Wellness Resources
May is Mental Health Month at CGCC!
Throughout May, CGCC will offer a variety of events and resources focused on mental health awareness and support. Our goal is to promote well-being, share practical tools, and create space for open conversations that help our campus stay steady and supported during a busy time of year.
Slow. Yourself. Down.
The Art of Doing Less to be Your Best
During Mental Health Month, we invite you to Slow. Yourself. Down. In a world that often expects constant output and prioritizes productivity, this month is about learning to work with your energy, not against it, and what it means to engage in real, restorative rest.
The natural world has a steady rhythm. Like the tides, our focus, stress, and capacity naturally rise and fall. Through simple activities, creative spaces, and skill-building opportunities, you’ll explore how doing less of what drains you can help you stay steady, focused, and supported.
Read more about the theme for the month, watch your emails and social media for reminders, and view the CGCC calendar to keep up to date on all that is happening!
If you need assistance or to speak with someone about your mental health, please visit the Student Support Services and Community Resources pages for ways to connect with staff and both on campus and community care options.
Join us this Mental Health Month as we slow down, find our rhythm, and support one another in staying steady through shifting tides.
Events and Activities
The Tide Pool Project
The Tide Pool Project invites our campus community to slow down and notice the small moments of calm that often go unseen in busy seasons. Inspired by the quiet spaces found along the shoreline, this project reflects the idea that even in times of pressure, there are always pockets of steadiness, reflection, and connection.
Tide Pool Studio (Faculty and Staff Activity)
The Dalles: Monday, May 4th, 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM, Room 3.203
Hood River: Wednesday, May 6, 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM, AND available anytime through Friday, May 8, Faculty Resource Room
Take part in a fun, creative space to slow down, connect with your colleagues, while painting small stones with inspirational words, symbols, or messages of encouragement. These stones become part of a shared campus experience for our students, helping spread small reminders of steadiness and support across campus.
Shoreline Scavengers! (Student Activity)
Starting Monday, May 11 through the end of May
The Dalles and Hood River Campuses
Recreate the experience of tide pooling at your favorite beach! Students are invited to get outside, breathe some fresh air, and take a break from studies to explore campus and find painted stones placed around both campuses. Once you find one of these treasures, bring them to student services for a prize. You can also keep the stone as a reminder of how much our community cares for you!
Follow CGCC on Facebook and Instagram, and look for clues for the scavenger hunt in our posts. To follow us, scroll to the bottom of this page and follow the link for Facebook or Instagram.
Be Seen in Green! — Wednesdays, May 6, 13, 20 & 27
Wear your green! Show support. Reduce stigma.
Like buoys that help guide safe passage through sometimes difficult waters, green is a visible signal that mental health matters at CGCC and support is present on campus. It’s a simple way to show each other that no one is navigating alone.
Pause with Paws!! - Animal Visit with Columbia Gorge Humane Society
Monday, May 11th and Thursday, May 14th, Times TBD, The Dalles Amphitheater
Experience how connection with animals can calm the nervous system and help us slow down. Learn how animals support mental health and bring a donation (optional) to give back - a small act of care that creates a ripple of impact to support our community partners and the animals in their care.
Ocean Tides: Rising and Resting
Lunch & Learns
Take a mid-day pause to explore how stress and recovery move in natural cycles. This two-part series focuses on building practical skills to stay steady during busy times and create space for real, restorative rest.
Food will be provided (more info to come). Come for one session or both - each offers simple, useful tools to help you stay steady through the tides of the term.
Rising Tides: Managing Stress and Pressure
Tuesday, May 12th, The Dalles Campus, Room TBD
Learn practical strategies to navigate high-demand moments with more clarity, focus, and intention, without adding more to your plate.
Low Tides: Rest and Recovery
Thursday, May 21st, The Dalles Campus, Room TBD
Explore what meaningful, restorative rest actually looks like and how small shifts can help you reset, recharge, and sustain your energy over time.
