Episode 1 - Stress
Student life means always being under pressure–but do you know that taking a moment to deal with your stress can make a huge impact on your academics and productivity?
Have you ever found yourself reading and when you get to the bottom of the page you realize you haven’t taken anything in yet? Do you ever lose focus when you’re trying to finish an assignment? Listen: it is all connected to Well-being and YU.
In this episode, host Clifton A. Grant interviews SCHW counsellor Marcie Campbell, a registered psychotherapist and social worker. Marcie shares tips on how to recognize the signs of harmful stress and teaches us some ways that we can manage our stress levels for greater well-being and academic success.
We also hear from upper year York University students who tell us about why University life is stressful and what tips they’ve learned along their journey to both manage stress and thrive in life as a university student.
Key Take-aways from this episode:
- Stress is normal and natural, but sometimes it can become unmanageable. Everyone is experiencing it; you are not alone. It will not be there forever and there are a lot of resources that can help you to learn how to manage your stress.
- It is beneficial to check in with yourself to recognize when stress is affecting you, before it impacts other aspects of your life. Put a reminder on your phone and regularly look for the physical signs of stress. Excessive tiredness, headaches, jaw clenching, neck and shoulder tension, and getting sick more often are some of the symptoms you can look for.
- To manage your stress level, start by taking care of your basic needs, ensuring you are hydrated, eating well and being compassionate with yourself. It is also important to connect with others by developing and nurturing social relationships.
- Part of "adulting" is developing time management skills, organization and learning how to set boundaries. These skills will also help you build your stress resiliency.
Resources from this episode:
All of these resources are free and available to students at York University.
- Student Counselling, Health and Well-being (SCHW):
- Workshops
- Mindful movement
- Sleep 101
- Sexual health and relation with social media
- Walk-in counselling sessions (same-day sessions available)
- Therapy
- Learning skills workshop:
- Time management
- Prepping exam
- Managing academic stress
- Career Center:
- Speak to career peers
- Network opportunities
- Job postings
- Clubs and Groups:
- Over 350 ways to connect with others at York University
- York International:
- Coffee breaks to get out and connected
- York Federation of Students (YFS):
- Good food box: organic fresh produce at a low cost
- Wellness Center
- York Recreation:
- Free fitness classes online
- Bootcamps
- Meditation