Stress Busting at Mount Allison University

Mount Allison’s Wellness Centre is located at the heart of campus in the Wallace McCain Student Centre. The Wellness Centre offers services for students to support both physical and mental well-being, including stress. The Centre, part of Student Life, consists of counselling services, health services, sexual harassment support, as well as mental health education and support.

In addition to the above services, the Wellness Centre provides access to:

• a physician
• a massage therapist
• a registered acupuncturist
• a psychologist

Along with one-on-one appointments, the Wellness Centre organizes events for students at particularly stressful times of year, which include activities such as:

• Therapy dogs
• Massage therapy
• Art therapy
• Hypnosis
• Meditation
• Light therapy

There are also a growing number of special support groups that are organized based on need and interest. For example, there is a weekly stress-free 'safe space' for students to get together with their peers, organized in conjunction with Change your Mind — a student group that promotes mental health and decreasing the stigma attached to mental illness at Mount Allison University.

A few things the Centre advises students to do when dealing with stress are:

• Get enough sleep and avoid “all-nighters"
• Stay physically active
• Be organized and keep a day planner
• Eat a balanced diet
• Take breaks and reward yourself
• Reduce caffeine and stimulants

“I think it’s important to normalize stress for students because it’s a part of everyday life, but it’s also important to know that you can ask for help if you need it,” says Mount Allison’s mental health educator, Karen Geldart.

Find out more about the Wellness Centre at www.mta.ca/wellness and about events at Mount Allison at www.mta.ca/events