{"id":23306,"date":"2022-11-16T09:00:38","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T17:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=23306"},"modified":"2022-11-30T11:48:37","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T19:48:37","slug":"under-pressure-camosun-students-deal-with-the-stresses-of-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2022\/11\/16\/under-pressure-camosun-students-deal-with-the-stresses-of-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Under pressure: Camosun students deal with the stresses of today"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cStress\u201d and \u201canxiety\u201d have become buzzwords of sorts, thanks to an increasing awareness of the importance of self-care. Rising inflation rates, pandemics, healthcare and housing crises… it\u2019s easy to see why stress is running rampant. And Camosun students, as I\u2019m sure you\u2019re aware, are not immune to stress.<\/p>\n

Students are stressed for a number of reasons, although there are resources available to help them out. But how effective are they, and can they be improved?<\/p>\n

Tension on top of tension<\/b><\/p>\n

Just like other people living in Victoria and surrounding municipalities, students are dealing with region-specific health, financial, and personal issues. But on top of that is the fact that we\u2019re attending college, which takes lots of time and money.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say financial stressors are big for students these days,\u201d says Camosun counselling and student wellness manager Liisa Robinson, who adds that anxiety and relationships are other big reasons students come to Camosun counselling. \u201cI would say that\u2019s true community wide when you look at the city of Victoria.\u201d<\/p>\n

These concerns are only part of the problem, though. The effects that they have on everyday life is a stress factor within itself. Even adapting to it causes high amounts of tension, says Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) external executive Jessie Niikoi.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime is moving so fast for some of us that we don\u2019t even know where to stop,\u201d says Niikoi. \u201cPeople are always working on the weekend and doing school during the week, or working while doing school, like they work on school on school days and that alone is a lot of stress, because they don\u2019t know when to take a break. That just negatively affects everyone. I\u2019ve been there\u2014if I had not had caught COVID I would\u2019ve not stopped working seven days a week. It negatively impacted me because I missed a week of school, but it also gave me time to refresh myself. I realized it did not have to get to that point before I take a break.\u201d<\/p>\n

First-year Dental Hygiene student Melissa Haire says that trying to juggle everything is difficult for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI work four days a week as a server so I feel like balancing, like putting school over work sometimes, is hard because it makes it hard to pay bills,\u201d says Haire. \u201cWith midterms and everything it\u2019s been a lot, and balancing my friends, school, and work and everything, I would say it\u2019s been a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haire isn\u2019t receiving support from Camosun to manage her stress and doesn\u2019t know what\u2019s out there to ease the tension from school. That difficulty balancing work and school is a problem that first-year Economics student Michael Toora is also managing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just coming back to school, so I\u2019ve been working for the past eight years,\u201d says Toora. \u201cWorking two jobs, quit one job, working 20 hours now, so a big transition for me coming back to school, especially full time. It\u2019s definitely stressful, especially worrying about money, paying rent, all that kind of stuff. My income\u2019s gone down significantly, so just trying to maintain a good balance… Right now I find that [I\u2019m] just spending a lot of time on school, not a lot of time on friends and family, so it\u2019s a give and take.\u201d<\/p>\n

Second-year University Transfer student Kit Caudron-Robinson (who is also on the Nexus Publishing Society board of directors) says that he\u2019s more stressed out in general about whether or not there\u2019s any real point in going to school after coming from the oil fields, like he did, where people already make good money.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the point in coming out here and struggling for so long to do a bunch of bullshit? And then [there\u2019s] kind of the idea of, or the concept of, not really believing in the institution of university,\u201d says Caudron-Robinson. \u201cSeeing that a lot of universities, seeing that a lot of it is this kind of circle of, like, you need to write an essay but you need to reference other people who reference other people who reference other people. No one\u2019s really saying anything new and we sit here in our ivory tower and talk about the rest of the world and all of the problems they face, but no one really has a solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Help yourself<\/b><\/p>\n

