A series of stress management and mindfulness workshops organised by the UG Academic Psychological Support Centre is underway. Meetings are held at The Centre for Sustainable Development – we support and encourage mental health.
The workshops are led by psychologists Joanna Hajduczenia and Emilia Ożgo and psychology students Aleksandra Stube and Weronika Sztukowska. As part of the meetings, which include learning mindfulness techniques and breathing exercises, participants are given practical tips and tools to help them get through more difficult times. The workshop series will run until June.
“In the workshop we delve into ourselves, look at our thoughts and work out the ones that don’t serve us. Together, we create a safe space where you can share your thoughts, but importantly, you don’t have to. We know that each and every one of us has our own boundaries. In our workshops we work with conversation, but also with internal processes that we keep to ourselves. What is worth emphasising – the topics of the meetings are created in the spirit of attentiveness to the real needs of the students,” point out Aleksandra Stube and Weronika Sztukowska.
The Academic Psychological Support Centre initiative is an opportunity to take the first step towards improving the quality of your mental health. This is especially important for people who often have to adapt to life in a new city, establish new relationships or reconcile studies with work. They are then accompanied by a state of increased nervous tension, in other words – stress. What should be done to reduce its negative effects?
“Stress prevention is all about daily, regular activities and practices that help us rid our bodies of the tension caused by repeated stressful situations. During the workshop, we practise breathing techniques and also draw on elements of mindfulness meditation, so as to expand our repertoire of stress management practices,” explains Joanna Hajduczenia.
A psychologist from the Academic Psychological Support Centre adds that previous meetings have been very well received by participants.
“Students completing post-workshop surveys declare that they find the relaxation and breathing exercises most valuable. They are also positive about the possibility to exchange experiences and learn about other people’s ways of coping with stress. The students are very willing to participate in the proposed exercises, they relate the knowledge presented in the workshop about stress to their own experiences and are keenly interested in broadening their own practice of stress management,” enumerates Joanna Hajduczenia.
Prevention, treatment and promotion of mental health are embedded in Sustainable Development Goal 3 – Good health and well being. The World Health Organisation emphasises that mental disorders are one of the most important public health challenges in the WHO European Region. Investment in mental health is essential for sustainable health and socio-economic policy development.
The workshop takes place at the Centre for Sustainable Development at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Gdansk (room D209).
The Centre for Sustainable Development is increasingly involved in cooperation between the scientific community and the socio-economic environment. We are actively involved in implementing initiatives that serve the immediate local community. We are very happy to host the Academic Psychological Support Centre at our premises, which by conducting workshops at our premises not only implements Sustainable Development Goal 3 Good health and well-being, but, above all, helps to take care of the well-being and mental health of students of our university,” says Krzysztof Szczepaniak, PhD, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at the UG.
More information about the workshops, exact dates and meeting topics can be found on the website (in Polish):