Lethbridge post-secondary institutions offer services to help students deal with anxiety and stress

It can be an exciting time for post-secondary students when the fall semester officially begins, but for some students it can also be very stressful as anxiety begins to set in for many returning to the grind of another school year.

“Across North America, the top three issues that students bring in to counselling services for post-secondary institutions are anxiety, depression and relationship concerns,” says Jennifer Ellis-Toddington, the manager of counselling services at the University of Lethbridge.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Across North America, the top three issues that students bring in to counselling services for post-secondary institutions are anxiety, depression and relationship concerns," says Jennifer Ellis-Toddington, the manager of counselling services at the University of Lethbridge.

The National College Health Assessment survey revealed more than 50 per cent of post-secondary students across Canada struggle with those issues, and it’s a reality shared by students at both the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College.

“It starts as nervous excitement and then over time, the anxiety grows and grows and before we know it, we’re in mid-October and it’s turning into depression-like symptoms,” Ellis-Toddington says.

Attributing her own spikes in anxiety to new environments, increased courseloads and unfamiliar schedules, one political science student says being aware of your own well-being is key.

“As a student it’s incredibly important to take care of your mental health,” Victoria Schindler says.

“Putting yourself first is one of the most important things you can do for yourself as a student.”

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Faculty at Lethbridge College says making use of counselling and student services can play a big role in helping students stay well throughout the year and that a number of students already do this.

“We encourage students to access supports as soon as possible so that it will set them up for success in the long-term and mitigate a crisis later,” says Harmoni Jones, a health promotion co-ordinator with Lethbridge College.

The University of Lethbridge says about one in four of its students have sought some type of support over the past few years.

Both post-secondary institutions offer a number of different supports for students, including health centres, guidance services and financial advisers which officials say can help mitigate feelings of anxiety.