February is Psychology Month; a time when Psychologists engage the public, educating us on how psychology works to help people live healthy and happy lives. (Canadian Psychology Association)

To celebrate Psychology Month, the Manitoba Psychological Society has organized a variety of educational seminars for the public on a wide variety of psychology-related topics. RRC is fortunate to be hosting two such events. We’ve called them “Anxiety Forums.”

The forums are a part of the Healthy Minds, Healthy College initiative and are supported by the Staff and Student Wellness Committee and the Students’ Association. Each forum will  include a talk by a prominent Psychologist as well as Q & A with the audience. Pizza lunch is provided during both forums.

What is Anxiety?

According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba (ADAM), everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. It’s completely normal and can even be helpful. For example, if you’re anxious about an upcoming test, your anxiety can motivate you to study well. However, anxiety can sometimes become severe and negatively affect your life. If your anxiety has reached this point, you may have an anxiety disorder.

Here at RRC, Counselling and Accessibility is constantly working with students who are experiencing problems with anxiety. These problems affect academic success and overall well-being.

Anxiety Forum Details

During the two forums, the speakers will share helpful coping strategies related to managing anxiety in a College setting. Although the primary target audience is students, staff and faculty will no doubt benefit from the material presented and discussion to follow.

Registration is not required. All are welcome.

EDC: February 17th at 11 am in P107 with Dr. Rehman Abdulrehman

NDC: February 15th at noon in the Orange Lecture Theatre with Dr. Jason Ediger

This forum will also be recorded and streamed by eTV for the benefit of regional campuses.

Follow the link below to view the Anxiety Forum live streaming presentation: http://blogs.rrc.ca/etv/streaming/

Click on the ‘Live Stream’ image to play. No username or password is required. The stream will go live shortly before the presentation begins.

During the live presentation, you are encouraged to ask questions or add comments. To do so, please click on the “word bubble” icon found on the bottom right of the player. Please include your name, email address (if you require a follow-up response), and a subject heading.

Note: You can also use the “word bubble” to report any technical issues.

More About the Presenters

Dr. Jason Ediger, C. Psych.

Dr. Ediger has a special interest in blending cognitive behaviour therapy with mindfulness based approaches to change and coping. His practice focuses on anxiety, mood difficulties, chronic pain and health concerns in adults and adolescents. He has extensive experience with disability claims and return to work issues. Read his full bio here.

Dr. Rehman Abdulrehman, C. Psych.

Dr. R. Abdulrehman is clinical psychologist with specialist training and experience in cognitive behavior therapy. He specializes in working with a broad range of anxiety, anxiety related disorders, and stress, with almost a decade of experience having worked at the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at St. Boniface Hospital. Read his full bio here.

Breanna Sawatzky, Mental Health Coordinator, is happy to come speak briefly to classes in order to promote awareness of these events. Contact her at  204-632-2061 or blsawatzky@rrc.ca to set up a time.

Congrats to our Week 1 Get Movin Prize Winners!: Pat Wherrett and Kristen Dohan!

Kristen writes:

I’m a nursing student at the college and if it’s one thing I’ve learnt, you have to keep physically and time  (which is tough to do with and time busy nursing schedule) so what my boyfriend  and I since starting this challenge together do is a sequence of exercises after to supper to help us digest our food. We do 3min of running in a spot ten jumping Jack’s and 200 abdominal reps of various exercises. It’s a fun thing we do together to try and stay physically active during our busy school schedules.

 Thanks for helping us get active!!!

While Pat shares a picture of her working hard on the elliptical alongside a furry friend!

Thanks to the RRC Bookstore and Great West Life for donating these weeks prize packs! Thanks to Pat and Kristen for sharing their Get Movin Challenge pics. We encourage participants to share theirs as well to enter for more great prizes!

