Mental Health and Wellness at OCAD U

You can take control of your well-being and mental health. Student life can be overwhelming, with so many issues to deal with including living away from home, workload, deadlines and exams, family pressures and challenging relationships. It is not surprising that you might struggle to cope sometimes. But there are simple and effective ways that you can take ownership of your mental health, meaning you stay stress free, enjoy your university experience and achieve academic success. This book guides you through your student journey from preparing to go to college or university, managing the academic pressures, finding a job, and everything in-between.

If you are an artist, you need to make your art. That's not an overstatement--it's a fact; if you stop doing your creative work, your quality of life is diminished. But what do you do when life gets in the way? In this down-to-earth handbook, experienced artist coach Beth Pickens offers practical advice for developing a lasting and meaningful artistic practice in the face of life's inevitable obstacles and distractions. This thoughtful volume suggests creative ways to address the challenges all artists must overcome--from making decisions about time, money, and education, to grappling with isolation, fear, and anxiety. No matter where you are in your art-making journey, this book will motivate and inspire you. Because not only do you need your art--the world needs it, too.

Bite-sized, evidence based tips and tools for managing intense emotions in the moment--from the authors of The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook! Sometimes emotions can feel like a big, powerful tidal wave that will sweep you away. And the more you try to suppress or put a lid on these emotions, the more overwhelming they get. So, how can you feel better when difficult emotions threaten to wash over you? In this take-anywhere pocket guide, clinical psychologists and authors Matt McKay, Jeffrey Wood, and Jeffrey Brantley offer quick and simple strategies based in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to help you take charge of your emotions and start living the life you want. Using this handy little book, you'll find freedom from overwhelming thoughts and feelings, discover a sense of lasting calm, improve your relationships, and feel more at peace with the world and yourself. If you're looking for small, easy ways to manage your emotions on the go, put this compact guide in your coat pocket, your purse, on your nightstand, or anywhere for quick and soothing relief.

Contrary to popular belief, the practice of art isn't just a product of innate talent or artistic vision; artwork emerges from an intentionally constructed and maintained artistic practice. Developed from interviews with more than 75 mid-career artists, [this book] examines the methods and approaches highly successful artists use to stay creatively robust for a lifetime. Offering practical strategies and concrete solutions, it also looks at the impacts of digital and social media, as well as recent changes in the educational system that can hinder the formation of a strong artistic practice. Artist and educator Kenneth Steinbach addresses key issues such as: the role of embodied research and non-objective experimentation; reframing one's approach to studio time; forms of productive conflict; the positive role of anxiety; and the importance of failure for the artist. The book will be useful to students and emerging artists, the instructors that teach them, and established artists looking to develop stronger studio habits. The companion website, www.creativepracticesbook.com, provides links to artists' websites and further information.

In this entertaining collection of real-life stories, Dave Trott applies his crystal clear lens to define what genuine creative vision looks like. It is problem solving, clarity of thought, seeing what others do not see, and removing complexity to make things as simple as you can. The timeless lessons revealed here can be applied in advertising, business and throughout everyday life. By seeing things differently, you can think differently, and change the world around you. Dave Trott shows you how.

This book is a quiet revolution, a guide filled with practical advice to help you curb your obsessions and build boundaries between your work, your job, and your life. From business anecdotes about fulfilling orders to more personal stories about Marlee Grace's recovery from divorce and addiction, this book is full of wisdom and resilience, with plenty of discussion about ritual and routine as ways to create effective and positive creative life change.

This pioneering bestseller has become a rallying cry for a movement of radical self-love--the second edition shows readers how to grow the movement from self to systems and includes empowering stories from Sonya Renee Taylor's travels around the world. [...] Humans are a varied and divergent bunch with all manner of beliefs, morals, and bodies. Systems of oppression thrive off our inability to make peace with difference and injure the relationship we have with our own bodies. The Body Is Not an Apology offers radical self-love as the balm to heal the wounds inflicted by these violent systems. World-renowned activist and poet Sonya Renee Taylor invites us to reconnect with the radical origins of our minds and bodies and celebrate our collective, enduring strength. As we awaken to our own indoctrinated body shame, we feel inspired to awaken others and to interrupt the systems that perpetuate body shame and oppression against all bodies. When we act from this truth on a global scale, we usher in the transformative opportunity of radical self-love, which is the opportunity for a more just, equitable, and compassionate world--for us all.

***INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*** Disrupt and push back against capitalism and white supremacy. In this book, Tricia Hersey, aka The Nap Bishop, encourages us to connect to the liberating power of rest, daydreaming, and naps as a foundation for healing and justice. What would it be like to live in a well-rested world? Far too many of us have claimed productivity as the cornerstone of success. Brainwashed by capitalism, we subject our bodies and minds to work at an unrealistic, damaging, and machine‑level pace -- feeding into the same engine that enslaved millions into brutal labor for its own relentless benefit. In Rest Is Resistance, Tricia Hersey, aka the Nap Bishop, casts an illuminating light on our troubled relationship with rest and how to imagine and dream our way to a future where rest is exalted. Our worth does not reside in how much we produce, especially not for a system that exploits and dehumanizes us. Rest, in its simplest form, becomes an act of resistance and a reclaiming of power because it asserts our most basic humanity. We are enough. The systems cannot have us. Rest Is Resistance is rooted in spiritual energy and centered in Black liberation, womanism, somatics, and Afrofuturism. With captivating storytelling and practical advice, all delivered in Hersey's lyrical voice and informed by her deep experience in theology, activism, and performance art, Rest Is Resistance is a call to action, a battle cry, a field guide, and a manifesto for all of us who are sleep deprived, searching for justice, and longing to be liberated from the oppressive grip of Grind Culture.

