Wellness Wednesday: Supporting Our First-Year Students
If you interact with first-year students who may be stressed, here are some tips to pass along to them. Tell them about self-compassion. It is useful during difficult times such as transitions to university, setbacks in school, or failures. It involves being kind to oneself, understanding that failure and setbacks are common to everyone, and keeping thoughts in balance. A study by faculty member Katie Gunnell and her colleagues found that first-year students who had an increase in self-compassion over the first year of university had an associated increase in well-being. The study also examines why self-compassion might have these effects. They found that students with higher self-compassion felt more competent, self-directed, and connected with others, which in turn, can positively influence well-being. To read this article online, click here. For more about this topic, click here. The Department of Psychology is pleased to collaborate with Healthy Workplace to support mental health and well-being across the Carleton community. Check out HWP wellness resources here.