Click Here for more information on the Get Movin Challenge

While the news is often full of negative stories, the past couple of weeks have been particularly brutal. Between the US travel ban and the Mosque attack in Quebec City, it’s understandable that people in general, and Muslim people in particular, might be feeling additional stress and anxiety. So, how do we take care of ourselves and our communities during such tragic times, when violence and discrimination are so clearly on our minds? Here are some ideas:

1. Be a good friend. Since Muslim Canadians were the target of violence in the Quebec City Mosque attack (a shooting our Prime Minister labelled a terrorist act), it’s important that non-muslims act as allies. It would be good to check in with your Muslim friends, classmates, and coworkers. Let them know that you’re thinking of them. Offer practical support and help. Let them know you stand for diversity and value the Muslim members of your community. Speak out against violence and discrimination.
2. Take media breaks. Sometimes, in our efforts to remain informed, we become glued to news, radio, and social media updates. While it’s important to know what’s going on, taking breaks from media is key to maintaining our well-being. Select certain times of the day when you will be media free.
3. Practice self-care. When times are hard it’s even more important to practice good habits like getting enough sleep, eating balanced meals regularly, and being active. Find a bit of time to do something to nurture yourself. It can be as simple as chatting with a friend, sipping a cup of tea, or playing your favorite game. Self-care may feel selfish when horrible things are happening, but we need to care for ourselves so that we can maintain our strength, stay well, and support others.
4. Act in solidarity. When things happen that remind us of the bad or negative in the world,
   

   Winnipeggers attend vigil to honour the 6 people killed in the Quebec City Mosque attack. Photo from CBC.ca

   we can act in ways that support peace and good. Attending a vigil or gathering of others who are grieving can be helpful. Donating money, time, or kind words to organizations that work for diversity and inclusion can help the minority group that has been targeted, while increasing our own feelings of well-being. Some organizations working to support Muslim Manitobans are Islamic Social Services Agency and Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council. At RRC, the Intercultural Mentorship Program offers students and staff opportunities to make friends, learn about other cultures, develop awareness of own cultural lens, strengthening the sense of community and creating a welcoming and inclusive campus.

5. Limit ruminating thoughts. If you find thoughts about the tragedy circling through your mind, keeping you from sleeping or concentrating on other tasks, take a few moments to write your thoughts down and then put the piece of paper away. Alternatively, you could imagine the thoughts being placed inside a balloon and floating away.
6. Reach out for help. Tragedies and uncertain times affect us all differently, depending on our personal circumstances, relation to the tragedy, and our coping skills at the moment. If you could use some support in coping, reach out.
   • RRC Staff can access the Employee and Family Assistance Program: http://blogs.rrc.ca/hr/wellness/employee-family-program/
   • RRC Students can access Counselling supports: http://blogs.rrc.ca/counselling/personal/

Breanna, Mental Health Coordinator

Below is a guest blog from RRC alum Jennifer Schroeder who is a mother of two, living with mental illness.

We talk a lot about the stigma attached to mental illness and the ways in which we can break down those walls. Stigma is often the driving force behind many of the barriers individuals with mental health disorders experience. Today, I would like to talk a little about those barriers and how they can and do affect us in our daily lives.

While we have made many strides toward creating a more accessible and inclusive world, we still have far to go. As a child, my inability to concentrate in school was written off as ‘problem behavior’, and so that label followed me. The trouble with labels, is if you are told something enough times, you start to believe that is all you are. Shame is a barrier to seeking help and in turn, getting better.

Just over a year ago, I had no choice but to leave my place of employment because of my health. Mental health in the workplace is largely misunderstood, and this exacerbates the vicious cycle of shame, guilt and self-doubt. Not being able to work outside of the home can be a huge financial barrier for many individuals and families and acquiring Employment and Income Assistance due to a disability requires overcoming many hurdles, with the potential to end up with nothing. When answering the phone or even dealing with a simple task such as paying a bill seems like too much to handle, 20+ pages of forms, doctors visits and assessments can feel insurmountable.

