How you can thrive at TMU through the Thriving in Action program
I recently attended a Thriving in Action training session for Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Career Boost students. From time management strategies and study tips, to advice for maintaining your mental health and wellbeing, the workshop played a big role in helping me overcome the academic burnout that I’ve been experiencing as a fourth-year student. It also taught me how students like myself can ensure that they’re on the right track to personal and academic success.
After the session, I had the opportunity to sit down with one of the session’s hosts and co-creator of the Thriving in Action program, Dr. Diana Brecher, to learn more about why TMU students should take advantage of our university’s wellbeing resources. Dr. Brecher is a clinical psychologist who has worked at the Centre for Student Development and Counselling for 25 years. Eight years ago, she started the ThriveTMU program. She’s also an instructor in the Department of Psychology at the university.
Through a combination of Dr. Brecher’s insights and my own key learning takeaways from the session, this blog will outline how you can take advantage of on-campus supports to achieve success in your first year at TMU and beyond. It’ll also give you a glimpse into some of the skills and learning strategies you’ll gain as a participant in the program. Take a look at how you can thrive at TMU!
Dr. Diana Brecher, clinical psychologist and co-creator of TMU’s Thriving in Action program.
What is the Thriving in Action program?
The Thriving in Action program combines mental health, wellbeing, equity and learning strategies to leave students feeling more hopeful, resilient and successful. “The program is a combination of thriving and holistic strategies that have been drawn from the field of positive psychology,” said Dr. Brecher. “The premise of the program is really based on resilience and how we can bounce back after adversity.”
Throughout the fall and winter semesters, the program hosts virtual and in-person sessions that are open to all TMU students. In collaboration with Academic Accommodation Support (AAS), Thriving in Action also offers a unique four-week program for students who have been diagnosed with ADHD or self-identify as having ADHD, and teaches them how they can build resilience, develop effective learning strategies and foster a sense of community and belonging. There’s also Thriving in Action Online (opens in new window) , an open-source library of resources, strategies and exercises that are available for students to access all year round.
In the training session, we covered different ways that students can craft their own path to personal and academic success. Here are a few of my own key learning takeaways from the session that stood out to me the most!
Practice mindful time management
Even though I don’t like to admit it, I’m a procrastinator. I can be pretty good at managing my time, but now that I’m in my final semester, I’ve been finding it pretty difficult to stay motivated. If you’ve been feeling the same way, it probably means that you need to take a few extra steps to improve your time management skills.
Dr. Brecher highlighted that it’s important to manage your time in a way that’s “realistic and honours your body, spirit and all of your obligations.” The session highlighted several mindful strategies, including calendar blocking, using an assignment calculator, chunking out your time and using the pomodoro method. It was really interesting to learn about all of the different ways that students can schedule their time in a way that suits their individual needs.
Dr. Brecher explained how the Thriving in Action team is “always searching for resources online that will make a student’s life easier.” With resources like Thriving in Action Online, students can get the tools they need anywhere and at any time. “It’s almost like we’ve curated a museum of resources,” she said. “But instead of stumbling onto solutions, we’re providing them for students upfront.”
Build healthy habits
I never really gave my everyday habits too much thought before this session, but now I realize just how important it is to ensure that your days are filled with good habits rather than bad ones. As a student, relying on bad habits like eating unhealthy foods, submitting your assignments late or not prioritizing sleep will push you away from academic success. That’s why you should try building new (and healthy) habits before you enter your first year to set yourself up for success. The session highlighted six steps to building a new habit:
- Choose a cue
- Reward yourself
- Crave the rewards
- Practice, often
- Announce your intentions
- Ask for support
Get a good night’s sleep!
Dr. Brecher noted how a key aspect of the Thriving in Action program is creating content that is “designed to help students engage in better self-care.” One of these steps to self-care is ensuring that you’re getting enough sleep. I consider myself a night owl, so I was pretty shocked to hear about the consequences of losing sleep as a student. Needless to say, sleep is super important whether you're in university or not. The session touched on several interesting facts about the effects of sleep deprivation on academic performance—including the results of a TMU survey that revealed how five in six TMU students believe that their lack of sleep is affecting their academic productivity.
By getting a good night’s sleep, you’ll be able to absorb new information easily, improve your concentration and maintain a strong mental and physical health. Don’t make the same mistakes that I made my first year—turn off your phone and go to bed early before your 8 a.m. classes!
Find study strategies that work for you
If you feel like you’re not retaining course content properly, you probably need to find new study habits. Thriving in Action offers a wide range of study strategies that students can implement into their study routine, including distributed practice, practice tests and memory sheets, which is also known as “mind dumping.” I personally find that writing, reading and talking out loud helps me retain key information. To learn more about the study strategies that you can implement into your own study routine, make sure to explore the student guide on the Thriving in Action Online website.
Cultivate a growth mindset
I’ve always struggled with maintaining a positive mindset, and to be frank, I can be pretty hard on myself. In an environment where you’re constantly being graded on your knowledge and skills, it can become easy to fall into a habit of being overly self-critical. The session emphasized that students must transform their fixed mindset into a growth mindset. So, instead of saying things like “I can’t do this” or “this is too difficult,” focus on finding alternative strategies rather than putting yourself down. This is why Dr. Brecher encourages students to follow the five factor model of resilience. This includes:
- Mindfulness
- Gratitude
- Self-Compassion
- Optimism
- Grit
Dr. Brecher specifically highlighted the importance of self-compassion, which is the act of “being your own best friend.” Looking back, I definitely wish I was a bit more self-compassionate in my first year, so make sure to be kind to yourself even if things aren’t going as planned.
At the end of our conversation, I asked Dr. Brecher which steps first-year TMU students should take to succeed in university. “Make friends, go to office hours and speak to professors so you can build connections within the community,” she said. “Hold onto the things you love and keep nourishing yourself so you won’t become a machine who has to keep producing all the time.”
Dr. Brecher highlighted that even though it sounds obvious, it’s incredibly helpful for TMU students to attend their classes and stay on top of their coursework, since university is a big adjustment from high school. She also encourages students to join clubs and take advantage of on-campus facilities. “University is not only about the education you get in class,” she said. “It’s also about the education you get everywhere else, too.”
Thanks, Dr. Brecher, for the wonderful insights! It’s impossible to cover every learning takeaway in this blog alone, so I encourage you to explore the program for yourself. For more information on how you can get involved with Thriving in Action once you become a student here, check out the ThriveTMU website!
Take care,
Claire