Students relieve stress by drawing pictures about their thoughts and feelings

The “Tunnel of Eustress Lifestyle Exhibition” displaying information on positive and negative stress and coping techniques

Kuala Lumpur, 14 Oct 2010 - UCSI University recently hosted its third annual Mental Health Week in conjunction with World Mental Health Day, Oct. 10. The event was organised by the UCSI University Psychology Club, the Peer Counselling Club and Student Affairs as a way to educate students to understand and cope with stress.

“Students nowadays suffer from all kinds of stress such as facing their exams, assignments, and adjusting for those who are non-local,” Psychology Club President Foo Kee Sheng said, who helped organize the event. “It is important for them to know what kinds of stress they are in and how to overcome it. This is to prevent things from getting worse for students.”

Peer Counselling Club President Tan Chee Siat, another event organiser, said most people misunderstand the term “mental health”, and thus, the event was organised to improve awareness of the problem.

“It is important that the public understand and are aware of the mental health issue, because it can prevent mental health problems from happening to them,” she said.

With the theme, “Leading You to the Tunnel of Eustress Lifestyle,” the week was made up of several events to bring awareness of eustress, also known as positive stress, to help students improve their quality of life.

vents included a visit to the psychiatric ward of the Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, where a group of 40 students learned the methods of therapies in dealing with the mentally ill and had the chance to interact with them where they showed their compassion and care to this unique community.

The week also included two workshops to educate students on how to manage their stress. Clinical psychologist Vizla Kumaresan led the first workshop and taught students stress-coping techniques, including the relaxation method. Student Affairs Counselor Amy Yong led the second workshop where students learned their DISC Profile, a temperament assessment based on one’s characteristics of dominance, influence, steadiness and conscientiousness, and how different personalities can best cope with stress.

The programme also included the “Tunnel of Eustress Lifestyle Exhibition” a colourful display full of information regarding positive and negative stress and how to handle them. Students were also asked to relieve their stress by drawing pictures based on their thoughts and feelings.

The week ended with “The Big Walk,” a charity run by the Malaysian Mental Health Association and MINDA Malaysia, an umbrella body for Mental Health Family Support groups in states throughout the country, where 35 UCSI University students participated to raise awareness for mental health.