The average student\u2019s stress levels are worrying enough to require attention. And while there\u2019s an endless array of options that Camosun students can take advantage of, it can be daunting to navigate through.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have our [CCSS] website available and that has a mental-health resources page and that has different resources available to students. If you want to have a call just to chat and then talk about how you\u2019re feeling, that is available,\u201d says Niikoi. \u201cThe college also has counsellors available to all students, but given the time that everything is very busy most people just [use] online stuff. So we just have a lot of online resources and the [CCSS] website for students to just be able to find the resources that they can talk about the things they\u2019re going through, because, in the end, talking about them is a way of helping yourself. If you\u2019re able to talk about the stuff you\u2019re going through, it puts a weight off the chest because sometimes keeping it in is not always the best. And just being able to access these resources that are free and available to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This story originally appeared in our November 16, 2022 issue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many of the students I spoke with for this piece weren\u2019t aware of most of the help that\u2019s aimed to support students\u2019 mental health, so students are left to figure out how to help themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just go for walks, listen to music a lot, like, constantly listening to music,\u201d says Toora. \u201cProbably the biggest thing I do is just go for drives, not great for the environment, but I love to go drive around the water. Or I\u2019ll go up to Cattle Point. I\u2019ll just sit there for like an hour reading a book, listening to music. I\u2019ll go probably about about four or five times a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robinson would also recommend this as a mode of destressing. She notes that going outside is extremely important for managing both physical and mental health.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting sunlight on your skin, which can be a bit hard in Victoria in the fall… I don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve ever had the experience where you start having a grumpy day or you\u2019re feeling a bit off or a bit low and a 15-minute walk can really shift that,\u201d says Robinson. \u201cSleep is the other big one of those things that I\u2019m always encouraging students to focus on and remember the way we integrate learning is when we\u2019re asleep. So if you spend all evening studying, if you don\u2019t have a good night\u2019s sleep then it\u2019s much harder for your brain to take short-term memory and turn it into long-term memory. So it\u2019s not actually a very solid study strategy to pull all nighters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Putting an intentional study plan in place is a positive, and relatively easy, way that students can tackle their stressors. University Transfer student Aidin Huang found it extremely helpful.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeeping on top with schoolwork deadlines, for sure, and making sure that I\u2019m organizing everything so I can get it all in on time and kind of gauging what\u2019s the most important thing to do, what\u2019s going to take the most time,\u201d says Huang. \u201cI personally usually have a bad habit of leaving things to the last minute, but I try to manage that. I handle it pretty well, I\u2019d say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Extracurricular activities like clubs can be a great addition to students\u2019 mental-health support networks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have our club days, and we realize that a lot of students just come there to destress and play games and sit and talk with other students, and all of that just gives them a little bit of freedom, just a little bit,\u201d says Niikoi. \u201cI don\u2019t know for the other students but I do feel like most have started using our resources more when it comes to just the clubs and our events. We [recently had] Diwali… which we [invited] not only the Indian students, we [invited] everyone. It\u2019s just one of the many ways that students are able to just destress by just being able to communicate with others and not think about school just for a few hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talking with others can help lessen the power that life\u2019s pressures have over a student\u2019s mentality. Even thinking through anxious thoughts can be a form of de-escalating uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had pretty stressful days myself, just work, but tomorrow is a new day,\u201d says Toora. \u201cThings always get better. It\u2019s not like it\u2019s the end of the world, sometimes you just need to take a breath and realize what you\u2019re doing isn\u2019t the most important thing in the world, so don\u2019t over-stress yourself. If it\u2019s an exam, work, whatever, take a minute and take some time to yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sometimes further aid is needed, though, because students don\u2019t always find positive ways to get through their struggles. Partying too much, sleeping too little, and pushing assignment deadlines are all typical student habits that often do more harm than good.<\/p>\n

