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I have trouble writing this week’s entry without reflecting on something that happened in one of my courses on Monday. I premise this with some background information – as a Master of Teaching student, I am lucky (most of the time) to spend my days with the 22 others students of my class, all day, every day. Through various professors who have fostered community within this group, we are very comfortable with each other and form quite a cohesive unit. It is refreshing to know my professional community so well and the support it provides is remarkable.

But Monday something that has never happened before, happened. Someone broke down in the middle of a whole-group activity. And then another person did as well, and then another. Our instructor noticed something was going on, and we ended up having a group circle. The truth was, the course subject matter, the fall-out from the large assignment we had completed over the weekend, and just general stress and fatigue had set in. We needed to talk. Badly.

We had let it go too far. We had let stress culminate. Thank goodness that we are in a program that provides the support, and fosters the community it does – I don’t imagine a similar situation would happen in other graduate level courses.

October is Mental Health Awareness Month on campus, and the main message we need to understand is quite simply, mental illness can happen to anyone. There is a lot of support on campus that we should all be aware of, as well as preventative stress-reducing practices which may have helped my classmates had we utilized them. Here’s a short list:

•  Massage Mondays at Hart House: Who doesn’t love a massage? Every Monday between Noon-3pm, you can get a free 15 minute Shiatsu massage from a licensed therapist. Is it as good as it sounds? Yes – but that’s why it’s so busy. The trick is to show up 30 min before 12, 1, and 2. That’s when sign-up opens for the next hour of sessions. I’ve heard that post-undergrad exams, the demand loosens up (bad pun) a bit, so it may be worth waiting a few weeks before you check this out.
•  Mindfulness Mondays: Learn how to reduce stress and be present in the moment with Cheryl Champagne at the Koffler Centre (CAPS Room B) during sessions on Oct 29, Nov 12, Nov 26. Sessions are one hour long starting at 3:30pm. Registration opens 2 weeks prior to each session. Please register here.
• Coping Skills Workshops: There are a series of coping skills workshops through CAPS that address topics such as Emotional Regulation and Balanced Living. Check out the website for more information about how to register.

Mental Health definitely isn’t a joke and we should all know that there is support on campus when we need it.  We should remember that being a good friend also may include directing our friends to professional services if we are worried — let’s work together to keep our minds in mind.