As a parent suffering with mental illness, I have encountered many hurdles throughout my journey. Something as seemingly small as getting up and out of the house to bring my child to school can be incredibly challenging for me, and because no alternative options are available, sometimes she doesn’t go. My children miss out on a lot of things because I am just not healthy enough to handle it. My meal preparation often includes quick and easy processed foods because I lack the energy and motivation to cook homemade, healthy meals from scratch. My laundry piles up for days, sometimes weeks until I am left with no clean clothes. Sometimes my kids watch TV all day, because I can’t get off of the couch. Add social media with its constant barrage of curated lives and meme shaming and it is enough to make someone feel alone and dejected. This is the never-ending cycle so many of us face and don’t talk openly about.

As a student dealing with mental illness, feeling like you cannot focus, retain information or keep up with your course load can be a major roadblock. Telling an instructor you couldn’t make a deadline because of a panic attack can feel humiliating. Maybe your mental health has even prevented you from pursuing higher education, preventing you from achieving your dream. All of these things are real and valid. We must find ways to adapt our education systems to set us up for success, not failure.

There are so many unique barriers; I am unable to touch on them all. Everyone experiences mental illness in a different way and in turn will experience varying forms and degrees of difficulty. Mental health can affect every aspect of the life of the individual suffering, from relationships, to employment, to parenting, to mundane everyday tasks. To work towards inclusivity and accessibility in a world built for the mentally well; we need to refrain from assessments or judgments of ones abilities just because their illness is invisible. We need to re-evaluate our intentions when dealing with a friend, family member or co-worker dealing with mental illness. We need to listen to what they say and believe them.

Jenn

If you are an RRC student experiencing academic difficulties due to a mental health problem or illness, please contact Accessibility Services. You can set up an appointment here. 

Written by Rachelle Pascal Carrick

Feeling a little down? Perhaps this may not be a complete surprise to you as today has been deemed to be the most depressing day of the year, “Blue Monday”. Popular culture has reported that the third Monday in January is said to be the most depressing day of the year due to a combination of cold weather; the post-holiday blues; over spending in December resulting in increased debt, and broken New Year’s Resolutions. Although Blue Monday lacks scientific evidence, it has sparked a conversation about mental health and the seriousness of clinical depression. Whether you believe Blue Monday is a “thing” or not, there are things you can do to improve the quality of your life and your mental health in the coldest months of the year.

Check out this link for tips and suggestions for improving your mental health.

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/01/13/today-is-the-most-depressing-day-of-the-year

Do you find yourself overly concerned with how you look? Are you interested in discussing the pressure to look a certain way? Would you like to connect with other students who are also ready to talk about this topic, sharing some tea and snacks?  If so, then I invite you to attend “The Body Project” at EDC on Monday, January 23 & 30 from 5:30-7:30 pm.

Check out the poster, with details here: body-image-poster-2017

By registering you will be welcome to attend two separate two hour sessions at The Roblin Centre, EDC. You’ll engage in discussions and participate in activities that are meant to help you feel more positive about your body. All students of all genders are welcome. You can register by emailing blsawatzky@rrc.ca or calling 204-632-2061. You’ll be asked a couple of questions to make sure this is the right group for you.

Back in November, some RRC students and staff were trained to become facilitators of The Body Project, an evidence based eating disorder prevention and body image improvement program. You can learn more about the program, which is running at many Canadian and American College and University campuses, here. The Projector also wrote a piece on the program, called “Embody Positivity” here.

Breanna

Post submitted by Karley Middleton, HUB International

(Wellness Consultant/Advisor to RRC)

The sense of smell is extremely personal – and one that cannot be avoided or modified with ease. The scents one chooses to surround him or herself with is an expression of their personality, as much as the clothes or hairstyle they wear.

However, scent has a much larger impact on those around us than the mere visual assault that can accompany a particularly brazen choice of outfit. Spending the majority of our day in a workplace means that we need to take that impact into consideration more than if we changed environments on a daily basis or worked from home.

So, while one whiff of your body spray causes you to drift away to a more mentally-pleasing location, it could be making your desk-mate seasick at the same time – you both have the right to a psychologically and physically healthy and safe environment to work in, so who gives in?

