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.

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.

Don’t forget to #GETLOUD for Mental Health Week.

• Mental Health Commission of Canada Statement on Mental Health Week. In her statement, Louise Bradley (President and CEO, Mental Health Commission of Canada) encourages Canadians to monitor their mental state with the same interest they devote to managing their blood-pressure or any other physical concern. She also draws a link between public services like education and childcare and good mental health.

• The Difference Between Social Anxiety and Introversion, In 4 Comics. In this article Lindsay Holmes and Eva Hill outline how the personality characteristic of introversion differs from the clinical condition called Social Anxiety Disorder. They use illustrated comics to demonstrate these differences.

• How Physical Fitness can Boost Your Career. Here Ivan Ho makes the case for developing good exercise related habits, encouraging readers to put health first. He ties physical activity with mental clarity, improved energy, and increased ability to meet work demands.

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

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.

• Psychology Professor, Dr. Mary Gomes writes about why she assigns her students electronic media fasts. She shares the benefits of unplugging, highlights some students reflections on the experience, and gives some tips for breaking poor screen habits. Read more at Five Reasons to Take a Break from Screens. – Greater Good Science Centre

• Dr. David DiStreno argues that using willpower alone is not the best way for students to resist tempting distractions and focus on academic work. He presents evidence that  developing gratitude and pride, along with grit, will make students more resilient. Read more at We’re Teaching Grit the Wrong Way. – The Chronicle of Higher Education

• “What started out as DeMar DeRozan’s seven-word tweet during the NBA all-star game weekend, ‘This depression get the best of me,’ has kick-started a dialogue across North America about mental health and athletes.” Read more at How a DeMar DeRozan tweet sparked a mental-health dialogue in sports.  – The Globe and Mail

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

Have you ever felt at a loss as to where to go to get help with your mental health? As with most large and complex systems, the system of mental health care can be confusing to navigate, leaving people overwhelmed and unsure of where to go and who to talk to.

To help Manitobans connect with the appropriate services that meet their needs, Canadian Mental Health Association, Manitoba and Winnipeg branch has opened a Service Navigation Hub. Their Navigation Specialists can meet with you to help determine what sort of service might be most helpful to you and help you connect with that service.

The Canadian Mental Health Association, Manitoba and Winnipeg is part of a nation-wide, charitable organization that promotes the mental health of all and supports the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental illness.

To contact a member of CMHA’s Service Navigation Hub, call 204.775.6442, e-mail, or visit them at 930 Portage Ave, Winnipeg.

The end of term can be a very stressful period, with students experiencing added pressure to complete projects and perform well on exams. In order to help students cope with this stress, we’re welcoming the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program to campus. Students will be encouraged to sit with, feel, touch and pet a trained dog, enjoying the relaxing effect this can have on their mind, body, and emotions.

According to St. John Ambulance, the nation-wide program boasts 3,354 volunteer teams who assisted more than 120,000 clients throughout 2015. Therapy dog teams visit hospitals, retirement residences, care facilities, schools and universities.

Therapy dogs have been on campus in the past, and many students have genuinely enjoyed the visits.

Please join us at the following times/locations:

Wednesday, April 25 in the Cave Lounge at NDC, 11:30am-1:00pm

Thursday, April 26 in the Atrium of Roblin Centre, 11:30am-1:00pm

For more information, please contact Breanna Sawatzky at 204-632-2061 or blsawatzky@rrc.ca