On the eve of exam season, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe collaborated with the Active Living Learning Community in Champlain College to host a talk on how to cultivate resiliency and wellness.

“Resiliency is something we really need right now,” shared Livia Passarelli, Active Living Learning Community residence life don in Champlain College, and organizer of the event. “Dr. Robyne’s talk gives us the opportunity to learn how to take care of ourselves during these stressful times by adding healthy habits to our everyday routines.”

The talk featured Professor Hanley-Dafoe’s research on resiliency and wellness and shared concrete tools that students can incorporate into their own lives.

“I want students to understand that hard work is important, but so is self-care and active recovery,” shared Prof. Hanley-Dafoe, who is an instructor in the School of Education at Trent. “It’s hard to be a learner right now and I want to make sure students are prioritizing their health. Our emotional health needs to be prioritized alongside academics.”

One tip that Prof. Hanley-Dafoe shared during her talk that students can implement into their daily lives is to take micro-breaks.

“Our bodies and mind needs breaks. When working on your computer for hours on end, try breaking up your sessions into 50-minute blocks. Setting an alarm can be helpful. When the alarm goes off – get up, stretch, and move about. The key is to move your body before you feel like you need to,” explained Prof. Hanley-Dafoe. “Micro-breaks are enough to move around the toxicity that is starting to build up in our bodies which contributes to tension and stress.”

In this busy time of year, students appreciated learning new ways to prioritize their own wellness.

“Dr. Robyne’s talk made me realize that it’s our smaller habits that contribute to our day-to-day success,” shared Kevin Lee, a fourth-year Biology and Forensics Science student who attended the event. “Creating a morning routine where you put your technology away for an hour and make your bed, drink a glass of water or go for a walk are small wins that put you in a good mood and help set the tone for the rest of the day.”

Explore Prof. Hanley-Dafoe’s Open Educational Resources on resilience and wellness.

Learn more about Trent’s Residence Learning Communities.