A wellbeing framework for international students

THRIVE at university

Six pillars for managing stress, protecting your mental health and getting through your degree far from home, with advice from a fellow student along the way.

Take the weekly check-in Get support now

The idea

Stress is not the problem. Stress without recovery is.

Pressure before a deadline, an exam or a defence is your body preparing to perform, and in short bursts it helps. The harm comes when the pressure never lets up and you never get the signal that it is safe to recover. That is the road to burnout. Every pillar in this framework is, in the end, a way of protecting recovery.¹

A student at a window late at night, looking out over the city.

Helpful pressure
Focused and tired in a good way. You recover overnight or over a weekend.
Strain
Sleep slips, patience runs short, everything feels urgent. Rest no longer fully refills you.
Burnout
Exhausted, detached from work you used to care about, feeling ineffective. Rest alone is no longer enough.

I did not take my mental health seriously until I had to.
A while ago I made a decision I believed was right for the people I was responsible for. It was not popular, and for weeks it felt like everyone had an opinion about me. Being the one who decides can be far lonelier than you expect.
That stretch taught me more about stress than any course did. This framework is what I wish I had been handed before it.

Muhammad Haseeb ArshadFellow student

The framework

The six pillars

Six areas that hold up a sustainable student life. When things feel shaky, ask which one has cracked. It is usually one or two, not all six.

Your brain is an organ. Sleep, movement and food shape your mood and your thinking more than any productivity system, and they are the first things stress takes from you.

Anchor your wake time
Wake at roughly the same time every day, weekends included. It steadies your body clock more than a fixed bedtime does.
Move a little, often
Five to ten minutes of walking or stairs every hour or two. Regular exercise has strong evidence for lifting low mood, and walking counts.
Eat before you are starving
Hunger can pass itself off as anxiety, irritability and the feeling that you are not smart enough.
Protect your sleep
Stop caffeine by early afternoon, and do not use alcohol to fall asleep. Both break up the sleep you get.

What the research saysA large review of trials found that regular exercise, walking included, reduces symptoms of depression.⁹

Far from homeEdmonton winters are long and dark. Get outside in daylight when you can, and if your mood drops every winter, tell a doctor. Seasonal low mood is common and treatable.

The work never tells you when to stop.
My work is in machine learning, so most days I am at a PC, reading papers and trying to understand what the data is really saying. There is no bell at five o'clock. If I do not decide when the day ends, it simply does not.

Muhammad Haseeb ArshadFellow student

University gives you far less structure than school did, and research less still. Without it, work spreads into every hour and nothing ever feels finished. Structure is kind to an anxious mind.

Keep working hours
A regular start and stop time, like a job. Stopping is part of the plan, not a failure of it.
Break it down to a verb
Big work into parts, parts into two-hour tasks: "draft the paragraph on sampling", not "work on the essay".
Keep a done list
Progress on long work is invisible, so write it down. Read two chapters, fixed the bug, finished the problem set. Reread it on bad days.
Plan a minimum day
Decide in advance the smallest day that still counts. On a rough day, do that and stop, without guilt.

What the research saysClear plans and visible progress lower the sense of threat that open-ended work creates.

Far from homeIf the academic culture here is new to you, ask early how it works: how office hours run, how quickly feedback comes back and, if you have a supervisor, how often you will meet. Many students never ask, and guess wrong for years.

Walk into every meeting knowing where you want it to end.
My early meetings with my supervisor wandered, because I did not yet know which problem I was solving, how I would solve it, or why it would matter. What helped was a short agenda: what I did, where I am stuck, what I need today. It works just as well in a professor's office hours.
And if writing drains you the way it drains me, talk instead. I record my ideas, let software transcribe them, and file everything under three folders: to work on, dead ends, and done. A dead end still counts as progress.

Muhammad Haseeb ArshadFellow student

Social connection is one of the strongest protections for mental health that research has found. Isolation makes every other stressor heavier, and long hours of study are isolating by design.

