As all of you know, we are currently living through a global pandemic.
As a newfound chill has settled in the air and each leaf turned colour and fell, memories of the initial anxiety, loneliness, isolation and fear, which slapped us all in the face when COVID-19 first hit our corner of the world, has begun to come back. It is not just the thought of shorter, darker days but the fact that with colder weather, we are going to be forced back inside and separated, again, by our physical world. Thus, commencing the anticipation of a whole new breed of seasonal depression and anxiety. In my brain, this anticipation looks like myself with dark circles under the eyes, hunched over my computer at 5:30 p.m., in the dead of winter, surrounded by darkness and the only light coming from the fabricated rays of my computer screen. I am not the only one who is experiencing this. What does this anticipation look like for you?
It is okay to feel this way. We are each going through different levels of mental, physical and emotional pain, trauma and hardship. It is not your fault that you feel this way. You are not alone in feeling this way. This also does not mean you need to continue to trudge through these experiences alone.
What can Ryerson students do to combat the mental, physical and emotional side effects of this global pandemic entering into the winter season?
Here is a list of free and accessible mental health and wellbeing resources, supports and services offered through Ryerson University. Use them! They are for you
The following resources are offered through Ryerson’s Centre for Student Development and Counselling (CSDC). They offer an array of services and resources to support Ryerson students in the engagement and prioritization of wellbeing, mental health and personal and academic development.
- Counselling Support
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The CSDC offers free confidential counselling services provided by a team of psychologists, social workers, psychotherapists and counselling interns. The duration of counselling is primarily short-term but each case is evaluated individually. Depending on the availability of resources and your individual circumstance, you may extend the duration of counselling sessions if needed. These services are meant to help students in the short-term by working through and developing strategies for day-to-day problems. They also help in developing long-term skills related to professional, personal and educational goal-setting, confidence-building and individual growth. If you feel open and/or comfortable talking to a professional in one-on-one or group-based counselling, this is for you. This service is open to all full-time and part-time students at Ryerson University. Here is a quick breakdown of the different services offered through the CSDC counselling support. Due to COVID-19, counselling services will be offered remotely through a digital connection.
This website details the phone number and email you may use to book an appointment. This page also explains what to expect during a first appointment, what to bring and quick links to various crisis lines if the counselling support services are temporarily unavailable in a time of need.
Specifically, Ryerson recommends Good2Talk which is a calling service open 24/7 intended to provide support to postsecondary students in a crisis. As well, Ryerson has recently entered a partnership with Keep.meSAFE, another calling service where students can get in touch with licensed counsellors that specialize in student support through calling or text 24/7. Instructions on how to access this line can be found here under Support For Students.
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The Student Health Assistance and Resilience Peer Program (SHARPP)
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SHARPP is a peer-to-peer support program created by students to provide fellow students with strategies and skills to manage physical health, mental health and wellbeing. This program offers unlimited one-on-one virtual meetings where support is given to develop personalized wellness plans and incorporate healthy lifestyle changes in attainable and effective ways. Some areas of focus within this program are healthy eating, physical health, wellbeing during exams, getting enough sleep and personal development. SHARPP ambassadors, who are fellow Ryerson students, aim to help other Ryerson students conquer common obstacles that commonly surface in a postsecondary environment. This programming is right for you if you feel as though you need support through human connection but do not desire the support of a mental health or wellness professional. To book an appointment, all you need to do is follow this link and sign up through Google Calendar or email.
- ThriveRU
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Through the use of workbooks, informational lists and resources, ThriveRU is meant to support the Ryerson community, including students, faculty and staff, in developing their resiliency, strategies for sustainable wellbeing and, literally, thriving both personally and academically. ThriveRU is for you if you are seeking straightforward information and low-commitment activities that enable small but impactful changes in the routine of day-to-day life. ThriveRU provides:
Tips for developing resiliency
- Staying Well During COVID-19
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The CSDC dedicates space to identify specific strategies for maintaining a positive mind and physical health during the pandemic. They draw on the information and philosophies of ThriveRU to provide 5 tips on how to care for yourself and others. Some of these include mindfully planning out your day, prioritizing connection to nature, others, your physical and mindful self, and the importance of constructive rest and adequate sleep.
