Self-Help Tools and Resources
At SAIT, finding wellness and balance in all areas of your life will help you achieve what's important. You need to take care of yourself — learning, thinking creatively and achieving your goals will become easier when you do.
In addition to the services we offer in person, we also encourage you to use the online tools and resources we've listed below. If you need to speak with someone, make an appointment with Student Development and Counselling by phone or via video call.
Are you in distress?
If you require immediate help, call 911.
You can also refer to our crisis support and resources.
Self-help resources
Take action to help others: At-risk gatekeeper training
Concerned about a classmate? Helping someone reach out for support can be an important conversation. Practice these conversations through At-Risk gatekeeper training. This free online simulation tool is available 24/7 and is used at more than 100 post-secondary institutions. Create an account and use the enrollment key "saitarus18" to access the training.
Through this training you will learn to:
- recognize some common signs of distress
- approach people with greater skill and confidence
- make effective referrals to campus resources.
Build your resilience with headversity
Welcome to headversity — your personal resilience coach. SAIT students can download the headversity app for free from the App Store or Google Play. Use the app to develop skills — self-expertise, mindfulness, mental fitness, mental health, hardiness, energy management — and tools to thrive during times of adversity. Join now with this passcode: S3A6T9.
Untangle life's stresses and challenges with TAO
Therapy Assistance Online (TAO) is a collection of exercises, modules and personal wellness courses designed to help you manage your own emotional well-being. Also available is a Mindfulness Library with videos of a variety of relaxing meditations you can practice. Get free, unlimited access to TAO self-help content from your phone, tablet or desktop. Use your SAIT email address to sign up.
Resilience 101: Tools for lasting success
Developing resilience strategies can help you achieve greater personal, professional and academic success. As a registered co-curricular activity, Resilience 101 includes approximately 12-hours of designated online content delivered through TAO.
Campus Well e-magazine
SAIT Campus Well is an online health and wellness magazine, with SAIT-specific content, designed specifically for post-secondary students. Topic areas include fitness, mindfulness, nutrition, time management, money, roommates, sleep, and lots more. Check out the My Mind Matters - Now more than ever campaign, read the latest stories online and view upcoming workshops. Don't forget to sign up to receive updates by email.
Mindfulness videos
Watch all or one of these videos to restore some calm in your day. Whether you are feeling tired, overwhelmed or just need to take a five-minute break, these mindfulness videos are sure to help you stay focused and grounded.
Self-screening tools
Mental health check
Mental health screenings are a quick way to determine if you or someone you care about may need to reach out to a doctor or mental health professional for an evaluation. They are educational, not diagnostic. Completing a quick screening test will help you determine if your recent thoughts or behaviours may be associated with a common, treatable issue.
Our screenings are anonymous and only take a few minutes to complete. When you're finished, you will get information and the next steps.
Wellness check
Looking after yourself is key to achieving academic and personal success. The Wellness Check lets you check in on your personal and academic well-being, create a plan for success and find out about the people and resources available on campus to help you succeed.
It's anonymous, only takes a few minutes to complete, and can be done more than once to enhance your well-being.
Related online resources
Mental health and wellbeing
Helpful links:
Anxiety is a normal reaction to a stressful event and it can be experienced by anyone at one time or another.
What can help?
- relaxation and breathing techniques
- mindfulness exercises
- access or expand your social network
- medical check-up to rule out any physical factors
- a healthy diet, adequate sleep and regular exercise
- talk to a counsellor who can help you learn coping techniques and thoughts
Video:
Depression involves feelings of extreme sadness, despair and loss of interest in activities that used to be enjoyable. These feelings can interfere with daily living and last two weeks or longer.
What can help?
- get out of bed every morning
- set small, short-term goals
- self-care
- a healthy diet, adequate sleep and regular exercise
- medical check-up to rule out any physical factors
- talk to a counsellor who can help you learn coping techniques and thoughts
Helpful links:
Videos:
Helpful links:
Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person's demands exceed their resources and ability to cope. Each person experiences and reacts to stressful situations differently, learn to recognize the signs and then identify the cause of the symptoms.