Keep one friend outside your program
Someone who does not care about your grades or results at all.
Build a peer group
A study group, a writing group or a co-working session. Working beside someone makes starting easier.
Have more than one mentor
A professor or supervisor for your work, a senior student for the unwritten rules, a counsellor for the rest. No single person can be all of it.
Schedule people like meetings
Social time that is not in the calendar is the first thing to disappear.

What the research saysStrong social ties are linked to better mental health in students, and to longer lives in the general population.^2,8

Far from homeBook calls home at a time that works in both time zones, and keep them in busy weeks. Then build something local as well: a cultural or faith community, a sports team, anywhere you are more than a student number.

Stay close to the people who knew you before university.
Whatever the week looks like, I make time to call my family and old friends. To them I am just Haseeb, not the PhD student who gets a little too excited about a result, and that is a relief I did not know I needed.

Muhammad Haseeb ArshadFellow student

Harsh self-criticism keeps your body in threat mode. Self-compassion does not make you complacent: people who treat their mistakes kindly are more likely to try again, not less.

Name the thinking trap
Catastrophising, all-or-nothing thinking, mind reading ("my professor thinks I am useless"). Naming the trap takes some of its power away.
Weigh the evidence
Write the thought down, then the evidence for and against it, then a fairer version. "She has not replied" usually means she is busy.
Add a prefix
"I am having the thought that I will never finish." The thought becomes something you notice, not a fact you must obey.
Talk to yourself like a friend
Ask what you would say to a friend in exactly your situation, then say it to yourself.

What the research saysSelf-compassion is linked to lower anxiety and to more willingness to try again after a setback.⁶

Far from homeWorking in a second or third language makes impostor feelings louder. Speaking slowly, or asking someone to repeat themselves, is not a sign that you do not belong.

The advice I would give above all

Ask the question. Someone else in the room is thinking it too.
In my previous degree I kept quiet in meetings full of PhDs and postdocs. Then I noticed that the questions I held back kept being asked by someone else, and nobody was ever laughed at. So I started speaking up, and it changed how I do research.
Talk about your work with anyone, including people far outside your field. Ask about theirs and offer ideas. As an engineer, I see my job as solving problems wherever they are. An idea might be naive, but it is still an idea, and you never know which one moves a field.

Muhammad Haseeb ArshadFellow student

Motivation built on fear, of failing or of letting people down back home, burns out. Motivation built on what you care about lasts through the long middle of a degree.

Write a "why I came" page
One page on why you started this degree. Reread it in hard weeks.
Name three to five values
Curiosity, service, craft, family. Check whether this week's calendar reflects any of them.
Separate yourself from the work
You are a person who studies, not a grade point average with a person attached.
Explore the next step early
Talk to people in industry and academia now. Worry about the future shrinks once it becomes a list of options.

What the research saysGoals tied to what you value hold up better under stress than goals driven by fear of failing.

Far from homeFamily sacrifice can turn meaning into pressure. You can honour what your family gave and still let this degree be yours, including the parts that do not go to plan.

Remember how big the open questions are.
I watch documentaries on physics, outer space and the deep ocean, and think about the questions science still cannot answer. It puts my own research problem back in proportion, and reminds me why I wanted to do this in the first place.

Muhammad Haseeb ArshadFellow student

Recovery only happens when your mind leaves the work too. An evening spent half-thinking about your work is not rest. You need time that takes all of your attention.

End the day on purpose
Write tomorrow's first task down, close everything, and change something physical: your room, your clothes, a walk.
Protect one day a week
Treat a work-free day like a deadline.
Keep a ready "no"
"I would like to help, but I am at capacity until the end of the month. Can we revisit then?"
Choose absorbing rest
Something that fills your attention: a film, a sport, cooking, a long call. Scrolling rarely counts.

What the research saysMentally switching off from work in your free time is one of the strongest predictors of recovering from work stress.⁷

Far from homeDo not save all of your rest for the trip home. A year is too long to go without a real break.

