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.

May 7-13 is Mental Health Week, a time to #GetLoud about what mental health really is. Although, that’s kind of every day here on MindIt!, it’s fun to join in.

Mental health is not mental illness. It’s a resource for living that allows us to live a balanced and full life. Mental health is not about being happy all the time, but about feeling a sense of purpose, belonging, and confidence in who we are.

There are social conditions that contribute to good mental health, like feeling safe in our communities and having adequate housing. At the same time, there are personal actions we can take to improve out mental health. Connecting with people we love or expressing emotions in healthy ways are just two actions that can be helpful. Find more suggestions on the CMHA Mental Health Week page. What can you do this week to improve your mental health?

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

Looking for a rejuvenating lunch hour pause? Join mindfulness meditation facilitator Barb Read every Tuesday at 12:15 pm as she helps staff and faculty access a sense of peace, focus, and wellbeing.

Sessions take place in E305 and last about half an hour, beginning with a reading and an intention before a 15 minute meditation practice. Barb helps participants explore themes like brining mindfulness to the mundane, learning to savor silence, and mindful eating.

All staff and faculty are welcome. The final session for the season will be Tuesday, May1st.

Are you a female or non-binary student who feels dissatisfied with your body? If so, you’re not alone. Many students struggle with poor body image and the negative thoughts that accompany those feelings.

There is hope. You can improve how you feel and think about your body. RRC is offering a  Body Image Improvement Workshop, based on The Body Project, that is designed to help students feel better about their bodies. Read More →

Earlier this month, RRC welcomed Winnipeg Jets exec Craig Heisinger (Zinger) to give a mental health awareness talk. If you missed it, you’re invited to watch the recording here.

Zinger spoke about his relationship with Rick Rypien who, while struggling with poor mental health, played parts of six seasons with the Manitoba Moose and Vancouver Canucks. After Rick’s death by suicide, Zinger and the True North Foundation started Project 11 to help students learn skills to build strong, positive mental health. Zinger now speaks at many schools each year, highlighting the importance of mental health and support. His talk at RRC was both informative and heartfelt.

on Twitter, check out #ZingerAtRRC to see some of the statements that resonated with those in attendance.

L-R: Kelsey Gillespie, VP Academic, RRCSA; Lauren Slegers, President, RRCSA; Craig Heisinger; Breanna Sawatzky, Mental Health Coordinator, RRC; Laureen Janzen, Manager, Counselling and Accessibility, RRC

RRC is committed to keeping the mental health conversation going so that every member of our community knows they are not alone and that it’s okay to reach out for support. A great way to stay informed of future events is to subscribe to this blog.

A huge thanks goes out to the RRC Students’ Association for supplying the pizza lunch and to the eTV crew for recording and livestreaming. Prize winners will be announced in a subsequent blog post.