Mental Health Week at Brock University got started Monday, May 4 and runs until Friday. Brock’s Health Management and Wellness team is adapting to the University’s operational changes by offering virtual experiences throughout the week.

“The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unknown experience for everyone, and during any kind of crisis it is normal for people to experience feelings of stress and worry,” said Greg Finn, Provost and Vice-President, Academic. “To help care for our own mental health, we must all remember to practice physical distancing, but stay connected to family and friends. Eat healthy meals, get lots of regular exercise, and remember, we are all experiencing these challenges together, and we will come through this.”

The virtual events offered throughout the week focus on different elements of mental health. Faculty and staff are encouraged to register using the links below.

For more resources related to Mental Health Week, refer to the Mental Health Week calendar.

Timed Trek Across Canada Challenge — May 4 to June 26

The Health Management and Wellness team will once again be offering the Trek Across Canada Challenge. This year’s challenge will focus on tracking physical exercise minutes as opposed to the amount of kilometres travelled.

Participants will accumulate physical activity minutes through various exercises, including walking, home exercises or stationary bicycling. All participants will be entered to win a Campus Store gift card at the end of the challenge.

Once registered for the challenge, participants will receive a tracking sheet via email to record the minutes they engaged in physical exercise. Faculty and staff are asked to register on Focus on Learning to join the challenge.

Mindfulness Tools to Improve your Work from Home Experience (and Overall Well-being) — Monday, May 4 (12 – 1 p.m.)

As much of the Brock community has transitioned to working from home over the last month, many of us have experienced some new and unique work challenges — concerns with focussing/prioritizing, managing increased email volume and the blurred line between work-life/home-life, to name a few. Please join us in a discussion led by Lianne Fisher, Manager, Educational Development, CPI, on the different ways you can use meditation and mindfulness tools to assist with focus, creativity, productivity and overall mental wellness.

We understand that lunch hour may be a time you spend with other family members in your house. Please feel free to tune in to parts of the webinar as your time allows and know that a version of this webinar will also be available on Sakai for you to engage with at a time that may be more convenient for you.

Registrants will be emailed the link to join the live session on Microsoft Teams on the morning of the event. Register on Focus on Learning.

Yoga for Everyone — Tuesday, May 5 (12 – 1 p.m.)

Practicing yoga can have many benefits for your mental health, including relieving stress, reducing muscle tension, strain and inflammation and helping with focus and concentration. This workshop will be facilitated by an instructor from Brock Recreation and is open to both beginners and those with yoga experience.

Registrants will be emailed the link to join the live Zoom session on the morning of the event. Please know that while turning on your camera/video feed during the session is not required, it is encouraged as a way for us to come together as a community.

Register on Focus on Learning.

Well-Being Wednesdays — Wednesday, May 6 (12 – 12:30 p.m.)

Brought to you by LifeWorks on Morneau Shepell Facebook’s page. Well-being Wednesdays sessions will run for 30 minutes and focus on one of the four pillars of well-being: mental, physical, social and financial. Morneau Sheppell experts and partners from around the world will lead the live sessions.

The session on Wednesday, May 6 at 11 a.m. will focus on mental well-being. All you need to do to join us live is to visit the LifeWorks Facebook page. If you can’t make it live, no problem; the session recordings will be posted on Morneau Sheppell platforms, websites and social channels to share the tips and LifeWorks love.

Growing Your Own Vegetable Garden — Thursday, May 7 (12 – 1 p.m.)

Growing your own vegetable garden is a great activity the whole family can enjoy together. There are many known benefits of growing your own garden, such as eating healthier, saving money on groceries, outdoor exercise and connecting with nature. It has been shown that gardening is a natural stress reliever that can contribute to mental wellness. Please join this webinar, lead by John Dick, Manager, Grounds Services, as he walks us through how to start our own gardens at home. There will be a Q and A session following the presentation.

Registrants will be emailed the link to join the live session on Microsoft Teams on the morning of the event. Register on Focus on Learning.

Staying positive during uncertain times: dealing with adversity through resiliency — Friday, May 8 (12 – 1:15 p.m.)

Please join Brock graduate, Kaitlyn Kerridge, as she leads us in discussion and practice on using mindfulness to help stay on track and build resiliency during these challenging times. Following the session, Kaitlyn will provide participants a mindfulness resource list including online supports to accommodate the COVID crisis.

Kaitlyn’s lived experience as a student with anxiety led her on a personal journey to complete her Master’s research on mindfulness and to start her own business, Peace of Mind, providing mindfulness training to individuals and businesses throughout Niagara. Kaitlyn also works as a Teaching Assistant at Brock.

Registrants will be emailed the link to join the live session on Microsoft Teams on the morning of the event. Register on Focus on Learning.

For more information on Mental Health Week, visit the CMHA website.