My rest is people and stories, not a perfect routine.
Calls with family and close friends, films, science videos. I am still working on stopping at a fixed time and taking one day fully off. Start with two habits, not ten. Small steps you keep beat a big plan you drop by Wednesday.

Muhammad Haseeb ArshadFellow student

THRIVE+

Make it yours

The six pillars are the base. What recharges you on top of them is personal, and it is worth knowing what yours is before a hard week arrives.

Nature
The river valley, a walk in the snow, a bench in a park. Green, open space lowers stress quickly.
Making things
Music, drawing, cooking, writing that is not an assignment. Anything where you make rather than judge.
Faith and reflection
Prayer, meditation, a place of worship, a quiet hour. Many students find their community here too.
Giving back
Volunteering, helping a new student settle in, mentoring someone a year behind you.
Curiosity outside your field
Documentaries, books, a public lecture on something you know nothing about.
Noticing what went well
Three good things at the end of the day, however small. It trains your attention away from only what went wrong.

On top of the degree

Pressure points for international students

THRIVE covers what every student needs. These are the loads you carry on top, with practical steps and the offices that can actually help.

Money

For many international students this is the pressure that makes every other one worse, and money worry is one of the most reliable predictors of poor mental health. It is far easier to handle a term early than a week late.¹¹

Know your real number
Add up one term: tuition and fees, rent, food, phone, transit and anything you send home. Then check what your scholarship, funding or family support covers, and when it ends.
Raise a funding gap early
Months ahead, not weeks. Start with the Registrar's awards and financial support team, and if you are a graduate student, tell your supervisor and graduate advisor too. Bursaries and assistantships are far easier to arrange with time.
Check your work limits first
Your permit sets how much you can work off campus. Check before taking a second job.
Work and SIN questions
Prepare bursary paperwork now
Emergency funds usually ask for bank statements, a budget and funding letters. Keep them in one folder. The questions can feel personal, but they check eligibility, not your worth.

Where to go

Scholarships, Awards + Financial Support
Awards and bursaries
Graduate Funding for International Students
Graduate funding
Money Talks Financial Literacy
Budgeting
Campus Food Bank
Food

Nobody gets extra credit for struggling with money in silence.
Ask early, ask the office that can actually help, and keep your paperwork ready before you need it. The people who run these funds want them to be used.

Muhammad Haseeb ArshadFellow student

Permits and what comes after

Uncertainty about permits and jobs sits in the background of every week. Turning it into specific questions for the right office makes it smaller.

Talk before you change enrolment
A reduced course load, a leave or a pause can affect your study permit. Speak to International Student Services before you decide, not after.
Put the key dates in your calendar
Permit expiry, program end and funding end. Plan backwards from them.
Start career conversations in year one
Anxiety about the job market is easier to face with information than without it.
Careers questions

Where to go

International Student + Visitor Services
Permits and advising

Write the worry down as a question, then take it to someone who can answer it.
A vague fear about permits or jobs follows you all week. A specific question has an office, an answer and an end.

Muhammad Haseeb ArshadFellow student

Distance and belonging

Adjusting to a new culture is real work, even when it goes well, and local support takes time to build. It does not appear by itself, so build it on purpose.¹⁰

Join one thing in your first term
A cultural association, a faith community, a sport. One regular place where people expect to see you.
Use peer support early
Talking to another student who understands the pressure helps long before anything feels serious enough for counselling.

Where to go

Peer Support Centre
Peer support
Graduate Student Peer Support Program
Graduate peer support
Interfaith Chaplains' Association
Faith and care

Find one place where people expect to see you every week.
It does not have to be big. It just has to be regular. Belonging is built out of small, repeated appearances.

Muhammad Haseeb ArshadFellow student

In the moment

Stress first aid

Choose what is happening right now and the tool opens. These work on the body first, because a calmer body lets the thinking part of your brain come back online.

