A look at some resources to help navigate the end of a stressful summer.
Over the years we have dedicated the September issue to preparing for the start of the school year – particularly as our theme this month is “stress and resilience”. It certainly can be a stressful time of year, and resilience is a big part of how we cope with the hectic nature of a campus coming back to life as we welcome the return of students. But this year, a different kind of stress was visited upon our colleagues at UBC Okanagan, with the devastating fires in the region causing the evacuation of the UBCO campus.
Thankfully, the Okanagan campus resumed regular operations, just in time for the return of students to BC’s interior. This harrowing experience gave us pause – we wanted to use this space to share some ideas and resources to help us make sense of the stressful summer, and how we can find some resilience in light of the ongoing climate emergency.
Reducing stress and resilience through gratitude
Before we launch into the resources for dealing with stress and anxiety, we wanted to shine a light on some of the uplifting stories that came from wildfires in the Okanagan region. In a world where we are often saturated with bad news, sometimes it is nice to bask in those stories that lift people up and show the lengths we go to as a community to rally together in times of stress.
Watch
Sometimes it isn’t enough to hear about acts of heroism and acts of kindness. This video from the community of Wilden (a nearby neighbour to UBCO), shows the harrowing images of the fires rushing towards the community, the first responders who battled to save houses, and the grateful residents who banded together to thank the firefighters.
READ
Unity amidst adversity: How UBCO’s Campus Security team became campus guardians during the wildfire threat. Find out how the Campus Security team has been a constant 24/7 source of support for the entire campus community.
Building resilience through understanding
While the fires in the Okanagan loom large in the UBC community, the region isn’t the only one hit by extreme climate-related weather this year. Wildfires, floods, and extreme heat have become the norm throughout the province. It is no wonder that there is a growing sense of climate anxiety.
READ
Turning climate worry into climate action: expert tips for managing climate anxiety.
In this article Dr. Steven Taylor, a UBC professor of psychiatry and clinical psychologist, discusses the steps people can take to cope with climate anxiety – and how those feelings can be turned into a motivating force for climate action.
Connect
The UBC Climate Hub is building a hopeful community through action on climate change.
Take a look at some of their projects, the details of UBC’s climate emergency response, and connect with the Climate Hub to turn your motivation into action.
Getting help with stress and anxiety
For those affected by the wildfire situation around the province, there are a number of great resources available to all. The BC Government’s Wildfire Support resources are a great place to start.
At UBC, faculty and staff have access to a number of resources to help with stress and anxiety.
SPEAK TO SOMEONE
Faculty and staff at UBC have access to clinical counsellors in addition to lots of wellbeing tools and resources through our Employee and Family Assistance Program, from TELUS Health (formerly LifeWorks)
TOOLKIT
If you are looking for information, you might like to review the Natural Disasters Toolkit. This is our EFAP’s natural disasters toolkit which collects all of the articles and guidance they have published for you to quickly and easily find the resource you need. (Sign in to TELUS HEALTH One to get access).
We wish everyone all the best as we begin another academic term.
If you have ideas for a future Healthy UBC article or if you have health and wellbeing-related resources you think would be valuable to share with faculty and staff please send them through to: hr.healthwellbeing@ubc.ca.
Healthy UBC Editorial Team
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