Gundeep Singh
Becky Tekin, a student in Humber College’s Fitness and Health Promotion course, considers language as the greatest barrier to express her views.
And that makes her restless.
“I got stressed as soon as I got into college because English is not my first language and studying and socializing with others is hard for me,” she said.
For Stefanie Satorsola, Health Promotions coordinator at Humber, it is important to discuss and address people’s problems and concerns extensively.
Humber College organized a Mental Health and Wellness event held on March 5 where nurses and counsellors provided personal tips to students to overcome problems.
“We target the basic and everyday strategies, linking to nature, socialization, going for activities, the numerous resources, and the basic tips, counsellors can have a more in-depth discussion and address student’s concerns,” Satorsola said.
Students feel a sense of baggage that they’re carrying when it comes to communicating and socializing with other people and sharing their problems.
“Organizing these events becomes important as a lot of students feel embarrassed to talk about these problems and share their mental health conditions,” said Daniel Wasik, a third-year nursing student.
“Except being socially embarrassed, the three other reasons behind students facing stress are lack of physical exercises, lack of sleep and also not having a proper diet,” he said.
These types of events help raise awareness and normalize dealing with mental health issues for students, who can then utilize resources to facilitate their wellness.
“I get a lot of anxiety especially in social situations where I have to interact with people, it also happens around my friends while I interact with them,” said Erika Tapang, a second-year Nursing student.
“Coming here and attending the event has boosted my confidence and now I feel relaxed,” she said.
Sharing problems with someone can decrease anxiety about them and when students openly express themselves, then the chances of improvement increase, Wasik said.
The event comprised of a self-care stress kit, which had a stress ball and a bookmark with five essential tips to deal with stress. The five basic tips are to socialize with others, take five deep breaths, listen to music, connect with nature, eat and sleep well, and get active.