\u201cCollege is where no parents are available, you don\u2019t really have to listen to anyone, some people are from far away,\u201d says Niikoi. \u201cIf someone\u2019s not used to drinking but then they come to a place where no one\u2019s going to stop you from drinking, no one\u2019s going to hold your hand and be like, \u2018Stop.\u2019 It\u2019s just life in general that hits you hard when you\u2019re out of school and you don\u2019t know how to manage it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is Camosun\u2019s help effective?<\/b><\/p>\n

Camosun has support systems for students, including counselling and other health centres, and the CCSS has mental-health allocations within its student health plan. But beyond this is the work the student society is dedicating to helping resolve factors that cause stress in the first place.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a part of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, one of the biggest things that we always ask the government is to provide more funding for mental-health resources across the country. So we\u2019re always making advocacy for students concerning mental health, and that\u2019s something on the federal level,\u201d says Niikoi. \u201cAnd even for being members of the BCFS [British Columbia Federation of Students] we know one of the biggest things students are always stressed about is fees, and being able to advocate for students to make education affordable, and have less tuition to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the meantime, some instructors are also trying to help their students endure their college experience more easily.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my teachers does breaks in every lecture to let people sort of reflect on what they\u2019ve been learning, and kind of digest a little easier rather than just going through the whole thing like some of my other profs have been doing,\u201d says Huang. \u201cAnd I just think make people aware of the outlets they can access to sort of relieve stress or find help if they need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In October, Camosun held a Thrive Week, which included a mental-health first aid training course.<\/p>\n

\u201c[A] group of students… came in on their weekend to engage in a training to help recognize when their friends and colleagues are struggling to find help and good support,\u201d says Robinson. \u201cSo what I think what\u2019s really wonderful about the Camosun community in particular is it\u2019s very supportive, it\u2019s very compassionate. And so when that\u2019s true, when you do start to struggle it\u2019s a bit of a safety net that maybe one of your friends or colleagues will notice that you\u2019re struggling, and will ask if you\u2019ve reached out for support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Camosun seems to be aware that its students are struggling with stress, and is trying to provide a helping hand to students. So why are students still often dealing with their problems independently?<\/p>\n

\u201cI personally feel like they have resources available, but there\u2019s not enough out there for students to know about it,\u201d says Niikoi. \u201cBecause the first time you hear about mental-health resources is in orientation, and then after that there\u2019s one or two events, but it\u2019s not something that a lot of students get to know because then again it always happens during the time where everyone is busy with school so they\u2019re more focused on trying to pass their exam than to go for a mental-resource meeting… I definitely feel there\u2019s more that can be done, there\u2019s more that they can do to put stuff concerning mental health out there, but it also depends on the student themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moving forward<\/b><\/p>\n

Although self-reliance does build useful skills for students to utilize, students are in a state of stress that puts extenuating pressure on them, so they need help from the college. And the solution to this lack of awareness can be quite simple: Camosun needs to provide students with more information about the systems that are in place to help them with their stress.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo they have a program right now in place?\u201d says Toora. \u201cI think people, students, are going to be stressed out about school balance, so maybe promoting it more so more people are aware that there\u2019s opportunities to get help and to try to find solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many students I talked to agreed with this; Niikoi says that students need to use their voices to generate change.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do feel that students need to bring it up because, in the end, students are the one being affected, so students need to speak up concerning things like this,\u201d says Niikoi. \u201cWe just need students to speak up, because even though the college knows about it, they don\u2019t know enough about it, because no one\u2019s saying anything.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cStress\u201d and \u201canxiety\u201d have become buzzwords of sorts, thanks to an increasing awareness of the importance of self-care. Rising inflation rates, pandemics, healthcare and housing crises… it\u2019s easy to see why stress is running rampant. And Camosun students, as I\u2019m sure you\u2019re aware, are not immune to stress. Students are stressed for a number of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23346,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,277],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-november-16-2022"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23306"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23307,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23306\/revisions\/23307"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}