1. Breathe in through your nose.
2. Take a second, shorter breath in on top of the first.
3. Breathe out slowly through your mouth, for as long as you comfortably can.
4. Repeat two or three times.
Why it works. The long breath out slows your heart rate, which is the quickest way to tell your body the moment is safe.⁴
1. Breathe in for a count of four.
2. Hold for four.
3. Breathe out for four.
4. Hold for four, then repeat for four rounds.
Why it works. A steady count gives your attention one simple job, which crowds out racing thoughts.
1. Splash cold water on your face, or hold something cold.
2. Keep it there for about thirty seconds.
3. Breathe out slowly while you do.
Why it works. Cold on the face triggers a reflex that slows the heart within seconds.
1. Name five things you can see.
2. Four things you can touch.
3. Three things you can hear.
4. Two you can smell, and one you can taste.
Why it works. Naming what is around you pulls your attention out of the spiral and back into the room.
1. Set a timer for ten minutes.
2. Write everything on your mind onto paper, in any order.
3. Circle only what has to happen this week.
Why it works. Holding tasks in your head uses up working memory. Paper holds them so your head does not have to.
1. Pick a set fifteen minutes each day for worrying.
2. When a worry arrives at any other time, write it down.
3. Save it for the appointment, and use that time to plan what you can act on.
Why it works. It teaches your brain that worry can wait, and many worries have shrunk by the time the appointment comes.⁵
1. Read the feedback once, then close it.
2. Do not reply or revise for a full day.
3. Sort the comments into easy fixes, needs thought, and push back.
Why it works. The sting fades overnight, and the useful parts become much easier to see.
1. Tense the muscles in your feet for five seconds.
2. Release them for ten, and notice the difference.
3. Work upward: legs, stomach, hands, shoulders, face.
Why it works. Releasing tension on purpose shows your body what relaxed feels like, which helps sleep come.

Before a presentation or a hard meeting

Physiological sigh

1 min

Breathe in through your nose.
Take a second, shorter breath in on top of the first.
Breathe out slowly through your mouth, for as long as you comfortably can.
Repeat two or three times.

Why it works. The long breath out slows your heart rate, which is the quickest way to tell your body the moment is safe.⁴

Your next-day self is a much better diplomat.
I have had feedback that felt like a personal attack, and I wanted to reply straight away. I am glad I waited. By the next morning half of it looked fair, some of it was an easy fix, and the rest I could push back on politely.

Muhammad Haseeb ArshadFellow student

Every week

Weekly check-in

Once a week, rate each pillar for the past seven days, from 0 (struggling) to 10 (steady). The lowest one is where to put your effort next week. This is a reflection tool, not a diagnosis, and nothing you enter is saved or sent.

Tend the bodyAm I sleeping, moving and eating?5
Harness structureDo I know what today is for?5
RelationshipsWho have I really talked to this week?5
Inner voiceHow am I speaking to myself?5
Values and meaningWhy am I doing this?5
Edges and escapesWhere does work end and life begin?5

Move each slider to rate your week.

Most weeks one pillar slips, not all six.
Find the one that slipped, fix one small thing about it, and let the others carry you. That is enough for a week.

Muhammad Haseeb ArshadFellow student

Support

When to get help

Asking for help is a skill, not a weakness. The best time to ask is in the amber zone, before things turn red.³

Two people carrying a large heart together.

Coping

Stress rises with deadlines and eases after
Sleep and appetite are mostly normal
You still enjoy some things

Keep your pillars steady, and keep an eye on your friends.

Struggling

Low mood or worry most days for two weeks or more
Sleep clearly disrupted
Pulling away from people
Relying more on alcohol or other substances to cope

Book an appointment this week and tell one person you trust. This is the best time to ask.

Urgent

Thoughts of suicide or harming yourself
Feeling hopeless, or like a burden
Panic you cannot bring down
Unable to look after basic needs

Get help today. Call a number below or go to the nearest emergency department.

