The mental health challenge
“Have you tried the free fitness plan at VIU?” It’s a common phrase used by students who have classes in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Building (380). For those students who have classes exclusively on the lower campus, this “free fitness plan” refers to the climb of 403 stairs that leads to the highest building on … Continued
Feed me, Facebook
Changes are coming to your Facebook news feed. On Thursday, January 11, Facebook announced it will begin to prioritize content from friends and family over content from publishers and brands. This means, in theory, you’ll see more selfies of Aunt Brenda and fewer ads trying to sell you your last search on Amazon. Mark Zuckerberg, … Continued
Ten tips to survive depression
I want to recover from depression someday. If you have depression, you probably do as well. Depression sucks. So does a lot of advice on how to handle it. Well-meaning friends and family who’ve never experienced depression and its painful, boring drudgery offer up gems such as think positive thoughts or buck up, lots of … Continued
Eat, sleep, study, repeat
The initial glow and optimism of the early semester are long gone, and I don’t need a calendar to know it’s mid-November. Instead, I can simply read the appearance and behavior of my classmates: bloodshot eyes, slouched shoulders, bursts of maniacal laughter and hysterical tears. Not that I’m doing any better. Under the pressure to … Continued
Exercise that brain power
By contributor Dallas Bezaire You all remember gym class, right? Where you learn about sports and activities, nutrition, and general health. It is an important part of your education, even if you go on to mostly ignore it. Even if you end up unhealthy, you at least know roughly how to get healthy or lose … Continued
How to be anxious
By contributor Megan Wolfe It’s not easy being anxious. With anxiety comes a multitude of symptoms that are draining and time consuming, like staying up all night worrying about what will happen tomorrow, or that offhand comment you made in a casual conversation that will most likely be the last you ever have with that … Continued
Op-ed: The streets of Nanaimo
Above: Nanaimo skyline via Wikipedia By contributor Philip Gordon The streets of Nanaimo are shifting. Where the salt-air and diaspora meet, hundreds of displaced people gather in huddled masses to talk about how broken the system is that put them there. Downtown Nanaimo is currently a hub of invalids, mental patients, and drug addicts—all of … Continued
Mental Health Matters: Hate speech and social media
By contributor Zoe Lauckner While social media has facilitated our generation’s communication and connectedness unlike any other, it has also created a platform for people to spread maliciousness, prejudice, stigmatization, racism, sexism, and a plethora of other forms of hate speech. Mob mentalities are present both in the physical and online world. Cyber bullying has … Continued
Mental Health Matters: Culture-specific mental disorders
By contributor Zoe Lauckner Have you ever been out at sea alone for too long, seal hunting, and experienced intense panic-like symptoms and fear of drowning? Ever felt like your reproductive organs are disappearing inside your own body? In western society, we would likely categorize these behaviours to fit using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual … Continued
Mental Health Matters: Stigma
This is the latest in a contributor column by Zoe Lauckner. Check back next issue for the latest in mental health issues. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, 20 per cent of the country’s population live with a mental illness (that’s close to seven million people, or one in five). As we can see … Continued
International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day
In support of International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, the Vancouver Island Crisis Society will be holding an educational evening on how to help those in need who have lost someone to suicide. There will be speakers from the Crisis Society who all have experience coping with the effects of suicide, whether they have lost … Continued
Mental Health Matters: Accessing Services—Crisis Counselling
This is the third in a contributor column by Zoe Lauckner. Check back next issue for the latest in Mental Health issues. Last issue’s Mental Health Matters column touched on the topic of self-care—an intentional, self-nurturing practice aimed at taking care of one’s own psychosocial needs. Self-care takes insight and awareness of self—skills that are not … Continued
Mental Health Matters: Self-Care
This is the second in a contributor column by Zoe Lauckner. Check back next issue for the latest in Mental Health issues. Here we are—it’s the fifth week of the term, papers are due and mid terms are happening. Feeling overwhelmed yet? You’re not alone. Admittedly, self-care is one of my least developed qualities, and is … Continued
MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS: Back to school
This is the first in a contributor column by Zoe Lauckner. Check back next issue for the latest in Mental Health issues. It’s that time of year again—students new and experienced come together on campus with the goal of learning in mind. Though exciting times for many, university is commonly the most stressful time students have … Continued