Homesickness, heavy workloads drive demand for mental health resources
By: Toni De Guzman
Some RRC Polytech students are turning to counselling and other mental-health supports after feeling academic exhaustion as the fall term comes to an end.
Aishah Adewale, 19, uses MindWell frequently throughout the week to help with academic exhaustion and homesickness.
“I wake up feeling [like] what am I doing here? What impact am I actually making in life?” said Adewale, a first-year student in Data Science and Machine Learning.
“There are some days I can’t do anything.” She says MindWell helps her relax and get the confidence she needs to get her homework done.
MindWell is an online resource where students and staff can learn positive mental health practices through mindfulness and seminars. There are 3,060 registrants for MindWell as of July 2024.
Adewale, an international student, often feels homesick. She says she hardly travelled back in her country so moving to Canada was a big shift for her.
“When you leave home after some months you get the feeling of nostalgia.” she said.
“I have a community here. Even if I’m not feeling good, I have something that will back me up,” said Adewale. “It makes me feel even though I am away from home, I am home here too.”
Youth (16-24 year-olds) are 25.5 per cent more likely than adults to access mental health services, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association’s December 2023 report.
For Mahi Pwantha, a Digital Media Design student, counselling helped her with academic exhaustion and getting accommodations.
Pwantha was taking nine courses in one semester last term. She said the burnout she experienced was “intense.”
“I felt like I was burning out really fast with school and personal life,” Pwantha said.
Young women, non-binary and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth report higher rates of exhaustion and burnout, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association’s December 2023 report.
“I only have so much energy, I have to pick and choose where my energy goes,” she said.
College support staff say they are expecting an increase in students seeking supports.
About 10 per cent of the student population access counselling services. “I am expecting that percentage to be higher this year,” Karen Gowryluk, the college’s manager for student counselling services said in an email.
However, the new percentage for this year won’t be analyzed until the end of November.
“Our peak times (for counselling) are October/November and late January/February into March,” she said.
She said stress, anxiety and depression are the most common themes, but counselling also helps deal with academic performance issues, homesickness, and more.
“You name it, we see it,” Gowryluk said.
