Emotional Health & Supports at Ontario Tech

What is emotional health? 

When we think about health, the physical aspect tends to come to mind first. However, your emotional health is just as important as the physical and requires just as much (if not more) effort and maintenance. Emotional health refers to how we nurture our wide range of emotions. It can be considered a piece of the mental health puzzle! It’s important to understand why you’re feeling how you feel and to find healthy and positive ways to cope when you’re feeling down.

In our day-to-day lives, our emotions change constantly depending on the circumstances we’re under. This is where our ability to cope with potentially stressful or upsetting situations comes into play. Coping mechanisms can help us regulate our behaviours, feelings, and thoughts, but some can do more harm than good. Being emotionally healthy means being able to address potential problems in a healthy way, allowing you to maintain a positive outlook on life.

Source: Linkedin

How can I maintain my emotional health?

 Maintaining emotional health starts with understanding and accepting your emotions. Understand how your environment affects you. What kinds of things trigger negative emotions, and why? What makes you happy, and why? Recognize the need to take breaks when things are busy, and when it’s time to turn to your hobbies and interests for a pick-me-up.

There are lots of ways to improve or maintain your emotional health. Spending time outside, engaging in physical activity and your favourite self-care activities, practising gratitude, exploring a new hobby, strengthening your support system, and connecting to your faith or beliefs are just a few things that can support your emotional health.

What kinds of emotional health supports does Ontario Tech offer?

Ontario Tech has many resources to support your emotional and overall mental health and wellbeing! Some of them include:

• Self-Help Resources, including on-campus and community resources, digital mental health resources, and helplines. 
• Single-session supports are available through Student Mental Health Services (SMHS). You can book an intake session with a Mental Health and Wellness Facilitator who will assess and direct you based on your needs, or a 45 minute drop-in session with a Mental Health Counsellor.
• SMHS also offers therapy and specialized supports like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and community resource referrals.
• Groups, peer supports, and workshops provide opportunities for students to build a sense of community and support one another.

Source: Ontario Tech University 

Learn more!

If you are someone who is struggling with your mental health please check out these resources that OTU has to offer, you will most likely never be in a position again where these services are so readily accessible to you- and for free! Use the resources that you have to the best of your ability because they're there for you to use!