There is also the case of essential oils, boasting many soothing and healing properties. But, these properties come with typically strongly scented mediums such as lavender for stress and anxiety, peppermint for headaches and nausea, fennel (or licorice) for digestive issues and lemongrass for alertness.

Although these scents are merely the product of an alternative “health-style” choice, they, too have an impact on those who did not choose to use them but rather have assigned seating nearby. Again, who must submit their right to a comfortable and safe workplace in favour of the other’s preferences?

Liken this situation to the ever-popular Battle Over The Thermostat; everyone has a temperature at which they’re their most comfortable and productive, so who gets their way? In this case, those who prefer it cooler will most likely prevail as one can very easily throw on a sweater but you can’t very well strip in the office when you’re sweating through your single-layer blouse.

So, when a scent cannot be unanimously agreed upon (and good luck to you with that!) it must simply be removed. There are ways to reap the benefits of scent through taste (flavoured water) and sight (artwork, plant life) and that will just have to suffice until you’re in the privacy of your own car or home.

How you plan to make your 2017 awesome? If you’re like most people, you will have a few resolutions on your mind. Even those of us who roll our eyes at the thought of New Year’s resolutions, can’t help but have a few intentions swirling around our brains.

Some of the most common resolutions are losing weight, quitting smoking, and paying off debt. But, this isn’t your average new year’s resolution post. Yes, we could talk about setting SMART goals (but, CAMH has already done that well here). Or we could talk focusing on contentment (but, Mindful.org has done that beautifully here). Instead, I’d like to talk about remembering our mental health in amongst all of these goals/resolutions/intentions or whatever other word we affix to our desire for change.

There are some pretty toxic forms of self-talk that surround resolutions. Two of these are, “Anyone should be able to…,” and “There are no excuses.” Let’s take a look at each of these and see why they are not realistic or healthy statements to say to ourselves.

“Anyone should be able to…” This statement is deeply invalidating of our unique experience. Just because we all have 24 hours in the day, it does not mean that we have the same amount of responsibilities or that we have the same values and priorities. I often hear this statement in relation to finding time for exercise or cooking meals at home. It’s usually followed by a judgmental statement like, “it’s not that hard” or “if you really want to.“

When we internalize this statement and hear it repeated as our own self-talk, it becomes a problem. What help is it to me if “anyone can do it?” That matters not. What matters is how I, in my unique circumstance, with my unique schedule and responsibilities and values and priorities am going to find the time. An impersonal and judgmental statement such as “anyone should be able to…” fills me with shame if I am, in fact, unable to do that thing. The implication is that the only reason one can’t, is pure laziness. Repeatedly telling yourself that you’re lazy and unable to meet a standard that “anyone should be able to,” is negative self-talk and is bad for our mental health.

So, instead of thinking about the grand anyone, think about how you, individual you, can reach your goal. And first, most importantly, make sure the goal has truly been chosen by you. Sure, anyone could probably craft themselves a visible set of abs with intense exercise and diet, but that’s not my goal. I don’t give a fig, personally, for that goal. It’s someone else’s goal. My goal is to cycle twice a week and practice yoga twice a week. That’s my goal. Just mine, it’s absolutely immaterial whether or not anyone else should be able to do that or not.

Making sure my goal is my own and avoiding comparisons to what anyone else should be able to do, is much better for my mental health.

“There are no excuses.” This statement implies that anything that gets in the way of achieving a goal is chosen by the person themselves as a way to get out of the work involved in the goal. It’s usually said to shame people into sticking to rigid schedules that probably weren’t realistic for them in the first place. What you’re really saying to yourself when you repeat this self-talk, is that any failure to comply fully to the details of your plan is a personal choice borne out of laziness. This is the opposite of motivating. This is self-degrading.

So, instead of shaming yourself by internalizing the “no excuses” self talk, think about the very real barriers to achieving your goals and think of realistic strategies to overcome these. If I set a goal to read every evening before bed, but I find that after lying with my kids while they fall asleep, I become too tired, is this an excuse? Or is it a very real barrier to my goal? Is simply repeating the shaming statement, “there are no excuses”, going to help me? No, it only serves to diminish my mental health by making me feel lazy and unproductive.

