MacEwan’s annual Mental Health Week is ready to amp up with a new focus on Finding Harmony. The theme centres around the idea that we can’t always control our work-life balance, but we can get through stressful periods in life with the knowledge that they are temporary, and we can create calm once they’ve passed.

Bennell, a registered nurse and health promotion specialist with MacEwan’s Wellness and Psychological Services area, says that the idea for the theme came from recent research in the mental health sphere. “Looking at current literature, finding harmony is what we're moving into. It's about finding balance in the ebb and flow, recognizing that it's still important to take care of yourself, but also knowing what's realistic.”

Bennell uses the example of exam season to illustrate the idea. Students are under a lot of stress and time constraints for a week or so each semester, and are often unable to find time to socialize or prioritize their self-care. But after exams are over, they’re able to work those positive efforts back into their routines, possibly more than usual over holidays or breaks to counteract their recent period of anxiety.

Mental Health Week features a number of events for students, staff and faculty to learn how to find their own harmony, from self-care stations to stained glass painting to learning about the signs of distress and how to address them. While you’re adding those events to your calendar, be sure to check out the speakers and panelists below to hear different approaches to finding harmony.

Wholistic Wellness with an Indigenous Perspective

Leigh Sheldon, founder of Indigenous Psychological Services, starts the week off with her lecture on finding balance in mental health, drawing on her own experience blending cultural and clinical practices to assist with grief, trans-generational trauma, identity and sexuality, and substance abuse.

Control anxiety with breath therapy

David Wilson, a sessional instructor in the Department of Theatre, sees a connection between the literal harmony of music and the metaphorical harmony in our minds – and it all starts with simply breathing. He’s spent more than 25 years developing and teaching The Wilson Method for Anxiety and Panic Attacks, which combines breath therapy, body-mind connection, restorative yoga and inspiratory muscle training to reduce anxiety and increase strength and stability in daily life.

He uses his method in tandem with his teaching in Music Theatre Performance here at MacEwan, and will also be offering a session as part of Mental Health Week. “This method will offer you a stronger voice, increased confidence and emotional stability. Professional singers will also notice a bigger voice, better text expression and improved support,” says Wilson. “This is about finding balance and harmony in your breathing, your physical activity and your emotional life.”

Hear how other students approach their mental health

Bennell notes that the week is a collaboration of a number of departments and organizations across campus, and the variety of programming reflects that. She is personally looking forward to Finding Harmony in Your Mental Health: A Student Panel Conversation, where students from across programs discuss the challenges and successes in their own mental health journeys.

“Hearing from a variety of different students and having Dr. Joanne Minaker, associate dean of Student Health and Wellness, moderate that session will be really engaging,” she says. “They’re all speaking on what finding harmony means to them. We have athletes, passionate student volunteers, elected student leaders and other diverse perspectives.” 

Keep learning beyond Mental Health Week

The path toward finding harmony doesn’t end as the week draws to a close, though. MacEwan has also launched Mental Health & Well-Being: Essentials. This training provides students, staff and faculty with the tools and understanding to create a supportive campus environment focused on mental health and well-being. Both the student version of the course and one for staff and faculty are now available on mêskanâs, MacEwan’s digital learning environment.