Ms. Ummi begins the session with introduction of herself.

Ms. Ummi shared on the having emotions and managing it healthily.

Sharing on the causes of stress.

Delving deeper into the topic of Stress and helping students to understand it better.

By UOW Malaysia KDU

On 9th June 2021, the UOW Malaysia KDU Student and Alumni Centre (SAC) conducted an hour-long virtual session entitled “IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY” with the intention engaging with students and to helping them to better manage their mental health.

As the nation entered into FMCO 3.0 at the beginning of June, it was expected that more youth would demonstrate symptoms of depression and anxiety unless they were guided appropriately and were able to adopt appropriate coping mechanisms.  The negative impact and consequences of not effectively managing mental health can potentially extend beyond the psychological and into other areas of lives. Conducted in CISCO WEBEX, the program aimed to help students that needed support to get through the hard times and also offered certified counseling services under the Student and Alumni Centre (SAC).

One of the vital things that was highlighted is the importance of self-awareness and students were taught throughout the session that it is okay to acknowledge their struggles and were encouraged to be honest with oneself to ensure their well-being, both mentally and physically.

Ms. Umni reminded the participants that with the lockdowns during the pandemic it was inevitable that everyone would feel some degree of loneliness, anxiety, worry, and be struck with more uncertainty. It is completely normal to feel this way and reminded students that they are not alone, and encouraged them to manage the stress they experience. Ms. Ummi instilled the importance of having self-care, validating their emotions, and being aware of their mental health state as a wise way of managing any negative feelings.

After finishing her talk, Ms. Ummi responded to some Q&As from the students. The students expressed their feelings and the takeaways that they had gained from the session. Overall the students felt that the session had been very helpful.

“It was a good opportunity to join this event. I believe it’s a good introduction of Ms. Ummi’s touch-based approach towards students. I found the atmosphere to be very friendly and the questions asked were professionally answered by Ms. Ummi” says Kezzia Leong, President of Student Council UOW Malaysia KDU.

“This event has helped me. I was having a tiring week and when I saw this event. I was interested to join. I learned a lot about the stress management topic. The host was great. I would love to join this kind of event again. Thank you for hosting this event!” says Ameer Aqasha UOW Malaysia KDU Student.