Alumni
We understand that, after the celebrations of graduation are over, new alumni face a set of new and unique challenges - the prospects of the workforce, financial pressures, social changes, etc. And we understand that we can continue to support our recent alumni in various ways to help them through this transition. ThriveTMU programming provides training and resources to Toronto Metropolitan University students and recent alumni to help develop capacities for thriving in a professional and personal context. Recent alumni can access workshops associated with resilience, well-being, coping with employment search, and other elements of leading a healthy lifestyle.
At the heart of ThriveTMU is the understanding that 40% of our happiness is up to us, 50% is genetic, and 10% is at the hands of life circumstances. This means that you can take greater charge of your life satisfaction by simply changing what you do and think.
Single Workshops
These workshops are not part of a series and can be taken individually - you are welcome to attend all, some, or any one of these workshops, depending on your preference.
These workshops are available upon request by student groups, staff and/or faculty. Contact dbrecher@torontomu.ca for more information.
If you thought that ignoring your need for self-care, sleep, exercise, and downtime is the best way to get through university- you might want to re-think that plan. The alternative is to be strategic and thoughtful about how you study, plan your time, get enough sleep, and stay connected to thrive at university. This workshop will give you a few ideas about sailing through with confidence, joy, and a sense of accomplishment.
Our attitude towards effort and learning can determine how we feel about our work and the feedback we receive from employers, instructors and peers. Cultivating this growth mindset can be a crucial factor in personal well-being, life satisfaction, risk-taking, promotions, and recognition in the workplace.
Many of us have first aid kits at home: a shelf or box filled with band-aids, antiseptic ointment, antihistamines etc. Take this opportunity to build a joy kit to turn to when it is time to inner-resource your need for comfort. You can easily access beautiful memories and enjoy your favourite photos, videos, music, scents and textures.
Did you know that 40% of your life satisfaction is under your control? You can increase your life satisfaction by changing your actions and thoughts. Learn how mindfulness, gratitude, optimism, self-compassion an perseverance interact and combine to build resilience. This workshop will give you the tools to bounce back after things go wrong.
Our strengths are the values that we put into action. They are defined as something we enjoy and are good at. When we lead from our strengths, we feel empowered and energized, which can serve as a stepladder to our success. Identifying your strengths and exploring how to lead from them are the two key areas of focus of this workshop.
EQ is about being able to recognize and label your feelings; identify emotions in others, and use your feelings to understand and guide your behaviour. It enables you to manage stressful situations, work under pressure, and delay/resist impulses. And, EQ helps you to adapt to change and pivot. So, how would tapping into your emotional intelligence improve your life?
We will focus on five strategies: uni-tasking with intention; managing the stress cycle and getting out of the fight-flight-freeze-fawn response; reframing your attitude through hope and optimism; refreshing your body before engaging in complex tasks; and focusing on the values that led you to chose your career path, what purpose and meaning it gives you, and how it enhances your well-being.
Have you ever felt so engaged and connected to what you were doing that time seemed to stand still or pass so quickly that you looked up and said to yourself: "Where did the day go?" Did you feel that you would rather be doing this than anything else? If you want to learn more about how to bring on this experience of optimal performance more often, join us to identify how to shape the critical external factors that contribute to the state of Flow and explain what is happening in your brain while in 'the zone.'
What goes into feeling rested, balanced, and at ease? This session will guide participants through core models of well-being, putting wellness into action. Bring back a sense of vitality to your day-to-day.
Learn the key steps to creating a new habit (using contextual cues, rewards, action and friction) and how to avoid the pitfalls of giving up too soon.
We all put things off that we’d rather not do. So how do we get started? A simple strategy is first to notice when you plan to postpone a task. Then reframe the plan to delay the task as the trigger to get started. "A job begun is a job half done." One of the most straightforward ways to sidestep procrastination is to follow your plan, not your mood. A related concept is the issue of time management: Why do some of us experience a sense of being starved for time while others have the subjective feeling that they have an abundance of time? Again, strategies to craft time affluence are simple and straightforward.
One of the best ways to reduce the stress associated with schoolwork, exams, deadlines and demands on your creativity is to get a good night’s sleep on a regular basis. Our brains are actually active while we sleep. Learn more about tapping into this often-neglected pathway to academic success and personal well-being.