With University Mental Health Day coming up on March 9, Rebecca Woods suggests some coping mechanisms for when your time away isn’t necessarily feeling like the ‘best days of your life’
University, the “best days of your life?”
It can certainly be a positive experience for many.
If the average university course is three years long, however, in what other circumstances would we expect life to be consistently good, fun and easy for three years solid…?!
It’s natural to struggle and to experience difficult days.
Needing some support
If this is happening more frequently, or the bad days are starting to outweigh the good, it could be a sign that you need some support.
University life, or specific parts of this, may be causing you to feel this way.
Perhaps life outside of uni is proving challenging.
Alternatively, it might be a mixture of the two, or you may be unsure why you feel the way you do.
Some things that might help…
- Speak to someone – this might be a friend, a tutor, or another member of staff
- Familiarise yourself with the support available at your uni and how to make contact –your online learning account and university website should have details
- In-person and online appointments are usually offered
- Add university support details / mental health phone lines / text services to your phone – just in case
- Do you have a mental health diagnosis? Have you shared this with uni? By speaking to your uni mental health team, support such as reasonable adjustments can be put in place
- Check out Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). Not everyone identifies with the word disabled, but if you have experienced longer term challenges with your mental health, you may be eligible to apply. DSA is a grant and can provide support including assistive technology and mental health mentoring.
See the following for further information
Speak to your GP. If you haven’t spoken about your mental health before, try writing down your concerns / making a list of things to talk about. The Doc Ready website can help with this.
Other things to keep in mind…
Looking after our general wellbeing helps support good mental health.
- Keep hydrated (try and keep fizzy, sweet and energy drinks to a minimum)
- Aim to eat regular meals (including as many of your five a day as you can)
- Move your body regularly, including outside if possible
- Stay connected, ideally in person but online / on the phone can be helpful, too
- Aim to regularly do things that are non-course related and help you feel good (societies offer a range of different options)
- Try and establish a regular sleep routine (and keep screen use to a minimum before bed)
- Whilst it might be tempting to have a drink to lift your mood, be mindful that alcohol acts as a depressant on the central nervous system
- Find ways to manage stress – your uni might offer Mindfulness sessions or workshops on specific wellbeing topics
- Try and include regular down time within your week –(try meditation apps, ASMR, creative activities or gentle movement)
- If you have money concerns, try contacting the student finance team at your uni for further advice
- Plotting your deadlines on an academic calendar or online planner, and using reminders, can help with organisation and keeping track of work
It can be difficult to share how we feel, but reaching out is the first step in accessing support. This can make all the difference to your uni experience!
FIND OUT MORE… about University Mental Health Day
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