The Student Lifeline program has more than just general mental health and wellness advice. AU students will find plenty of resources to help them in their studies too.
AUSU and AUGSA provide the Student Lifeline program free for all AU students. Students can access the program from anywhere, twenty-four hours a day. In addition to online resources to help students cope with wellness issues, the Student Lifeline offers counselling services and community referrals. You can read more about general Student Lifeline services in The Voice Magazine’s article, “Throwing Students a Lifeline“, from September 11, 2015.
Student Lifeline provides many resources of particular interest to students. Here are a few to get you in the study groove:
Student Life Topics. In this category you’ll find articles to help you adjust to student life. Adjusting to College or University: Tips for Students walks you through the transition to post-secondary education, and helps you adapt to academic life and deal with money issues. Culture Shock provides useful advice for those studying in a new environment and links to online resources for those studying abroad. Quick Tips for Spending Less lists a number of cost-cutting strategies.
Motivational Podcasts. A variety of podcasts to boost your motivation and productivity can be downloaded or listened to online; some have transcripts available for download, too. The two-part Get Motivated podcasts will help you identify your motivation triggers and channel your enthusiasm and ambition to get things done. The Achieving Your Goals podcast provides tips on setting and achieving goals. And Quick Stress Reducers offers practical mindfulness tips to lower stress.
Toolkits. Toolkits contain a blend of articles, podcasts, and other media grouped under one theme. The Mindfulness Toolkit is packed with articles on meditation and relaxation, podcasts on reducing stress and taking purposeful pauses, and guided exercises on mindful eating and standing meditation. The Change and Resilience Toolkit contains articles on developing an optimistic outlook and growing stronger through change, as well as audio recordings on achieving greater happiness, and a podcast on adapting to the changing workplace.
In addition to the above resources, the Student Lifeline program has resources to help deal with family issues, finances, mental health, addiction, relationships, careers, and many more life issues.
Access to the Student Lifeline is free for AU students. Go to http://www.lifeworks.com/, and log in with username “AUSU” and password “wellness”. Once in, you can set up your own username and password to maintain a profile and add items to your library for later. Tip: click on the Site Map link at the bottom of the Student Lifeline home page to see a full list of services and online resources.
For more information on the Student Lifeline Program, or to download the Student Lifeline Mobile App, visit http://www.ausu.org/services/lifeline/.
Barbara Lehtiniemi is a writer, photographer, and AU student. She lives on a windswept rural road in Eastern Ontario.
