By: Sarah Chew
This upcoming week will be full of the sound of freshly cracked-open textbooks and the crisp smell of pumpkin spice stress. Reading week is here, Rams, and it may be easy to get anxious and overwhelmed about the looming assignments and exams.
To help students cope and deal with all the stress that accompanies school life, Ryerson University offers several (free) programs and events.
On the university’s website under “Mental Wellbeing,” it recommends students exercise—whether that be by walking in the park, or playing a team sport—to let off some studying steam, and get some fresh air. If running outdoors isn’t appealing to you, use your student card to get into one of Ryerson’s gyms; the Ryerson Athletic Centre (RAC) has multiple sports courts and an indoor running track, and the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) has a wide selection of cardio machines and weights.
A cool program that happens every Tuesday at Ryerson is Mood Routes. Created by ThriveRU, Ryerson Today states that students, staff and faculty members are welcome to meet in the SLC lobby at noon and “Stroll curated greenspace.” The hour-and-a-half long walks attempt to “Restore concentration, uplift mood [and] decrease stress,” reports the site.
If you’d like to talk and vent about your stressors to someone, Good2Talk is a phone line that operates 24/7, and is aimed toward post-secondary students. Their official site describes their services as “Professional counselling and information and referrals for mental health, addictions and well-being.” You can call them at 1-866-925-5454, and be assured that your conversation will be kept confidential.
Another helpful resource is the university’s Centre for Student Development and Counselling. If you’d like to speak to a counsellor or psychologist face-to-face, you can book an appointment and choose between individual counselling or group counselling. On the Ryerson University website, the centre states its counsellors work to help students handle their “Stress and anxiety, transition into or out of university, depression,” etc. Call (416) 979-5195 to book an appointment, or go to room JOR-07C in Jorgenson Hall.
(Photo credit: @RUTherapydogs/Twitter)
Ryerson doesn’t only offer human support; animals like to contribute their services as well. The RU Therapy Dog Program has garnered much attention from students, who benefit from petting and playing with the canines. According to their Twitter account, “@RUTherapydogs” (which has over 1000 followers), the therapy dogs sit, waiting to be loved, every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. at the Launch Zone in the SLC. Don’t underestimate the pups’ power to decrease your stress—the Harvard Health blog reports that dogs have a proven effect on humans: they lower your blood pressure, and improve your overall psychological well-being and self-esteem.
However daunting your upcoming assignments, tests and exams might be, Ryerson University is here to support your emotional and mental needs. Don’t be afraid to access any of the aforementioned resources – what are you paying tuition for, anyway? Have a restful and studious reading week, Rams, and don’t stress out!