Focus on Well-Being

Thrive at SAIT

Maintaining positive mental health and well-being is a key factor in your success as a student, in your career and in life. There’s no magic formula, but there are ways everyone can thrive at SAIT. 

Get involved — it’s good for you

• Join a club, attend events, volunteer — check out these simple ways to get involved at SAIT.
• Build your community with SAIT's Chinook Lodge, International Centre and Interfaith Centre, and Saitsa.

Boost your skills and your confidence

• Connect with an academic coach or tutor at a success seminar or workshop.
• Get tips to get hired from Career Advancement Services.

Find your balance

• Make a schedule — know your important dates and deadlines, and make time for fun.
• Get advice to master your money or overcome financial challenges from Financial Advising.

Take care of yourself

• DYK? Most full-time academic programs include access to Wellness Centre facilities.
• Relax, take a breath, build resilience and boost your mental fitness — check out these free online self-help tools or scroll through SAIT's Campus Well e-magazine.

Talk it out — you’re not alone

Talk to someone, about a problem with school or life in general — don’t wait for things to become too much. Connect with a SAIT counsellor at 403.284.7023. 24/7 phone support is available through the Calgary Distress Centre.

• Chat with your instructors about assignments or contact an academic advisor in your school if you have questions about your program.

Connect with Student Development and Counselling

Students meet with counsellors for unique and varied reasons.

• If you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed... It’s hard to keep up with assignments and deadlines while also dealing with personal responsibilities. This may turn into changes in sleep or appetite or reduced social connections. Working with a counsellor may help you learn strategies to help ease this stress.
• If you realize your program isn't what you thought it was going to be... Working with a counsellor may help you discover tools to help inform a better fit for an academic program and professional career.

A counsellor can work with you to recognize your strengths, develop your skills and find coping strategies that are helpful for both everyday life and times of difficulty.

Book an appointment

Link up with the Lamb Learner Success Centre

• Reduce barriers to learning with Accessibility Services.
• Ease exam and academic anxiety with support from an academic coach or tutor.
• Get advice to navigate financial challenges from Financial Advising.

Ideas for healthy coping during times of uncertainty

• Establish meaningful connections. Shift from texting to voice or video calling to feel more connected to others.
• Set boundaries for yourself. Limit the time you spend looking at news to an hour a day.
• Replace fear with facts. Make use of credible news sources and avoid panic and misinformation.
• Look forward to the future. Humans have an incredible capacity to adapt and bounce back in difficult times!
• Connect with nature. Get outside — exercising in the fresh air will make you feel better and contribute to keeping your immune system healthy.
• Directly address your worry and anxiety. Try writing down your thoughts. Note which seems like beliefs vs. facts. Ask yourself if the thought is helpful or unhelpful.
• Take a break and calm your mind. Practicing mindfulness can help reduce negative emotions. Explore mindfulness practices with TAO, headversity or through this video playlist.
• Establish a daily routine. Try to make the unpredictable feel more manageable and in your control by establishing a daily routine — and make self-care a priority.