Get to Know the Student Wellness Hub

Our short videos provide helpful听tips to incorporate resilient practices into your life. These themes are also showcased on our听听virtual community via听 and . Follow us听to stay updated听on the latest events, infographics, videos, Reels, and supports.

Themes:

• Gratitude
• Time Management
• Mindfulness in the Moment
• Effective Communication
• TIPPs For Building A Healthier Lifestyle
• Wellness Rewind

Gratitude

Sometimes it's听difficult to focus on the positive because our brains are predisposed to experiencing negativity bias; research shows that our brains are more reactive to negative than positive information. Essentially, our brains are hardwired to protect us against negativity, which means that we听have to听try a little more to recognize positivity.听Here are some resources to help you bring your attention to those good moments, despite having challenging days.

Recommended Resources

Apps

• Gratitude (on and ): A personal journal app to help you focus your attention on the positive things in your life. You can set it up to receive reminders to write about things that you're grateful for each day!
• Reflectly (on and ): A reflective journal app that uses positive psychology to provide you with tools to focus on the positive and overcome negative thoughts.

Time Management

As a student, there are so many tasks to be aware of: organizing schedules, budgeting effectively, sleeping! How can we ensure that we are managing our time most effectively? According to time management experts, every task听has an absolute minimum and absolute maximum听amount of time听that can be devoted to it and time on task is flexible.听Sometimes听we assign too much time on a task that can be completed in less time. Here are some resources to help you best manage your time, as well as everything in between!听

Recommended Resources

Apps & Websites

• Todoist (on and ): Your virtual to-do list to organize work and life
• Microsoft To Do (on and ): Create a list for anything - school work, self-guided care, grocery shopping - and keep track of deadlines by setting reminders
• Asana (on and ): A platform for group work to ensure that you and your team are focused on the goals, tasks, and projects
• Trello (on and ): Your go-to tool for managing tasks and projects
• A time management technique to work with the time you have, rather than working against it
• Calculate when you should go to sleep based on average sleep cycles

Stress Management

One of the most common suggestions for stress management is to take a deep breath and focus on your breathing. Sometimes it can be challenging to 鈥渏ust breathe鈥� or 鈥渇ocus on our breath;鈥� however, taking a little bit of time听to become aware of your breath and engage in a couple of seconds of deep breathing can be very effective in all kinds of high-stress situations because it calms your body, no matter what your mind is doing.听

Recommended Resources听听

Apps & Websites

• Forest Stay Focused听(on and ):听an app that helps you stay present & focused on your work

Mindfulness

Mindfulness involves paying attention to the moment, on purpose, and with nonjudgmental acceptance of thoughts and feelings. There are numerous benefits associated with participating in mindfulness activities such as reductions in stress and鈥痑nxiety, and鈥痠ncreases in performance and well-being. Mindfulness does not always have to seem like another thing that you need to do; there are many ways to incorporate mindfulness into your day for brief amounts of time. You can begin with focusing on your senses by鈥痺atching鈥痶his鈥痸ideo,鈥痑nd you can also check out some of the resources available to practice on your own!鈥�鈥�听

Recommended Resources听听

Apps & Websites

• MyLife: Stop, Breathe & Think: Check in with your emotions to discover a variety of mindfulness and meditation best suited to how you鈥檙e feeling in that moment.鈥疉vailable on听听&听.

• CALM:听The #1 App for sleep, meditation, and relaxation.鈥� Available on听听&听.

• Headspace:听An app that teaches you how to meditate.鈥�听Available on听听&听.听Headspace has also teamed up with Netflix on a series called 鈥淗eadspace Guide to Meditation鈥濃��.听

• Simple Habit:听A 5-minute meditation app for busy people to help them stress less and achieve more.鈥� Available on听听&听.

• Insight Timer:听An鈥痮nline community for meditations鈥�. Available on听听&鈥�.

Effective Communication

When we鈥檙e working in groups, navigating relationships, or interacting with others in our work/school environment, effective communication is essential. Here are some tips and resources to keep in mind to ensure your message is being communicated appropriately in both your personal and professional life.

Recommended Resources

Apps & Websites

• Website: ; tips and tools to help a friend going through a tough time.

• Check out McGill鈥檚 Career and Planning Services to help with job prep.

• If you need help, feel stressed, or just want to chat but are not sure where to turn, you can connect with a Peer Supporter at McGill鈥檚 .听

TIPPs For Building A Healthier Lifestyle

TIPP is a strategy used in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which includes skills for taking care of your thoughts, emotions, and relationships. View more information on .听Here are other resources related to self-care that can be especially useful during stressful or busy periods.

Recommended Resources

Apps & Websites

• Supercook; & ; Helps you find recipes depending on what you have in your kitchen, making it easier for you to throw meals together without buying more
• Cookspiration; & ; This app offers easy recipe ideas depending on the time of day, whether you鈥檝e just worked out, and more.
• Breathe Easy; & ; This app assists with paced breathing techniques by visually guiding in and out breaths with growing and shrinking shapes.
• ; A website and app with tips, facts and resources to get you moving now
• ; An online cookbook, crowdsourced by students in collaboration with the Hub and Midnight Kitchen鈥檚 Recipe Swap, that includes soups, mains, sides, dishes and desserts.
• ; Offers tips on freezing food and a list of food that doesn鈥檛 freeze.

Wellness Rewind

The Student Wellness Hub is here to support you in continuing to build, enhance, and achieve resilience throughout your wellness journey. Whether we are focusing on practicing gratitude, managing time and stress, ensuring effective communication, or managing overwhelming emotions, these strategies can be incorporated in our lives to enhance wellness over time. #BuildingAHealthierMcGill may begin at McGill, but it does not stop here! Here is a collection of helpful wellness resources.

Recommended Resources

Apps & Websites

• ; Confidential support, any time of the day or night from anywhere in the world! .
• ; Join our virtual community on and to stay up to date on the latest events, infographics, videos, Reels, and supports.
• Student Accessibility & Achievement Support;听Need extra support with your exams? The Office for Students with Disabilities can help connect you with resources and accommodations!