Registration

Please click on the link http://bit.ly/RRC30Day to register for the Challenge using your preferred email address. During the registration process, you’ll also be asked to input your mobile number and your ‘buddy’s’ email address (everyone in the Challenge gets to take it with a buddy of their choice, including friends or loved ones from outside the organization).

If you have any questions about the 30 Day Mindfulness Challenge or need any help registering, please email register@mindwellu.com and the Challenge tech team will get back to you. Your RRC contacts for this are Jacqueline Wood and Breanna Sawatzky.

The infographic below demonstrates how mindfulness can help us handle emotions at work (or at school) in a way that supports our success and wellbeing.

During THRIVE Week we take time to reflect on the role of self-care and balance on developing positive mental health that supports academic and career success. This year, THRIVE will be held November 5-9 at all RRC campuses.

Events and activities provide an opportunity for rest, social connection, physical activity, fun, personal growth, and learning. All students, staff, and faculty members are invited to participate.

Some events to look forward to are:

• paint night
• yoga
• therapy dogs
• board game night
• tour of the sweat lodge
• visit from Rob Nash
• mindfulness workshop and much more!

Check out the NDC Thrive Guide and EDC Thrive Guide to see the slate of activities.

Subscribe for updates to ensure you receive all THRIVE related information.

The weeklong series of events is a partnership between the RRC Students’ Association and the Healthy Minds Healthy College Initiative.

In our Wellness Weekly, mental health roundup feature we curate some of the best writing on the web related to health and wellbeing. Here is some recommended reading for this week.

• Whit Honea writes about the role of fathers in opening conversations about mental health. In this Washington Post article, Whit argues that “dads are shaping modern conversations about masculinity and men’s mental health”, and that doing so challenges the definition of masculinity as “detached stoicism.” Read Why Fathers Must Talk About their Mental Health.

• Dr. Christine Carter, Sociologist and author writes about the effects of being surrounded by interpersonal drama. She argues that “the 24/7 drama isn’t pointing us towards meaningful lives. And it keeps us from the stillness and reflection and deep conversation that make our lives meaningful.” Dr. Carter also outlines the three typical roles in a conflict (victim, persecutor, rescuer) and presents three tips to avoid taking on these dysfunctional roles. Check out, How to Ditch the Drama in Your Relationships.

• Have you ever interacted with a new person and left with the impression that they didn’t like you? Perhaps you felt you didn’t present yourself well. Or that the other person was being highly critical. Dr. Alice Walton writes in Forbes about some new research around the “liking gap”; a phenomenon were people almost always feel that their conversation mate’s opinion of them is lower that it actually is. Read, People Like You More Than You Think.

Red River College is hosting a FREE event called “Movies for Mental Health,” an interactive workshop run by a non-profit called Art With Impact that uses the emotional power of short film to initiate dialogue with students on the topic of mental health.

This peer-to-peer learning event is two hours long and consists of pizza lunch, a facilitated discussion, three short films from Art With Impact’s library , and a resource panel with campus and community services.

Join us in creating a healthy environment at RRC through dialogue and growth!

Wednesday, October 3rd, 11am – 1pm in The Cave Lounge at NDC. Free pizza lunch for all who attend!

This event is sponsored by the Healthy Minds Healthy College Initiative and RRC Students’ Association as we observe Mental Illness Awareness Week. All students and staff are welcome.

Are you a student who is looking for service learning opportunities? Want to contribute to a healthier campus community? We’re searching for students who can devote ten hours to our Healthy Minds, Healthy College Initiative.

All hours will be on campus with plenty of training and support. Students will use and enhance a variety of skills in the roles of:

• Peer Support Promoter
• Thrive Week Ambassador
• Advisory Group Member

To learn more about these opportunities, please attend the Volunteer Information and Orientation Session on Wednesday, October 10, from 12:05 – 12:50 in the ETV studio (GM33).

Can’t make it in person? Catch the livestream. Time doesn’t work for you? Contact Breanna for a recording of the session or with any questions.

Come work with us to improve mental health at RRC!

Check out the detailed position descriptions and anticipated schedule of service here: volunteer program info sheet_digital-2jy688s

In our Wellness Weekly, mental health roundup feature we curate some of the best writing on the web related to health and wellbeing. Here is some recommended reading for this week.

• September 10th was World Suicide Prevention Day. RRC is part of the Winnipeg Suicide Prevention Network who held an event to observe this important day. Check out CBC Manitoba’s coverage here: Nobody wants to talk about it: Breaking the stigma on World Suicide Prevention Day.