This page also details specific strategies for carrying out life at home and staying happy while doing so. This list also details smaller, more attainable objectives for engaging in these strategies. Some of these include acknowledging your feelings, staying socially connected while practicing social distancing and taking breaks in between school work.
Lastly, this site outlines tips for engaging in online learning and smaller goals for practicing these tips in day-to-day life, like staying curious and practicing resourcefulness when engaging in classes.
Like ThriveRU, if you are simply seeking small, attainable and effective strategies for making life in isolation smoother, incorporate some of these tips and strategies and observe the effects they may have.
The final resource comes from Ryerson’s Office of Sexual Violence Support and Education through the initiatives of Consent Comes First.
- Consent Comes First
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Consent Comes First is dedicated to the support of Ryerson community members who have been affected by sexual violence. These supports are intended for those who have been directly harmed and those that surround them, such as a friend or parent, who may also require support. In conversation with Zanab Jafry, a specialist at Consent Comes First and Farrah Khan, the organization’s manager, they specified that the goal of this broadened, community-based support is to normalize the reach of the impact of sexual violence. In addition to the person who is directly affected by sexual violence, their community also feels the impact.
Jafry continued to explain that the support and services at Consent Comes First are completely client-led. You choose how much of your story you would like to share. You choose whether you would like to actively participate in their programming or participate passively to maintain the privacy of your story. If you are not ready to share your whole story, those at Consent Comes First do not need to know your whole story. Farrah Khan explains, “All we need to know is what you need in this moment.”
As we are limited to our homes during this pandemic, what does it look like to access these resources during instances of sexual violence in the home? Khan and Jafry explain that an avenue of Consent Comes First is to connect with students, if they wish to do so, who experience sexual and gender-based violence in the home to develop safety plans and harm reduction strategies in a way that feels safe for that student. These services can be reached by communicating through email with the key representatives at Consent Comes First through this link (refer to ‘Our Team’ at the bottom of the page). The goal of these efforts is to interrupt harmful behaviour, reduce harm and in instances where the option of leaving is not accessible, help in developing creative ways to live in that household. The services and programming digitally extended by this organization are intended to connect students to a community of fellow students who have survived sexual violence and who seek that same community.
How can you passively engage in the services of Consent Comes First?
Sign up for the bi-weekly self-care newsletter, We Believe You, to engage in community learning;
Follow Consent Comes First on Instagram and join one of their Instagram Live events;
Download the Consent Comes First colouring books;
Reach out to the representatives at Consent Comes First to receive weekly emails with suggested activities and writing prompts to engage in on your terms (refer to ‘Our Team’ at the bottom of the page).
How can you actively engage in the services of Consent Comes First?
Engage in the variety of events, workshops and writing groups offered through the organization;
Join the Consent Action Team as a volunteer;
After engaging in services through Consent Comes First join the Waves Committee which is a group for survivors to find community in their stories;
Join the Ryerson Reads Program which looks at Eternity Martis’ book They Said This Would Be Fun and engage in discussion about the book.
As we wrap up the conversation, Jafry communicates that although the organization’s services and supports look different as they were adapted for a digital environment, the quality and the quantity of those services remain intact. She concludes, “Please come to us if that’s something you need support with and, as always, if we cannot provide that support, we will find someone who can.”
Ryerson University provides all of these resources, services, supports and communities for us. If you are open and willing to use them, do it. If you did not see the kind of support you seek here, visit each website provided and delve into the web of links that are meant to support and guide us as we navigate physical and emotional wellness, wellbeing and mental health in these unprecedented times. Stay well, Ryerson!