Stress management is a combination of changing the stressful situation and your response to the situation.
Symptoms:
- withdrawal
- blaming or anger
- fatigue or an inability to focus
- forgetfulness or lack of concentration
- anxiety or excessive worry
- irritability
- change in eating or sleep patterns
- headaches
- stomach difficulties
- teeth grinding
- suppressed immune system.
Causes:
- change in life circumstances — financial, health, family, work or school changes
- feelings of being challenged or threatened
- feelings of a loss of personal control
- feeling overwhelmed with the workload.
Helpful tips:
- Discover your specific triggers and symptoms.
- Manage your time — prioritize, reduce and schedule time demands, balance activities.
- Develop healthy practices — eat properly, sleep seven to eight hours, exercise regularly, relaxation and meditation techniques.
- Develop a support system — talk with friends and/or family.
- Positive and calming self-talk — examine thoughts and beliefs.
- Meet with a counsellor.
Social
Anger is a normal, often healthy emotion. When anger gets out of control, it can lead to difficulties. Here, we offer some ideas for managing anger.
Relaxation response
The key to developing relaxation skills is practising them when you don't need them. Practice will make it easier to put this skill in place when you start to notice yourself feeling stressed or beginning to feel irritated.
Relaxation tools can help to calm down the anger and physical tension. Many people breathe shallow, more quickly, and from the upper chest when angry and stressed.
Try the following:
- Diaphragmatic breathing
- Lie on your back and place one hand flat on your stomach and one on your chest. Breathe in and out, and notice how your breath causes your stomach to rise and fall rather than your chest. This is diaphragmatic breathing.
- Cued breathing
- Now that you know what diaphragmatic breathing feels like, see if you can feel that sitting up. Pick a behaviour that you do several times a day (this could be getting a glass of water, turning your computer on or picking up your phone). Each time you do this behaviour, take a moment to practice 5 or diaphragm breaths.
Don't believe everything you think
The meaning we give to an event or comment can transform a neutral situation into an anger-filled one. You actually have a lot of choice over the meaning you give to events.
Decrease stimulation
Other ways to decrease the escalation of anger could include:
- yelling or name-calling you may be doing in your head.
- if you're feeling wound up and the TV is blaring, turn it down.
- pay attention to your own tone of voice and choose to turn the volume down on it.
Exercise
Moderate, regular physical exercise — 20 - 30 minutes per day — can help reduce agitation caused by anger and stress. It is an excellent stress management practice and can reduce overall mental, physical and emotional tension.
What to do in the moment
If you're already very angry, try to remove yourself from the immediate situation. Take some time away, and let people know when you'll be back. If possible, don't drive.
Anger interferes with people's ability to think very clearly. You don't want to say or do something you'll regret.
Helpful links:
Book:
- When Anger Hurts: Quieting the Storm Within | Matthew McKay
Video:
- Ted Talk: How Miscommunication Happens (And How to Avoid it) | Katherine Hampsten
Helpful links:
Life success toolbox
Self-esteem is what you think about yourself and the value or worth you consider yourself to have as a person. Low self-esteem can keep you from the things you enjoy and from working towards personal goals. Self-esteem is a significant part of your well-being, and can sometimes be related to mental, emotional or relational issues.
Helpful links:
Video:
- Ted Talk: Body Language and Confidence | Amy Cuddy
Helpful links:
Videos:
- Ted Talk: The Happy Secret to Better Work | Shawn Achor
- Ted Talk: The Power of Believing That You Can Improve | Carol Dweck
- Strengths | Marcus Buckingham
Videos:
With Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) you will discover ways to develop skills such as regulating your emotions, increasing your distress tolerance, calming your mind and enhancing your interpersonal effectiveness.
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