With “Blue Monday” being in January, the section of the wellness wheel that we are going to talk about today seems very appropriate. For those who may not know, ‘Blue Monday’ is usually the third Monday in January, and is known as the saddest day of the year because the combined cold weather (seasonal blues), debt from the holidays, lack of Christmas cheer, decreased motivation levels, the likelihood that you have broken your New Year’s resolutions all take a toll.
Emotional wellness involves understanding and accepting yourself and your emotions and having the ability to cope with the challenges in life while still keeping a positive outlook on life.
In the wellness quiz I posted, the quiz had 3 statements you had to rate pertaining to emotional wellness: “I`m able to ask for or seek help when I need it – from friends, family, or professional,” “I value self-exploration and self-improvement,” and “I am able to recognize and manage the different stressors in my life,” (if you haven’t already, take the time to take the quiz now to see how balanced you are in the emotional section of wellness). If you are looking for something more specific, try the Emotional Wellness Assessment here: http://definitionofwellness.com/dimensions-of-wellness/emotional-wellness/
Everyone experiences emotional stress from time-to-time, so your emotional wellbeing is an important dimension of the wellness wheel to take care of. According to the Western University website, emotional wellness includes:
- Self-understanding – being aware of and accepting of the wide range of feeling one experiences
- The ability to cope with stress in a healthy way
- Having a generally optimistic outlook
- The capacity of adjusting to change
- Managing feelings effectively
- The ability to enjoy life
Some warning signs for when your emotional wellness is going downhill include changes in behaviours such as withdrawal, emotional outbursts, loss of interest, and changes in eating and sleeping patterns; using drugs and/or alcohol to escape, or taking dangerous risks; and experiencing feelings such as feelings of overwhelm, guilt, worthlessness, and changed thinking.
According to the NCHA, 22% of Brescia students have experienced depression, which has affected their academic performance. If you are a student here at Brescia and are emotionally struggling…here are some resources available:
- The Hive
-“One stop shop” for all student services
-Any academic, financial or programming questions
-Mother St. James Memorial Building, Living Room, main floor
-Open Monday-Friday, 8:30am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-4:00pm
–Contact: brescia@uwo.ca or 519-858-5151
- Counselling at Brescia with Dr. Rhonda Gilby
-Every Thursday 9am-4pm in Ursuline Hall, Room 223
-$100/session, which you can be reimbursed for through your student health plan
–Contact: rgilby@uwo.ca or 519-860-2220 - Student Wellness Education at Brescia (Leanne Bonello)
– Case Management portfolio serves Brescia and individual students by coordinating prevention, intervention, and support efforts across campus and community systems to assist at risk students and students facing emotional distress and/or crisis, life traumas, and other barriers that may impede success
–Contact: lbonell@uwo.ca - Services in the Student Development Centre on Main Campus
-Individual counselling
-Crisis counselling
-Support groups (for issues including stress, anxiety, eating disorders, etc.)
-Western University, WSS Room 4100
–Contact: 519-661-3031 - Mental Health Walk-In Clinic at Family Service Thames Valley
-125 Woodward Avenue, London
-Every Tuesday, 1pm-6:30pm
-Contact: 519-433-0183
- CMHA Crisis Services
-Mental health crisis line, 24/7
-Crisis Mobile Team Intervention
-Individual crisis counselling
-Peer Support
–Contact: 519-433-2023
- Student Health Services (SHS) on Main Campus
-Multidisciplinary counselling services
-Psychiatry, physician, social worker and RN
-Medication consultations
-Western University, UCC 11 (lower level)
–Contact: 519-661-3030
If you are interested in more resources available to you inside and outside of school, Western has a great mental health resource summary: https://www.uwo.ca/biology/pdf/administration/mentalhealthresources.pdf
Tips for positive mental health/tips for healthy emotional wellness include:
- Exercising, eating well, and getting enough sleep,
- Taking the time to do things you enjoy,
- Catching up and surrounding yourself with friends and loved ones,
- Slowing down, being present, and ‘tracking’ the positive moments in your life,
- Learning how to cope with negative thoughts,
- Keeping alcohol to a minimum and avoiding other drugs, and
- Asking for help.
Sources:
https://www.uwo.ca/biology/pdf/administration/mentalhealthresources.pdf
http://brescia.uwo.ca/thehive/
http://definitionofwellness.com/dimensions-of-wellness/emotional-wellness/
http://iwellness.uwo.ca/emotional_wellness/index.html
http://www.sfu.ca/students/health/resources/wellness/wellnessquiz.html
http://mentalhealthweek.cmha.ca/your-mental-health/maintaining-mental-health/
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/recognizing-warning-signs
American College Health Association. American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II: Western University Executive Summary Spring 2016. Hanover, MD: American College Health Association; 2016.