MENTAL SAFETY WEEK BY THE SAFETIEST COMMITTEE IN KR

It is that time of the semester again when it seems like no matter how much work you do, it just never ends. Safety returned after the success of the first mental safety week in Semester 1 with another week of fun and activities!!!

Mental Safety Week aimed to provide our residents with the opportunity to take a well-deserved break and take care of their mental health. And once again, it was a resounding success.

I think we can all agree, in our day to day lives we tend to disregard our own mental health and find alternate and unhealthy coping mechanisms to subconsciously deal with our problems. While there is no one perfect way to deal with our mental health, the best thing we can do is to educate ourselves as much as we can on mental health and find healthy ways to cope with stress.

As such, events like Mental Safety Week helps raise awareness on the importance of mental health - providing an apt reminder that it is something that should not be neglected. The activities are in no way a cure to anything, but even spending that 1 hour allowing yourself the time to reflect is an important first step mental safety.

1. Terrarium Making Workshop

After last semester’s success, Mental Safety Week saw the return of terrarium making! Terrariums are known to provide stress relief due to its calming visual effects. What’s more, the process of making your own terrarium give you a much-needed chance to relax and de-stress to get your creative juice flowing and promote the development of your imagination.

2. Coaster Painting

This semester came with a brand-new activity of coaster painting. Painting allows for the bolstering of memory, cultivation of emotional growth and helps deal with stress and anxiety. Additionally, the coaster is something practical that you would be able to use in your everyday life. This would allow for a constant reminder to take care of your mental health.

It might just seem like these two activities merely gave you another item to decorate your room with, but it also came with a sense of accomplishment. It was something you spent time and effort making. It’s a reflection of how the little things in life that we so often disregard, can help us feel happy and content.

3. Treasure Hunt

Every so often we find ourselves holed up in our rooms or school, drowning in work and commitments to the point where we forget to take care of the most important person, ourselves. The treasure hunt allowed for us to break that endless cycle of work and go on a walk to find tickets that were hidden around school. It also gave us a pleasant surprise when we saw a ticket hidden around KR when we least expected it. Sometimes we are so caught up on where we are going in life that we forget to appreciate where we are. There is always something around that you can find happiness in, be it in nature, people or food. The list is truly endless, and we must constantly remind ourselves that when it all seems too much to handle.

4. Prize Redemption:

For all the lucky residents who managed to get 2 tickets, including their own individual room ticket as well as one from either the activities or the treasure hunt, do come down on Tuesday, 5th April, 7-10pm to redeem the tickets for prizes. There are amazing prizes, such as delicious Krispy Kreme donuts to room decor like

In all, Mental Safety Week truly did their best to help our residents take care of their mental health. It is times like this where we should be reminded how fragile and important mental health is. Take the time to check in on your friend. Take the chance to be nice to a stranger. Make the time to take care of yourself. You never know how message, or one kind act could have a butterfly effect on the mental health of others and yourself.

We would also like to take this chance to let every resident know that they are not alone in their mental health journey. There are always avenues and people who are willing to listen. Here are some helplines available if you ever need a listening ear:

National Care Hotline: 1800-202-6868 (8am-12am daily)

TOUCHline (Counselling): 1800 377 2252

Samaritans of Singapore: (1800-221-4444)

go.gov.sg/hotlines (BELLE, Beyond the Label helpbot)