Students attend Adulting 101 for stress management and motivation

The AC Hub hosted an Adulting 101: Stress Management and How to Stay Motivated event on the second floor of the Student Commons building on Feb. 20.

Students said the one-hour event provided useful information.

Project management student Shivang Jani is driven to enter their field.

“After I graduate, I want to secure a co-op position in my field. I’m really excited, and motivated. I want to learn as much as I can,” said Jani.

“If you are stressed, you have to do something about it. You need to find ways to be not stressed. Otherwise, you will get burnt out.”

Jani goes to the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre when taking a break from work.

“I’m never unmotivated for working out. If I’m stressed out or not having a good day, the Algonquin College gym is a really good place to be,” said Jani.

When taking a break from academics, Alvina Hendrawidjaja has a multitude of activities and affirmations.

“I go grocery shopping or just go on walks and use social media,” said Hendrawidjaja, a food and nutrition student.

“Have a goal, don’t take it too seriously, aim for progress, not perfection and everything happens for a reason.”

Elizabeth Peña-Fernández from Health Promotion emphasizes physical activity as an outlet when facing adversity.

“I would include doing exercise or going outside and taking a walk. Sometimes we take that for granted and don’t include it in our priorities,” said Peña-Fernández.

Project management student Chidera Lois Chinonyerem advises students to remain confident when dealing with stress and a lack of motivation.

“Just believe in yourself. If you believe you can do something, I feel like nobody can actually make you feel less about what you can do to be positive,” said Chinonyerem.

When dealing with hardships, Chinonyerem turns to friends and loved ones while maintaining self-confidence.

“I talk to friends when I’m stressed because most advice comes from the people who care about you and who you care about. You don’t have to depend on somebody to think you can do something,” said Chinonyerem. “I learned that you can be your own motivation.”

Christina Latifi from Counselling Services says symptoms of stress and a lack of motivation vary.

“It depends on the person and how they deal with what they think stress is,” said Latifi.

“The symptoms when you’re not taking care of yourself as part of self-care, the symptoms are very similar in terms of getting anxious.”

Peña-Fernández offers solutions to relieve symptoms.

“Whenever you feel very stressed and overwhelmed, go back to the basics, which is eating, sleeping and drinking water. Those are really strong stressors. Not eating, drinking water, and sleeping are the biggest ones,” said Peña-Fernández.

“Our goal of this event is to provide different strategies to students to have a kit for themselves with a lot of tools so they can be able to use them when they need it,” said Peña-Fernández.

Student Support Services host informative events for students during the year. Registration is not required. More details on upcoming events can be found on the AC Hub’s website.