• Have you ever thought of wellbeing as a skill? Dr. Richard J. Davidson from the Centre for Investigating Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison breaks down the research around four main contributors to wellbeing: resilience, outlook, attention, and generosity. He argues that if one practices the skills of wellbeing, one will get better at it. The Four Keys to Wellbeing.

• Curious about the relationship between mental health and exercise? In The Wall Street Journal, Sumathi Reddy  explores a recent study to be published in the Lancet that looks at this association. Are certain types of exercise more beneficial than others? How about certain durations of exercise? Check out The Exercise that Helps Mental Health the Most.

Do you have some favorite reading you’d like featured? Contact Breanna.

Each year, roughly 4000 Canadians die by suicide. Not only are these losses tragic, but each individual who dies by suicide was no doubt connected to a community of people who will experience complex grief. There are family members, colleagues, and friends who are left to sort through intense feelings, sometimes of helplessness, guilt, or pain.

The Winnipeg Suicide Prevention Network (WSPN) recognizes that communities like RRC have an important role to play in both preventing suicide and supporting individual and collective healing; we agree. Laureen Janzen (Manager of Counselling and Accessibility Services) and Breanna Sawatzky (Mental Health Coordinator), are WSPN members and have been helping to plan World Suicide Prevention Day 2018. There will be a free public event over the noon hour on September 10th.

As part of the Healthy Minds Healthy College initiative at RRC, we would like to invite staff, students, and faculty to join us in observing this important day. This year’s theme is “Working Together To Prevent Suicide.” Please contact Breanna if you are interested in attending with the RRC group.

The event is about an hour in length and is open to all in the community.

In our Wellness Weekly, mental health roundup feature we curate some of the best writing on the web related to health and wellbeing. Here is some recommended reading for this week.

• As we start a new school year with a fresh, empty locker it may be helpful to clean out our mental locker. This means getting rid of ideas, thoughts, and habits that no longer serve us. Gina Biegel and Todd Corbin encourage us to: “(1) keep your mental locker clean, (2) NIP those negative thoughts in the bud, (3) be mentally tough and confident, and (4) use positive self-talk to SPEAK to yourself in kind and confident ways.” Read how in New School Year: Clean Your Mental Locker and Get in the Zone

• How does one sustain energy, remain creative, and avoid burnout? One crucial contributor is rest. Alex Soojun-Kim Pang and Arianna Huffington outline 10 ways to use rest to your advantage with the goal of sustaining wellbeing and career success. Read How You Can Use Rest as a Tool for Success.

• Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is launching an innovative study to explore the power of music to treat clinical depression. They hope to use brain imaging and music to improve understanding of the causes of depression, possibly leading to new treatments. Read Harnessing the Healing Power of Music.

Do you have some favorite reading you’d like featured? Contact Breanna.

On Sunday, June 24 a fourteen person team from RRC cycled 21K in Canadian Mental Health Association’s annual Ride Don’t Hide event. Ride Don’t Hide is Canada’s largest bike ride for Mental Health with 31 communities across 7 provinces and over 7,000 people riding.

Our team rode to raise awareness and highlight the importance of mental health, fight the stigma associated with mental health problems, and raise funds for quality mental health services.

The community ride began in Vimmy Ridge Park and took cyclists through Wolseley, along Wellington Crescent, through River Heights, to the Legislative grounds, The Forks, along Waterfront Drive, and through Downtown before returning to Vimmy Ridge Park for refreshments and live music.

In addition to supporting a good cause, the morning ride provided a chance to be active and social while enjoying nature- all of which contribute to good mental health. Three cheers for all of our riders and to the College for sponsoring our team!

In our Wellness Weekly, mental health roundup feature we curate some of the best writing on the web related to health and wellbeing. Here is some recommended reading for this week.

• Diverse neighbors. Health centers. Commuter trains. These community attributes, and other key factors, are linked to well-being and quality of life, according to Yale researchers. Read Science Daily’s summary of the research, What makes us well? Diversity, health care, and public transit matter.

• The PLACE Research Lab Team at the University of Alberta put together some tips on how you and your collegues can support each other’s mental health, while having fun at the same time. Read Whistle While You Work: Tips for Mental Health in the Workplace.

• To help people with their digital well-being, Google announced several new features designed to help people monitor and manage the time they spend on their devices. Read Robbie Gonzalez’ piece on Wired, The Research Behind Google’s New Tools for Digital Well-being.

Do you have some favorite reading you’d like featured? Contact Breanna.