Crafternoons
Peaceful Painting
Wednesday, May 13th, Available 1:00-3:00pm, The Dalles Library
Calm Coloring
Friday, May 22nd, specified event time in The Dalles 1:00-3:00 pm, supplies available all day
The Dalles Library and Hood River Commons
Thank you to staff member Danny Jacobsen for creating these Crafternoon events each month and supporting these activities for Mental Health Month!
Trainings and Skill Building
Skills to Steady the Waters
Faculty, Staff and Students are welcome to attend all presentations. Even if you have taken these before, come for a refresh of these important skills! Please note that the two trainings in The Dalles are back to back, with a short break in between, and you can attend just one or both.
Providing a Lifeline — QPR Suicide Prevention Trainings
CANCELLED/Will be rescheduled | Friday, April 24 | 8:30–10:00 AM | The Dalles, Room 3.202
Wednesday, May 6 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Hood River, Room TBD
Zoom Available for Both Sessions in Calendar Invites
This 90-minute QPR Suicide Prevention Training teaches participants how to recognize warning signs of a suicide crisis and respond effectively. The training provides clear, practical steps for supporting someone in distress and connecting them to appropriate help.
Rescue Ready — Opioid Response Training
CANCELLED/Will be rescheduled | Friday, April 24 | 8:30–10:00 AM | The Dalles, Room 3.202Friday, April 24 | 10:15 AM–10:45 AM | The Dalles, Room 3.202
Wednesday, May 27 | 12:00–1:00 PM | Hood River, Room TBD
Zoom Available for Both Sessions in Calendar Invites
This training focuses on recognizing the signs of an opioid overdose and responding quickly using naloxone (NARCAN) nasal spray. Participants will learn how to administer a dose and provide immediate support while emergency services arrive. Supply kits will be provided.
Thank you to our community partners, Debby Jones at Youth Think and Daron Ryan and Amanda Holste from the Hood River County Health Department, for presenting these trainings.
Zoom Backgrounds and Email Signatures
Sometimes support is as simple as being visible.
Add a Mental Health Month Zoom background or email signature image to show your commitment to slowing down, staying steady, and supporting one another. These small digital choices help create a culture where rest is respected, connection matters, and students are reminded they’re not alone. Download your “Slow. Yourself. Down.” graphics and bring a moment of calm into your daily digital spaces.
Thank you to staff member Jessica Griffin Conner for creating the graphics and providing these instructions!
How to Add a Zoom Background
- Click on a thumbnail below to get to the full-size image.
- Download the image to your computer (right click or shift+click and save image)
- Open Zoom
- Click the Settings (gear icon)
- Select Background & Effects
- Click the + (Add Image) button
- Upload your downloaded image
- Select it to apply as your background
Your background will now appear in meetings.
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How to Add an Image to Your Email Signature (Gmail)
- Open the image by clicking on it.
- Either download the image to your computer and upload the file to Google Drive, OR copy the URL listed for the image in the URL bar at the top of your screen.
- Open Gmail
- Click the Settings (gear icon) in the top right
- Select See all settings
- Scroll to the Signature section
- Click Create new or edit your existing signature
- Place your cursor where you want the image
- Click the Insert Image icon
- Upload your downloaded image from Google Drive, or Paste the URL of the image.
- Resize as needed
- Scroll down and click Save Changes
Your image will now appear in your email signature.
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Between the Tides: Library Display & Wellness Resources
Pause, reflect, and find what helps you move forward.
Discover a curated collection of books and resources focused on mental health, stress management, and sustainable well-being. While reading can offer a moment to slow down, it can also provide practical insight for the times when life feels full, helping you manage competing priorities, stay focused, and navigate pressure more effectively.
Browse the display, borrow what resonates, and explore campus and community resources designed to support you.
Check out this list of selected titles!
Thank you to staff member Danny Jacobsen for leading this project and designing the library display!