A MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS PROGRAMME
Programme Overview
A two-day Mental Health Awareness Programme titled “Building Emotional Resilience Skills” was successfully conducted at Sri Manakula Vinayagar Engineering College (SMVEC). The programme was organized for students from all schools of SMVEC, with sessions held on both days to ensure maximum student participation and engagement.
Welcome Address
The programme commenced with a warm welcome address by Dr. M. Auxilia, Head of the Department, CSE & BS. In her address, she emphasized the growing importance of mental health awareness among students and highlighted the need to equip young minds with emotional resilience skills to handle academic and personal challenges effectively.
Key Session: Building Emotional Resilience for Student Well-being
The key session of the programme was delivered by Ms. Mridhula A., Psychologist, who conducted an in-depth and highly engaging interaction on emotional resilience and mental well-being. The session focused on helping students understand their emotions, manage stress effectively, and develop resilience in both academic and personal life.
She began by clearly explaining the difference between stress and pressure, enabling students to recognize how internal and external expectations influence their mental health. The session strongly resonated with students as it addressed Gen Z–specific challenges, such as hustle guilt versus rest shame, overcommitment, comparison, self-criticism, and suppressed emotions, which are commonly experienced yet rarely discussed openly.
To make the session more interactive, students were involved in reflective activities that encouraged them to identify their emotions through creative expression and self-observation. Concepts such as “Inside vs Outside” emotions helped students understand the gap between what they feel internally and what they project externally. The speaker also introduced the importance of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) alongside Adversity Quotient (AQ), guiding students to assess emotional intensity levels and personal perspectives.
The session further emphasized identifying emotional drainers and support systems, helping students recognize unhealthy patterns and positive influences in their lives. Practical strategies for adaptive coping were shared, including building small, sustainable daily habits, developing a personal resilience toolkit, and understanding that resilience is a learnable skill rather than an inherent trait.
Vote of Thanks
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Ms. Roshini, Student Counsellor, SMVEC. In her address, she expressed her sincere gratitude to the Chief Guest, Ms. Mridhula A., for her insightful and impactful session on emotional resilience, which greatly benefited the students.