Amber: book one this week

Counselling and Clinical Services
Free therapy for every student, on weekdays
Empower Me
Counselling day and night, on the undergraduate plan
Graduate Student Assistance
Counselling day and night, for graduate students
Wellness Supports social workers
Help with money, housing and next steps

Red: call today

Call 911
Immediate danger, ambulance, police or fire
Call or text 9-8-8
Mental health crisis, anywhere in Canada
Call Health Link 811
Non-emergency health advice in Alberta
780-482-4357
Edmonton Distress Line

If counselling has a wait

You do not have to wait with nothing. Empower Me (on the undergraduate health plan) and the Graduate Student Assistance Program answer day and night, and a social worker can help with the money and housing problems that often sit underneath stress.

If you need time away

Depression and anxiety are very treatable. If you need time away from your program, a leave can be the right choice. Talk to International Student Services first, so the decision does not create a permit problem.

Counselling is maintenance, not weakness.
Where many of us come from, mental health still carries a stigma, and "just be strong" is the usual advice. You would service a machine before it breaks down. Give yourself the same care. I wish I had booked my first appointment sooner.

Muhammad Haseeb ArshadFellow student

Before you go

A letter from Haseeb

Dear fellow student,

I came here the same way you did: a new country, new winters, new rules, and a degree that does not come with instructions. If some weeks feel heavier than you expected, it does not mean you chose wrong. It means you are doing something hard, far from the people who know you best.

Not everything works the first time. My own work is full of dead ends, and I keep a folder just for them, because a dead end still tells you something. A bad grade is the same: information, not a verdict. The day something finally clicks will feel wonderful, and so will the evening you close the laptop early and call home. Both count.

You are not your GPA, your bank balance or the email you have been putting off. Most people around you are carrying more than they show. I only learned that once I started speaking up in meetings: the question I was scared to ask was almost always on someone else's mind too. So be the one who says it first. You will be surprised how many answer "me too".

When a week gets heavy, I call my family and my old friends, or put on a documentary about space and remember how big the open questions are. Find your version of that, and make one friend outside your program. If it is more than a bad week, talk to a counsellor early. I waited longer than I should have, and I wish I had gone sooner.

Nobody is meant to do this alone, and nobody who made it through did.

Take care of yourself,

Muhammad Haseeb Arshad

Fellow student

P.S. Close the laptop tonight. The problem will still be there tomorrow, and you will be better at it.

Research

The studies behind the framework

1
Evidence for a mental health crisis in graduate education Evans and colleagues (2018). Nature Biotechnology.
2
Social support and mental health among college students Hefner and Eisenberg (2009). American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.
3
Increased rates of mental health service utilization by U.S. college students Lipson, Lattie and Eisenberg (2019). Psychiatric Services.
4
Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal Balban and colleagues (2023). Cell Reports Medicine.
5
Stimulus control applications to the treatment of worry Borkovec and colleagues (1983). Behaviour Research and Therapy.
6
Self-compassion: an alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself Neff (2003). Self and Identity.
7
The Recovery Experience Questionnaire Sonnentag and Fritz (2007). Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
8
Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review Holt-Lunstad, Smith and Layton (2010). PLoS Medicine.
9
Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis Noetel and colleagues (2024). BMJ.
10
A review of the acculturation experiences of international students Smith and Khawaja (2011). International Journal of Intercultural Relations.
11
The relationship between personal unsecured debt and mental and physical health Richardson, Elliott and Roberts (2013). Clinical Psychology Review.

General education, not medical advice

This framework is general education and peer advice, not medical advice, and it does not replace assessment or care from a qualified professional. The notes signed by Haseeb are one student's experience. If you are worried about your mental health, contact Counselling and Clinical Services, a doctor, or one of the crisis lines above.

Stress is not the problem. Stress without recovery is.

The six pillars

Tend the body

Harness structure

Relationships

Inner voice

Values and meaning

Edges and escapes

Make it yours

Pressure points for international students

Stress first aid

Weekly check-in

When to get help

Coping

Struggling

Urgent

Amber: book one this week

Red: call today

A letter from Haseeb

The studies behind the framework