Courtney Blow
Courtney Blow wakes up in a quiet house with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Her brother sleeps in another room. She hopes he never needs to discover the truth about where their mother is tonight—or where she assumes her to be. She’s probably out at a gas station with a random guy, getting high … Continued
Unheard and Uninformed: Part One
This is part one of a two-part inquiry into the restraints placed on women’s bodies and sexuality. I sat in my doctor’s office at 15-years-old. I’d barely been on a first date—let alone kissed anyone—but there I was, getting a prescription for a pill I couldn’t pronounce. “This will help you,” my doctor said. … Continued
Navigating VIU Mental Health Resources
Follow along with The Nav’s Mike Duddy as he speaks with VIU’s Thrive and fellow student Lindon Lennox to find ways to reduce stress as a student during a difficult semester. If you’re in need of help, call VIU’s Counselling Services at (250) 740-6416 to book an appointment. Visit www.here2talk.ca for 24-hour confidential messaging. Kuu-us … Continued
Dear Professors,
I’m sitting in the $800 bedroom I’m renting. I hear my four other roommates in the rooms around me. My back aches from the $5 stool I bought on Facebook Marketplace. My Zoom camera is turned off to hide the tears streaming down my face. My education is supposed to be my priority, but my … Continued
Ease the Stress
It’s a stressful time of year for many students. The spring semester is almost over, and exams and final project deadlines loom ahead. But that doesn’t mean the next couple of weeks need be filled with dread. Here are my top four stressbusters to help you feel a little more at ease during the home … Continued
Identifying Plants on Vancouver Island:
My New Year’s resolution, like many people’s, was to start going to the gym more come January. With the restrictions keeping gyms closed for the first few weeks of January, however, I decided to come up with another resolution—plant identification. Last year for Christmas I was given a book about plants in Canada and how … Continued
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring, and It’s Okay to be Sad
The weather can bring you down. I dealt with many blistering cold days in my home province of Alberta—days with the kind of wind that numbs your skin instantly and freezes your eyebrow hairs into two icy little worms. The thought of moving to beautiful Vancouver Island for university was highly appealing to me. Specifically, … Continued
Rainbows
A nine year old girl whose parents have divorced steps into a room and sits next to another child, an eight year old boy whose mom has just passed away. An older lady walks into the room with coloured jars labelled with different feelings: red for angry, blue for sad, green for scared, yellow for … Continued
Roots to Thrive
BC’s need for mental health support has never been more critical than during the COVID-19 pandemic. People are struggling with fear about their own health and the health of their loved ones, financial anxiety, the social isolation that comes from gathering and physical distancing restrictions, and working on the frontlines. COVID-19 has only exacerbated this … Continued
Government Grants Promote Health of BC Youth
Six BC non-profit and not-for-profit organizations received a total of $833,293 to support mental health, substance use, and wellbeing programs for BC youth. This funding comes from the BC Government Capital Project Grants, part of the Community Gaming Grants program, which provides $140 million annually to BC non-profits and not-for-profits supporting their communities. In a … Continued
Continuing the Conversation on Mental Health
In this “new normal,” it’s difficult to imagine a time when a desolate VIU Nanaimo campus was anything but standard. Conversely, a November reading break at VIU is still a fairly new concept. For those unaware, on November 5, 2018, Spencer Stone Shutes tragically passed away after falling from the fifth floor of VIU’s Nanaimo campus … Continued
How to be Knocked Down a Peg
There is nothing quite like a good failing: a failing grade, failing health, failed relationships, vehicle, intention, job or school application or, as the modern turn of phrase goes, “failing at life.” Rather broad statement, wouldn’t you say? In my time as a student at VIU and now, gratefully, an employee, I have heard the … Continued
Modo Yoga Nanaimo
Skye Langlois is the studio manager of Modo Yoga in Nanaimo. Modo Yoga has two locations: one on Dufferin Crescent, and the other on Rutherford Road. Langlois has been a yoga teacher since 2015. “What drew me to yoga was initially vanity. I wanted to be someone else. I wanted to be skinnier. I wanted … Continued
The kids aren’t alright
Back in 2014, a study by the American Psychological Association found that teens reported higher stress levels than adults, especially during the school year. In 2019, the Pew Research Centre found that 70 percent of teens reported anxiety and depression as a major problem among their peers. We know young people are stressed the hell … Continued