Concordia’s Sexual Assault Resource Centre co-hosts Self-Care Week
The Sexual Assault Resource Centre (SARC) is hosting a Self-Care Week at Concordia in collaboration with the Centre for Gender Advocacy, Health Services, Counselling and Psychological Services and several other groups.
“We wanted to host a self-care week to provide opportunities for individuals in our community to de-stress, cope, break isolation and try out some new activities that might resonate with them,” said SARC coordinator Jennifer Drummond.
Until March 9, students can attend a variety of workshops and presentations focusing on self-care and wellbeing, exploring topics like mindfulness, stress management, herbalism, artistic expression and communication.
Self-care generally encompasses acts of love for one’s own physical, mental or emotional health. According to Drummond, self-care, at its core, is “an activity or practice that helps you de-stress, feel good or cope with life.” Essentially, it involves putting yourself first and making sure you are in a good place physically and mentally.
Many people tend to cope with stress, strong emotions or unwanted situations in negative ways. According to the Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of British Columbia, a negative coping strategy can be distinguished from a positive coping strategy by evaluating its effectiveness in both the short-term and long-term. Negative coping strategies tend to provide temporary stress relief, but may increase the amount of stress we experience in the long term. These often include activities that promote avoidance and distraction, such as procrastinating or relying on drugs and alcohol to escape stressful problems.
While negative coping strategies might help someone feel relaxed for a short period of time, true self-care promotes long-term physical and emotional health. This means using more positive coping techniques, like getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet and scheduling time for yourself.
Drummond said she hopes to increase student awareness of the services available at Concordia.
“There are a lot of great resources on campus,” she said. “We wanted to have diverse activities and workshops available during the week.”
Drummond said this week of events will give Concordia students a chance to take a break, have meaningful conversations and connect with others.
“Starting small is one way to implement something new into your regular routine, like trying a self-care practice that is short or easy to do, or even doing something once a week instead of feeling like you need to incorporate something every day,” she said. “Self care is whatever works for you.”
SELF-CARE WEEK SCHEDULE
(See Facebook event for details and RSVP info)
Tuesday, March 6
Guided Conversation
Multi-Faith & Spirituality Centre
2090 Mackay St.
2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Beading Workshop
Aboriginal Student Resource Centre
Hall building, 6th floor, room 640
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Plant Sale
Concordia Greenhouse
Hall building, 13th floor
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 7
Insomnia and Poor Sleep
Health Services, Counselling and Psychological Services
GM Building, 2nd floor, Room 200
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Indigenous Art Workshop
Centre for Gender Advocacy
Hall building, 6th floor, Room 640
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 8
Stress Management Workshop
Health Services
GM Building, 2nd floor, Room 200
1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Herbalism and Stress Workshop
Blueberryjams
Hall building, 6th floor, Room 640
3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Friday, March 9
Mindfulness Workshop
Counselling and Psychological Services
Hall building, 6th floor, Room 640
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
SELF-CARE TIPS FROM STUDENTS
“I journal a couple of times a week to check in on myself. That’s usually when I figure out what is bothering me and I make plans to improve my situation. It’s cleansing.” – Cynthia Larche
“I used to be bingeing stuff on Netflix, but since I switched into computer sciences, I started reading to relax. It feels much better, since I usually stare at a screen all day to work.” – Isaac Abramowitz
“Time managing your homework and work schedule so that there’s time where you can just relax, as opposed to being constantly busy.” – Salena Wiener
“When I know I’ve had a really tough day, before I go to bed, I just sit in bed cross-legged with a fuzzy blanket over my shoulders. I close my eyes and focus myself on what my senses are feeling. It’s basically a mindfulness technique that places me in the moment.” – Jonathan Roy
“Being a student, I really need something non school-related in my schedule! I signed up for intramurals as a way to make sure my brain would get a break every once in a while.” – Gabrielle Lametti
“Learning to not feel guilty about saying no to going out when you don’t want to. Learning to not feel guilty about eating St-Hubert on the couch and watching Netflix.” – Emma Loerick
“Meditating every single day.” – Anaïs Venegas-Grün
“Sad, angry, depressing music helps me deal with my emotions, as opposed to keeping them in.” – Edgar Jose Becerra Granados
Graphic by Zeze Le Lin