You're a cartoonist. You take care of yourself to prevent drawing injuries. You do your stretches, take regular breaks, and draw with perfect posture. What happens? You start experiencing pain when you draw anyway! A perfect example of bad things happening to good people. What should you do? Go to the doctor if it's serious. But, if it's a minor injury, go to your bookshelf and start reading Draw Longer, Draw Stronger! This little tome can be used to help reduce discomfort until you see a healthcare professional, or it can provide guidelines for managing mild drawing injuries that don't require medical attention. Explore Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation Therapy (R.I.C.E. Therapy) from the perspective of a committed drawer, learn some tips for understanding your pain, avoid worsening your injuries, and more!

The latest and greatest insights on happiness from around the world The Little Book of Being Brilliant is a 'greatest hits' compilation of the best and the latest information from the science of positive psychology. Top-selling author Andy Cope exercises his PhD in happiness, along with his decades of experience bringing 'The Art of Being Brilliant' to rapt audiences around the world, to distill the tips, techniques, facts and ideas you need to know to achieve sustainable wellbeing and happiness in your own life. Andy's keen for you to know that he wants you to enjoy the experience, hence his 'laugh 'n' learn' approach. Inside, you'll find guidance for taking action in the form of activities and challenges that will help you implement the latest empirical evidence on happiness. You'll learn why most people are miles away from feeling as great as they could, and what to do about it. Whether you're motivated to improve your daily life or looking for the insights that will super-charge your career, or in search of inspiration for your students or your team, this little book will set you in motion toward living brilliantly.

Going to university or college is supposed to be 'the best time of your life' ... but what if it's not? Research reveals that mental health issues are on the rise among undergrads, but many are not accessing help. If this is relatable, this book is for you. It addresses common sources of distress / including academic, social, parental, and financial pressures / and shows you how to meet those challenges head-on and where to turn for extra support. Packed with self-care strategies, quick tips, and eye-opening facts, this is an indispensable guide for anyone on the path to a degree.

Written by a blogger who suffers from an invisible chronic illness, Surviving and Thriving with an Invisible Chronic Illness offers peer-to-peer support to help you stay sane, be your own advocate, and get back to living your life. This compelling guide is written for anyone suffering with an illness no one can see--such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), Lyme disease, lupus, dysautonomia, or even multiple sclerosis (MP).  This book will tell you everything you need to know about living with a complicated, invisible condition--from how to balance sex, dating, and relationships to handling work and school with unavoidable absences. You'll also learn to navigate judg-y or skeptical relatives and strangers and--most importantly--manage your medical care. Suffering from a chronic illness doesn't mean you can't live an active, engaged life. This book will show you how.

Move past trauma, balance your emotions, and reconnect with your body's innate wisdom in The Body Awareness Workbook for Trauma. There is a piercing epidemic of trauma in the world today. Every few days there are reports of another tragedy, of more lives lost to gun violence, loved ones and family homes lost to floods, hurricanes, or fires. [...] Building on this knowledge, this cutting-edge guide offers simple skills for connecting and calming your body, balancing your emotions, and rewiring old patterns of reactivity for better self-regulation. The mind-body approach in this book is designed to guide you away from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma and toward posttraumatic growth. Using these exercises, you'll learn how to reconnect and relate to your body--and yourself as a whole--in a new and healthy way. If you're ready to move past your trauma and rediscover your body's innate capacity for healing, growth, vitality, and joy, this unique guide will help light the way.

The Design Thinking Life Playbook is for anyone who wants to have a fulfilling and joyful future. It's for all those who want to initiate change through self-empowerment and have the courage to think, act, and take advantage of their opportunities proactively. Whether you want to change your career, form healthier, stronger relationships, or plan the next stages of your life, this book will guide you to something better. Authors Michael Lewrick, Larry Leifer, and Jean-Paul Thommen are leading design thinking experts in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Michael Lewrick, Ph.D., is a featured speaker and teaches design thinking at various universities. With Leifer, Lewrick co-authored the international bestseller The Design Thinking Playbook as well as The Design Thinking Toolbox. Stanford Professor Larry Leifer, Ph.D., is one of the most influential personalities and pioneers in design thinking. Professor Jean-Paul Thommen, Ph.D., from the University of Zurich, is an expert on leadership, organizational development, and business ethics.

Power and Influence demonstrates how the indigenous wisdom contained in African proverbs and folktales can be used to enhance modern life. The timeless wisdom contained in African proverbs and folktales enriches self-development and positive influence. The inspiring results provide deeper understanding of self-development and self-leadership, forming a solid foundation for leadership effectiveness at all levels. This book is among the first to consciously acknowledge and demonstrate the rationale of applying indigenous wisdom to enhance the understanding of disciplines, theories, and practice. African proverbs and folktales express an accumulated wisdom of human relations; add dimensions to practice in ways that are soulful, respectful, practical, and socially embedded. By using African indigenous wisdom, the book contributes towards the much-needed, cross-cultural dialogue among individuals, organizations and societies in this increasingly diversified world.

From herbs, oils and vitamins to yoga, healing remedies, and belly laughs, Natural Health: Your Complete Guide to Natural Remedies and Mindful Well-Being explores hundreds of ancient remedies, natural therapies, and nature's medicine cabinet. This comprehensive guide to nature-based health and well-being includes the most current knowledge, information, and science behind a natural diet and lifestyle to promote wellness.