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If your going thru hell keep on going1/29/2024 ![]() Vedran Obradovich, a VIU Mariner’s Men’s Volleyball team and Political Science alum, knows all too well the importance of sharing your struggles. One of her VIU professors referred her to a therapist, with whom she continues to work. Opening up about her feelings also led to opportunities for more supports. Relating with someone made me feel less alone.”īy sharing her story, Snider’s struggles suddenly didn’t seem so big and never-ending. “It made me realize that we all struggle and that it doesn’t mean this is the end of the world. “We had a really emotional talk about my struggles, and he shared with me that he had his own personal struggles at my age,” she says. Snider’s basketball coach, Tony Bryce, told her the last thing he was worried about was her attending basketball practice and that the team was there Her parents – now the first people she calls when she is feeling overwhelmed – would drive down from the Comox Valley after work to spend the night so she wasn’t alone with her thoughts. They offer a variety of services which can assist in the management of personal challenges, allowing students to have the best university experience possible.”Įventually, Snider found the courage to open up to her family and friends, and the response was heartening. They collaborate with students in a compassionate setting to clarify concerns, establish goals and explore resources for well-being. “Our counsellors offer safe, professional and confidential services to enrolled VIU students. “The most important message we can send to our students is that you are not alone,” says Bryan Tinlin, Director of Student Services. Health and Wellness services are available in Building 200 (Student Affairs) on the third floor, or by calling 250.740.6416 for counselling services or 250.740.6620 for the medical clinic. VIU’s Health and Wellness Centre provides a variety of services and information for students including medical services, individual counselling, wellness groups, workshops and connection to other resources. “The counsellors at VIU really helped me get through when I was feeling extremely low.” “Talking to strangers was a bit of a safety net for me, because they didn’t hold any judgement towards me and didn’t have any biases. Snider started by calling the Vancouver Island Crisis Hotline and accessing the counsellors at VIU. “But after years of holding everything in, eventually it exploded emotionally in me.” “I kept telling myself it was just a break-up – everyone goes through them, so why should I be so upset?” she says. Basketball, which was once the centre of her universe, became the last thing she wanted to do. ![]() She began isolating herself from her friends and getting out of bed in the mornings started to seem impossible. “I thought I could just push through those emotions and they would go away on their own.”īut those emotions didn’t disappear – instead, they amplified after a difficult break-up last summer, and Snider found herself forced to finally confront what she had been avoiding for years. ![]() “I was struggling in silence, which just made all my emotions build up over the years,” she says. Snider says she has often felt pressure from social media and in social settings to pretend everything is always going well. As someone who excels in academics and is an avid athlete on the VIU Mariner’s women’s basketball team, to an outsider she appears to have it all together. ![]() “I didn’t realize that I was struggling with depression and that I should talk to someone about it.”Īlthough Snider was aware that mental health disorders existed, she struggled with anxiety for years without acknowledging it. “I felt like I had this dark cloud hanging over me all the time,” says Avery Snider, a VIU Sport, Health and Physical Education (SHAPE) student. When you are “in it,” it can seem that you will never get out and that nobody except you can do anything about it. Even when you want to change the song, the melody is stuck on repeat. Our minds can act like a broken record stuck on a bad thought pattern that continues to loop – over and over again. Yet, despite how common this experience is, almost one-half of those people who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety never go to see a doctor about it. Three VIU students speak out about their experiences. ![]() In any given year in Canada, one in five people will personally experience a mental health issue or illness, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. ![]()
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