We’ve asked two mental health experts at the Student Wellness Hub how students can weather the final weeks of the semester after a difficult year. Bianca Brunetti, a Local Wellness Advisor and Nauveen Dubash, a Counsellor, weigh in on specific coping strategies and resources students can use to build and strengthen their wellness toolkit.
On Why Self-Care Isn’t Just a Buzzword:
Self-care is so much more than bubble baths and face masks—it’s the heart of the wellness toolkit. It’s personal, dynamic, and a constant work in progress. It can take 3 minutes, a few hours, or simply be built into in your day. Rather than thinking of self-care as a chore, reframe it as simply part of your daily routine.
“If you want to be a good friend, student, or employee you need to prioritize, practice and integrate your own version of self-care and self-compassion into your life. It isn’t selfish to take care of yourself, it is in service of all your goals.”
-Bianca
“Self-care should not be thought of as optional and conditional. It is not a ‘treat’ after you finish doing all tasks for the day. It is necessary, like refuelling a car. We often are quick to prioritize school, work, and chores, and we find ourselves low on the list.”
-Nauveen
On How to Incorporate Self-Care:
To help understand which self-care practices are most helpful to you, start by reflecting on how you re-energize. Do you need alone time? Do you thrive when in an energetic setting? From there, spend a few minutes and review the wellness wheel to reflect on your wellness priorities and practices.
By attending to only one area of wellness such as academic or career wellness, it can leave you feeling rundown. For example, if you spend most of your time studying, try and make room for mental health and physical wellness by going for a walk or watching your favourite show. Make a list of ways that you can attend to each area of wellness to create a sense of balance. There are many supports available for each of these areas.
Some Self-Care Ideas:
-Exercise: Get outside and explore Montreal when possible. If you are able, go for walks, participate in online movement classes and videos. Listen to your body by modifying and engaging in movement that feels good to you.
-Sleep: Minimize using screens/caffeine before bed, try analog reading, mindfulness, and try to maintain a consistent sleep time and wake up time, even on weekends.
-Time: Take breaks when your brain enters passive mode and review time management strategies.
-Virtual Hub: Visit the Student Wellness Hub website for a variety of helpful video resources and @HealthierMcGill on Instagram and Facebook for helpful infographics, movement tips and Motivation Monday videos to help you live healthier.
On Managing Expectations
Try tackling easier tasks when you have less energy or committing just five to ten minutes to a more overwhelming task. Feel proud that you took a break rather than feeling guilty. Instead of adding tasks, subtracting tasks is often a good first step towards improving your well-being.
Just because you may have more time at home doesn’t necessarily mean you can be more productive. During and after COVID, we need to manage our expectations for productivity and performance and leave room to be humans who experience feelings like grief and stress.
Navigate your wellness by evaluating your self-talk and expectations. This means acknowledging how much your body and mind have been through already and finding ways to comfort and be kind to yourself, just as you would with someone you love.
On Getting Out of the COVID Slump
It makes sense to feel in a slump during these unprecedented times. Check in with yourself about what you feel you might need. What are the activities or practices that usually make you feel good? When was the last time you engaged in one?
Part of the COVID slump may be the redundancy of each day. Try ‘Spontaneity Slots;’ to allow yourself some unplanned time. This can be scary, so start by identifying 2-3 activities you’d like to do and don’t preschedule them, check in with yourself – what do I feel like doing right now?
If you can, try focusing on some encouraging thoughts. Vaccines are on the way, days are getting longer, and it is getting warmer outside.
On Alleviating Zoom Fatigue:
Trying to manage the “constant gaze phenomena” – using Zoom for both social and academic life, leads to feeling like we’re always ‘on.’ The mental fatigue we feel is due to our brains working strenuously to process non-verbal cues, the unnatural silence of a large group on mute, and our hyper-awareness that stems from seeing ourselves all day. The physical fatigue we feel can include irritated eyes and sore or restless muscles from poor posture or sitting too long.
Some Helpful Zoom Tips:
-Set up your workstation ergonomically
-Take movement and stretch breaks between classes
-Try breathing and relaxation exercises
-Hide Self-View on Zoom
-Avoid multi-tasking on calls- our cognitive ability is strained enough
-Switch up your workspace- novelty breeds creativity
On Feeling Down:
There are so many resources to help you. You are not alone. Expand your wellness toolkit by reaching out for support from Keep.meSAFE, Hub professionals such as Counsellors, Access Advisors and LWAs, Peer Support Centre and Nightline.
Focus on your basic needs such as eating, sleeping, physical exercise and social connection. These are all essential building blocks to help you cope with overwhelming emotions.
Register for one of the many workshops or groups to learn a myriad of new skills in a relaxed environment from managing test anxiety, to art classes, to coffee chats.
Follow @HealthierMcGill on Instagram and Facebook to join our online wellness community! Wellness resources, videos, up-to-date information, and events from across McGill are featured regularly. Explore today!
Shift your perspective on ‘social’ distancing. Although we are often physically farther apart, we can still stay socially connected. If you can, pick and commit to have a real and vulnerable conversation with at least one loved one every so often. If you are experiencing screen fatigue, shift to ‘old school’ check-ins by picking up the phone and walking around while you talk.
On Moving Forward:
Wellness is an umbrella term in that it can mean something different for everyone. During the tumultuous era of COVID-19, showing ourselves compassion and coming up with personal strategies to cope with difficult emotions is important for our well-being.
When you feel low and unmotivated, start with what works best for you. What makes you emotionally and physically well? How do you re-energize? With this personal framework, craft a wellness toolkit that is relevant, intentional, and concrete. Recognize that it’s personal, it’s you, and it will change.
