Page 110 - E-magazine ENG19

The Transition

The voyage from youth to adulthood

Regardless of how high school was, university Given the tremendous increase in
life is a whole other ballgame. Even for those responsibilities that we must all take on, it is
who have family nearby, this period of our lives tough to anticipate where sorrows may
is spent in new-found independence we never originate from, which provides the urgency
had prior to our arrival at this institution. This is with which such matters must be dealt with. It
the time where we get a glimpse of the real does not lessen anyone to seek solutions to a
world and nd out how tough it can be to problem, and especially not when it is a
maintain a vibrant and satisfying social life problem that could prove destructive to the
against the backdrop of an intense workload. foundations that we are trying to build for our
One of the things that becomes more prominent future. Bettering oneself is a matter of
as we grow older is the dif culty in navigating extreme importance as it relates directly to
past the melancholy that sometimes rears its the rest of our lives. The University of
head at the most inopportune moments. If our Waterloo recognises the severity of the
undergraduate years really are the time where consequences of the deterioration of mental
we make our futures, then we need to make the health and has undertaken multiple initiatives
most of our times here, which is why it can be to address such issues. The local student-run
very tempting to simply soldier on and ignore Feds Association has “Wellness Days,” which
the bouts of low-spiritedness that we all have, at focuses on equipping students with the tools
times. However, if such emotions manifest necessary to maintain physical, mental, and
themselves quite frequently, then pushing them lifestyle wellness. There is also “Thrive,” which
to the periphery of awareness will only do more is a series of events that focus speci cally on
harm than good. mental health, such as the annual “Mental
Health Wellness Day.”
2