By Britney Ellis Rahman – Contributor

The week of March 10 to 14 saw Bishop’s University host its annual Mental Health Awareness week. Organized by Student Services and the SRC’s mental health committee lead by Mya Fischer, events were held all over the campus and beyond, promoting the daily themes of environment, substance use, relationships & sexual health, physical health, and self-care.

Per tradition, the week began on Monday with a resource fair hosted in the SUB where students learned about services offered on campus, such as counselling in the offices above Doolittle’s and off-campus services such as those from Autisme Estrie. One student who self-identifies as autistic said that it was “a relief to know that there are ways to officialize my diagnosis; I didn’t even know where to begin looking.” The day continued with various workshops and meetups related to eco-anxiety.

Tuesday saw the beginning of the “paint the SUB purple” activity where students wrote affirming and positive messages to each other and plastered them all over the walls and the large window to the Gait.  This day also featured a substance use workshop in the Gait, as well as a budget-friendly cooking class in the Hodder kitchen, a welcome relief to students feeling the pressure and stress of rising food prices.

Wednesday was day 2 of plastering positive messages all over the SUB as well as a day focused on positive relationships and sexual health. A consent workshop was hosted in the SUB by representatives of the Sexual Violence Support Centre and others. This was followed by an art & philosophy activity in the Kaleidoscope lab and finished off with a painting activity in the Gait.

Thursday was physical health day, beginning with free activities in the Price Sports Centre and then moving on to the more introvert-friendly fidget toy making in the Art Lab. Finally, the BU Outdoors Club capped it off with a 5 km hike at the Johnville bog, a happy dose of fresh springtime weather to help shake off the frigid winter blues. Friday finished the week calmly with group therapy, yoga, meditation, and a spa treatment hosted by BUnited. 

The week was an overall success with many of the events seeing greater than expected participation from students, and many students expressing that it feels good to know that they are not alone in their struggles. It is important for you to remember that help is at most a phone call away. 1-866-APPELLE and 9-8-8 can be dialed for mental health emergencies, 686868 can be texted, and for social services you can dial 811 option 2.