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.
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!
MP Dean Russell urges support for a new bill that would see mandatory workplace mental health provision become law
Could support be on its way for mandatory mental health and wellbeing provision in the workplace?
A potential game-changer for workplaces and the mental health and wellbeing sector took place in parliament last week.
I was very interested to see that a new law requiring businesses to offer mental health first aid training as mandatory was presented in the House of Commons by MP Dean Russell (pictured at top).
He presented the proposed law in a really simple and clear manner and described the reasons for it extremely well.
Mr Russell quite rightly explained that mental health training in the workplace would save lives.
“People do not always wear bandages to show where they have anxiety and depression,” he told MPs.
Help and support
“This Bill will simply mean that workers have a person to signpost them to the help and support they need, when they need it.”
It was that final line which really struck a chord with me and is the best way to look at the proposed provision.
I have seen the idea of enforced mental health first aid in the workplace face some criticism since Mr Russell’s reading with people suggesting that it would encourage people who get training into thinking they are mental health therapists.
But that is not what it is about at all or what happens on an MHFA England course. Far from it.
In many ways, it’s like if you need some physical first aid because you have cut yourself, you need some immediate support but it doesn’t mean that you need to go to the hospital. You would benefit from prevention of making it worse and getting in early and, if your cut is not seen to, it can get infected. Mental Health First Aiders can provide that initial support to someone, before professional help is available or isn’t required.
If the suggestion becomes law (and it will take some time), it will be important for companies to choose MHFAiders who really want to do the training within any work environment.
They should be people who are approachable and people who others feel they can open up to.
It’s also important that there is some support for the Mental Health First Aiders after they have finished training too.
With the official MHFA England course, there is a lot of support afterwards from the organisation with apps, webinars and CPD sessions. Personally, I keep in contact with anyone who does one of my courses. There’s always an open door.
Recognising the signs
I know that some people have criticised MHFA for being irresponsible training, but as experienced instructors and mental health professionals, we do a lot of work about boundaries and self-care work too. We encourage everyone to support other people and we encourage conversations to make sure that people are mindful of their own wellbeing. Not only the learners (MHFAiders) on the course but the MHFA England instructors themselves.
It’s important that these discussions are happening and workplaces do need to be on board. We spend so much of our lives at work, that’s where people might notice a problem. If you don’t know what the signs are, it’s hard to recognise.
I recently read a story shared by a lady on LinkedIn when she listed the things that had happened to her while she was going through a divorce – and nobody at work noticed.
Perhaps if her colleagues had had MHFA training, they may have been able to spot what she was going through, which were experiences that actually led to her making an unsuccessful attempt on her life.
We do know that the earlier any signs are spotted, recovery is so much better for people. So, if others around you notice that you might not quite be yourself, and have the skills to support you, in some cases, they can save lives.
Mental health and wellbeing strategy
It’s important that it is supported in Parliament now after Mr Russell’s initial reading and that any workplaces that do buy into it, can’t let it just be a ‘tick-box’ exercise.
It cannot be effective like that as it becomes meaningless training that won’t be used to good effect.
The Government needs to have a strategy and then the workplaces who get involved need to have their own Mental Health and Wellbeing strategy too. One that doesn’t just encompass mental health and first aid. People need to think of the bigger picture and have a range of initiatives to create a positive and mentally healthy workplace culture.
There has to be an authenticity and a genuineness about it and so it’s great that this debate is being discussed at the highest levels out in the open.
If you would like any further information about MHFA, please get in touch with kate@wellbeingtherapysolutions.co.uk.
Eating disorder referrals have increased by a staggering 82 per cent over the last 24 months.
One of the therapy rooms for young people at Wellbeing Therapy Solutions
There are now an incredible amount of children being treated for serious mental health problems in the UK*.
Over one million children have been treated for serious mental health issues, equalling a 39 per cent rise over 12 months.
Meanwhile, specifically eating disorder referrals have increased by a staggering 82 per cent over the last 24 months.
With NHS services, and the wonderful people who work there, under incredible strain, it is unlikely these numbers will go down in the near future, so it is time to ask ourselves: Are we doing enough to look after our children in need?
The figures are shocking to see and the need to tackle this crisis head on is crucial if we are to make things better for young people who need support.
Crisis situation
Figures show that 75 per cent of mental illness in adults, actually starts before the age of 18.
So, it’s clear from that, if we can support the children who are identifying problems now, they are going to have a better prognosis and adulthood.
If we can tackle the situation now, we can make a difference for the future.
Sadly, in the UK at the minute, many young people are not offered support until it is a crisis situation because resources are so limited.
We try to always offer any young person – or their family members – an appointment as soon as possible. The WTS team believe that no young person should be told to wait or that they are not ill enough to be able to access support, medication or services, or whatever they need.
But we can do more as a society too – and we should do.