Feeling badly about oneself is not, in fact, motivating. It’s paralyzing. Would it not be better for me to rearrange my routine, finding a way to overcome the barrier? Maybe I could find a better time to read. Maybe I could try sitting up in my kids’ bed instead of lying down so that I don’t crash with them. There are ways to reach my goal, but repeating a phrase like “no excuses” will not help.

During this time of resolutions, goals, and intentions, I urge you to pay attention to your self-talk. Ask yourself if the self-talk swirling around your head is good for your mental health. Ask yourself if it’s truly your voice or if it’s in fact someone else’s voice. Ask yourself if it’s actually helping you reach your goal, or simply making you feel shameful, lazy, and down.

If your self-talk is not serving you well, change it. Your mental health will improve, and you will be more likely to reach your goals.

Breanna

With the holiday season upon us, there are some common stressors that many people face.

Jennifer Wolkin, over at Mindful.org lists these as experiences through which many people struggle:

1.Demands on Time

2. Loneliness During the Holidays

3. Expectations of Perfection

4.The Indulge/Guilt Cycle

5. Stress and Family Anxiety

She provides some thoughts on these as well as “mindful antidotes.” Mindfulness is simply the process of training the brain to be aware of the present moment. I encourage you to take a read through the full article: 5 Mindful Tips for Navigating Holiday Stress. 

Best wishes for a peaceful and healthy holiday season!

Breanna

Be sure you know and understand your Out-of-Country Emergency Travel Health Coverage.

Eligible Red River College employees and their eligible dependents have 100% Emergency Travel Health Coverage for trips up to 90 days. For this coverage to apply, Provincial healthcare plan coverage must also be in place. If you are planning on travelling for an extended period of time, you may want to inquire about getting a coverage extension for your provincial healthcare coverage and consider purchasing additional coverage.

What is an out-of-country medical emergency?

The definition of an out-of-country medical emergency is “a sudden, unexpected injury or acute episode of disease”. Coverage does not include trip cancellation, trip interruption or loss or damage of baggage and you will not be covered if you are travelling against medical advice.

What to do before you leave on vacation:

• Leave details of your insurance coverage along with copies of other important documents with a contact person at home.
• Consider talking to your doctor to address any concerns about travelling with a medical condition.
• Pack all of your important documents, including:
  ✓ Your Plan ID (Benefits Card)
  ✓ Your provincial health card
  ✓ A valid passport
  ✓ Medications; and
  ✓ Other important documents

What to do during a medical emergency out-of-province/country?

If you experience a medical emergency while outside of Canada, call Global Medical Assistance (GMA) as soon as possible. The GMA program through Great-West Life provides medical assistance by locating medical services and obtaining Great-West Life’s approval of covered expenses through a worldwide communications network which operates 24 hours a day. The GMA toll-free numbers are located on the back of your benefits card. The call can be made during or immediately following a medical situation, such as:

• Hospitalization
• Locating proper medical care
• Physician and/or Hospital insurance verification (confirmed through GMA directly)
• Requiring medical treatment due to an accident
• A medical problem requiring translation services
• Emergency evacuation when deemed medically necessary (arrangements will be made through GMA).
• A serious medical problem arises

When calling GMA, be prepared to provide the following information:

✓ The name of the person covered
✓ The group and contract number; and
✓ A description of the problem

Please note, GMA coverage for travel within Canada is limited to emergencies arising more than 500 kilometers from home.

For more information or to print your ID card, log in to the Great-West Life Member Portal with your Great-West Life user name and password.

The above summary is for general use and informational purposes only. In the event of a discrepancy between this benefit and the master contract, the terms of the group contract will apply.

Supporting Your Wellness

The LifeWorks website contains useful tools and articles to help you manage your stress and improve focus. You even have access to seminars at www.lifeworks.com.

Check out this podcast to help you improve the quality of your life:

• The Benefits of Slow Parenting

Remember your EFAP User ID and Password:

User ID: rrcefap                                Password: efap