World Mental Health Day ft. Wellness World
In honour of World Mental Health Day approaching on the 10th of October, I interviewed one of our own uOttawa students to gain her insights on the topic.
Meet Eve Staszczyszyn: Co-Founder of Wellness World, recent uOttawa graduate, and young entrepreneur. Her mission? To use technology as a tool for meaningful social change. How is she doing this? Well, she has some big plans for the future, but currently, she has developed an online wellness portal that integrates with uOttawa’s existing system to provide both new resources and highlight existing ones in the fields of mental health, physical health, and mindfulness!
I sat down with Eve to chat about her experience with entrepreneurship, Wellness World, and navigating how to prioritize wellness during these current times. She gave us some tips about wellness too, so be sure to read on! ;)
NOTE: Eve and Liv will be running a Wellness Workshop this Friday, October 9th at 11:30am! Register HERE!
How did you get involved in entrepreneurship?
“I had developed such a passion for mental health advocacy, and I could see how in the entrepreneurship space you could actually be actionable about change, you could make solutions, you could have an impact through an entrepreneurial lens. I wanted to have a big impact in a small organization as opposed to a small impact in a large organization. That is why I pursued working at Greenspace, a Toronto-based mental health agency. My learning curve there, I imagine, was far greater than it would have been anywhere else.
My second co-op as well, taught me lots of new learnings, but after Greenspace I developed an entrepreneurial quality about myself. In this co-op specifically, I learned the sheer amount of creative liberty you can have in entrepreneurship. I just remember sitting down at an outdoor café in the startup playground and I felt like my neurons were on fire. I could feel my neurons were sparking and I felt ideas exploding in my head. I love that feeling, and I think entrepreneurship not only allows you to have that experience but it forces you to have that experience.”
“My mom also left corporate to start her own accounting firm, so entrepreneurship really is in her blood!”
How do you hope students will use Wellness World / what do you want them to take away from the tool you have built?
“We want Wellness World to be the go-to portal for student wellness and engagement. We want it to be as frequently used as uOzone and Brightspace even. We want it to be that home base. We want it to be what you bookmark and the first tab you open. We want it to be something that will help students in navigating and managing your wellness. And that is the dream for everywhere. We hope this will be a home base for students across North America.”
What do you want people to know about mental health and how does Wellness World help portray that?
Eve points out two specific things she wants people to take away from this question:
“First, your wellness journey is so unique. Everybody’s wellness routine, everybody’s relationship with wellness, health, illness, and the good and the bad that comes with it. Physical bodies or minds — they are so unique. There are different tips and tools when it comes to wellness that will land for individuals. A good routine for you may not be a good routine for me. What may work for my mind and body may not be optimal for yours. And there is beauty in sharing those things! This concept of uniqueness is one of Wellness World’s very fundamental beliefs. The recommendation resource tool is to try to speak to the unique needs and wants and identities of each student. They want to create a digital space that will be valuable for every student and reach every population, entity, and type of student at the university.
The second one has to do with overall wellness and the social factors that play into our wellbeing. Wellness is affected by everything from economic security, food security, social security, genetics, environment, etc. Wellness needs to be looked at in a holistic lens. At Wellness World, our three pillars include “My Community, My Physical Health, and My Mental Health” but we trust that it goes into academic support, life-coaching, and faith. Wellness World aims to create this holistic space for students!”
4 Wellness Tips for All Us Stressed-Out Students?;)
- Practice what feels meditative to YOU. It does not have to be mindfulness meditation. It could be swimming, journaling, taking a walk in a park, making a cup of tea, preparing a meal, playing a sport — anything that feels meditative to you!
- Practice something reflective. Journaling, speaking to a friend, thinking, it can be anything. Maybe it is setting an intention in the morning, maybe it is writing down a few points of gratitude at the end of the day.
- Move your body. This does not have to mean a 5km run every morning or practicing yoga each and every day. This means moving your body in whatever shape or form works best for you. Remember too: be easy with your body.
- FOR STUDENTS: Find out which times of the day you work best on which task. Energy and time management are really important, so being in tune to when your focus is best or when you find during the day you are best able to take on certain tasks. For example, maybe you can accomplish readings best in the mornings, you write better in the evenings, and in the afternoon you are tired and in a bit of a slump. (That is your body’s way of saying take a break — make tea, take a nap.)
*This feature was published as a part of the World Mental Health Day campaign, 2020.
