact of adverse childhood experiences
> Info and strategies for PTSD
> Trauma in the body: An interview with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
Unhealthy relationships
> Victim Advocacy program (Cornell)
> The National Domestic Violence Hotline
> What is domestic violence?
> Healthy relationships spectrum
> How to identify and cope with emotional abuse
> 50 shades of gaslighting: Disturbing signs an abuser is twisting your reality
> 10 signs of an unhealthy relationship
> How to tell if you’re in an emotionally abusive relationship
Well-being & self-help podcasts
> The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
> 10% Happier
> Good Life Project
> How to Be a Better Human
> On Being
> We Can Do Hard Things
> Hidden Brain
> Mel Robbins podcast
> On Purpose with Jay Shetty
> Recovery Warriors