All aspects of health are essential to a good school year
Good grades are great. But they can't come at the cost of good mental health.
To help you be and do your best, check out this guide to wellness. It features stories from our archives on dealing with anxiety, reshaping perspectives, taking care of your body so that it can take care of your mind, and more. Many of them also have links to invaluable services at NAIT. Don't miss out!
Have an awesome, productive year – just be sure to look after yourself along the way.
1. Take these 6 steps to stay positive
Being negative is natural – it helps us anticipate threats and deal with them. But staying in that state isn't much fun, or healthy. Here, Personal Fitness Trainer chair Kathrine Andrews offers six ways to change your perspective. Feel your feelings, but also pause to consider what's causing them and how those causes might be seen in a more positive light.
2. Try to exercise
A good workout can also boost your mental health. But not everyone has time to hit the gym. Don't worry! From trainer Brittany Uchach (Personal Fitness Trainer ’05), here's a total body home workout involving no equipment. Pause to break a sweat and return to your studies refreshed.
3. Eat well – without breaking the budget
No one is at their best if they're not eating well. Cheap snacks and heavily processed foods aren't going to cut it. From chef Rylan Krause (Cook ’12), here are six tips on cooking, shopping and sharing that will provide you with plenty of food for thought.
4. Reframe your perseptive on student debt
If you're a student, chances are you have student debt. It's no small thing, but it's also not a burden that has to weigh on you forever. JR Shaw School of Business Accounting instructor Stacey Cooper has tips on how to come to peace with your loans, not make things worse and, eventually, repay them.
5. Try meditating
Yoga instructor Amanda Bell-Tardif (Personal Fitness Trainer ’09) starts and ends her day with 15 minutes of sitting and focusing on her breathing and how her body feels. It changed her life. Want to see what it might do for yours? Here are her her tips.
6. Have fun with the Ooks
The NAIT Ooks have a long history on the ice, court and field, and the story continues to unfold! Take a break from the books to take in some of the action. Home game admission is free for students. Check out the schedule.
7. Sleep better in six steps
Sleeping better makes us better at being awake. We're not going to nag you about getting a solid eight hours a night (even if you should). But a NAIT counsellor has ideas on how to make the most of the hours you get. Get into the right frame of mind, don't try too hard and never take a certain something into the bedroom. Rest assured, these tips will help.
8. Remember that it's OK not to be OK
If you're ever feeling down, you're not alone. That's a message worth remembering for yourself but also one to share with others. For inspiration, we offer this story about Humboldt Broncos tragedy survivor Tyler Smith (Radio and Television – TV '20). His healing journey hasn't been easy, but it's made him who he is today: one of Alberta's greatest advocates for mental-health awareness.
9. Hang with Flynn
It’s a “ruff” job but someone’s got to do it. Since September 2013, Flynn, an Australian labradoodle and NAIT's assisted therapy dog, has been a presence on campus, bringing a warm, fuzzy sense of calm to whomever he meets. You'll find plenty of friendly faces at NAIT this year but this one's just a bit furrier than most.
10. Set goals
Goals can keep you focused and motivated. There are steps you can take to make them more managable. From trainer Jarryd Reed (Personal Fitness Trainer ’21), here are eight things to do to keep yourself in a healthy state of mind as you move forward through the school year and beyond.