Workshops to help with mental health during pandemic

By Courtney Bachar/The Oshawa Express/LJI Reporter

An Ontario Tech University researcher is heading two research studies with the hope of helping people with their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Jennifer Laffier, Director of Mental Health in the Digital Age Lab in the Faculty of Education at Ontario Tech University, teaches in the area of mental health and is a strong advocate for individual and community mental health. She’s also a licensed creative arts therapist and psychotherapist with 27 years of field experience.

She currently teaches a grad level course titled “Mental Health in the Digital Age – How Technology Impacts our Mental Health,” which looks at how people are using social media in times of crisis and how it impacts a person’s mental health and well-being.

With the information gathered from her research studies, Laffier will be hosting webinars and workshops on various topics related to mental health, such as anxiety and stress, depression, grief, productivity, and how we can develop healthy coping skills and habits.

Laffier says the first study focused on Facebook and whether people are using it more or less during the pandemic, as well as what people are finding in regards to its impact on their mental health – how it is or isn’t helping them, and whether social media is making it better or worse.

“We’re trying to explore how social media is used in times of crisis and the impact it has on people,” says Laffier. “Technology, especially social media, can be a double-edged sword if not used properly. For example, social media can reduce loneliness, allow us to communicate with loved ones and feel part of a community still,” says Laffier, adding the flip side is that it may also cause more stress and anxiety through constant negative news or social comparisons.

“We’re hearing a lot of positive and negative things from people as to how it’s affecting them, which is why I wanted to put out this survey and do the research so I could try to explore how technology is a double-edged sword and how technology can be great, as long as we understand how to use it in healthy ways.”

Laffier says there are various features available on social media that can help people choose the type of content that they consume. She recommends monitoring how much time you are spending on social media.

“We might be spending a lot more time on social media right now because of the crisis and we’re at home and we’re social isolating, but our time, if we’re constantly on social media, is consumed with thinking about this crisis. Our social media needs to have a more positive focus when we use it.”

Laffier suggests using social media to share positive stories or to talk to relatives and friends.

“The first message most people are going to get when it comes to mental health is to realize the symptoms that you feel are normal responses to an abnormal event,” says Laffier, who adds everything that’s going on right now is very abnormal and people can feel better by understanding that these symptoms – irritability, sleeplessness, anxiety, heart palpitations – are normal responses to abnormal events.

“It’s not that we’re abnormal or we’re out of control. Those are normal responses, and that message of reducing that stigma has to be first and foremost,” she says.

Laffier recommends a few practices to help consider what you can use from what she calls the Big  Seven of Mental Health: sleep, eat, exercise, nature, play and connect.

“Get nature whenever and wherever you can. There is a lot of research that      supports the power of nature to boost our mood, reduce symptoms of anxiety, and change brain patterns to alter depression. Exercise, healthy eating and sleep does wonders not only for the body but the brain,” she says, adding to consider how you think as well.

“Give yourself a break and the freedom to have bad days, not be productive, to be stressed. But also give yourself coping strategies to pull yourself back up when needed – positive thinking, reminders of what you are grateful for, humour,” she continues. “And, don’t forget to play. Play is considered the highest form of learning and we should never cease to play.

Laffier’s second research study explores mental health and how children are expressing their thoughts and feelings about the COVID-19 crisis through the creative arts. It will also examine how parents and children can use the arts to support their mental health during this time.

“Children naturally express their thoughts and feelings through the arts, such as dance, music, arts and crafts, writing, or drama,” says Laffier. “In times of crisis, the arts become a powerful expressive tool for children who do not have the words to describe what they are experiencing.”

She notes engagement in the arts can also reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety.

“We need to provide children opportunities for artistic expression during the isolation period,” she continues. “We use the arts, especially for children, because they have a hard time understanding what’s happening. They also have difficulty expressing how they feel because it’s hard for them to find the right words or the right language. Sometimes they don’t understand themselves, some of their symptoms and what they’re feeling, so art is a very safe, effective way for children to communicate what they’re thinking and feeling because kids do communicate through play and through the arts.”

There will be virtual parent workshops for parents to learn how the arts support children’s mental health, as well as specific workshops for children.

Laffier and the Mental Health in the Digital Age Lab will also be hosting the free community webinars on mental health during the crisis.

There will be varied webinars for groups such as parents, seniors, youth, and adults in the workplace.

“We’re seeing a lot of requests from people just needing some help, whether it’s therapy or webinars. We’re hoping to support people’s mental health in this time of crisis,” she says.

The webinars are set to begin at the end of April or early May and will be available through the University LAB.

For more information, visit www.mhda-lab.com.