Often, society tells individuals they need to act if they are struggling to get the support they need and I don’t disagree with that. But schools and other environments can put changes in place to make it so much easier for that person to manage their difficulties or challenges they may face within their environment.
Devising strategies
We can really help by addressing things like sensory needs, doing things in different ways or devising strategies that can enhance an environment. We need to explore ways in which we can support, for example, a person who has developed an eating disorder as a coping strategy to help them deal with the emotional difficulties they are having.
Better plans and educating people can really make a difference. It’s important that we continue to try to get therapists placed at the heart of schools and services so that young people can access the support quicker, to prevent long-term problems.
But we need to act now. Only by doing so can we begin to provide for the huge numbers of young people that need our support today, not in 18 months’ time.
* Source of statistics in opening paragraphs – Analysis of official NHS figures by PA Media. Find out more here.
Wellbeing Therapy Solutions are proud to introduce a service that can help to reduce absenteeism in the workplace caused by poor mental health.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the wellbeing of the nation has taken a real hit and, with more and more NHS services stretched to the limit, people with poor mental health are struggling to get help.
Myself, and the team at Wellbeing Therapy Solutions have developed a series of wellbeing services that can be delivered at any business, big or small, with the intention of creating an environment and culture which leads to positive mental health among a workforce.
It’s a pro-active solution which provides support for staff and breeds a drive towards a positive mental health culture in the workplace. It also arms people with the tools they need to spot a struggling friend or colleagues and intervene before they need time off work to recover.
Three packages
Services are designed to meet the individual needs of a business with three packages across gold, silver and bronze that provide services and solutions for various-sized workforces.
Delivered by experienced occupational therapists, our Workplace Wellbeing Packages provide a mixture of Zoom meetings, one-to-one therapy sessions, self-management workshops and mental health training.
Services are delivered either in a business’ place of work, online, or our fully-equipped training room at Wellbeing Therapy Solutions’ base in Leicestershire.
Many businesses have responded in a positive fashion since the Covid pandemic, to try and make sure they are doing everything they can to support the wellbeing and mental health of their workforce.
Positive wellbeing
If the business you work for is keen on supporting and upskilling its workforce to, not only create a positive wellbeing culture, but also reduce the days lost to mental health issues, Wellbeing Therapy Solutions’ Workplace Wellbeing Packages can make a big difference.
MD Kate Jackson said: “We have been able to use real-life experiences over the past three years to help create and develop these services, which I whole-heartedly believe can make a real difference at any business.
“We provide 12-month packages where a number of services can be purchased and planned to meet the mental health and wellbeing needs of your team in a transparent and consistent manner.
“Businesses that have already tried our packages have reported back with some really positive feedback and it has been great to know that the real-world learnings we have made are being used to create a service that is making real differences to businesses and the people who work there.”
Occupational therapist Shean Cadby-Lynch explains why Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help your mental wellbeing
The focus of the blog today is about CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy) and how it might be able to help you.
I qualified as an occupational therapist is 2002 and practised in many different mental health settings over the years. In 2010, I trained to be a cognitive behavioural psychotherapist.
The two professions work rather well together and, as someone who is dual trained, I am able to use all of my skills and knowledge to work with someone in a client centred, holistic way.
Today, I will be trying to explore: What is CBT and how can it help your emotional wellbeing?
It’s such a great question because there are so many therapy options out there, from psychoanalytic therapy to counselling to Gestalt Therapy, so how do you know if CBT is for you?
Feelings and behaviours
Well firstly, do you want a therapy that would help you look at the relationship between your thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and how they interact with each other and have an effect on each other? If so, then CBT might be what you are looking for.
CBT is a talking therapy and is based on the concept that there is a relationship between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. You and your therapist will look at how your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect your feelings and how you behave, and vice versa.
It is based on the belief that how we think about situations can affect how we feel and how we then behave in these situations. For example, if you experience negative thoughts about a situation, you might then experience negative emotions such as low mood, which can then impact on our behaviour (such as withdrawing or isolating ourselves from the situation which has caused the negative thought).
This is what we call in the CBT world, a ‘vicious cycle.’ CBT therapy can support and help you to change these vicious cycles so that you can change and alter the way you think, feel and behave, so that you can overcome your difficulties, feel more positive, and improve your emotional well-being.
Low self-esteem
CBT is evidence-based therapy, which means that there’s a lot of research into how effective and helpful it is with depression and anxiety disorders, such as depression, generalised anxiety, panic, health anxiety, phobias, OCD, PTSD and low self-esteem.
When you first see a CBT therapist you will have an assessment and this is where you look at the difficulties that you’re experiencing, whether that’s symptoms of low mood, anxiety, or both, and how it is affecting your present, day-to-day life.
There is a myth that CBT does not deal with past issues and yes, most CBT sessions do focus on the ‘here and now’, as you are exploring and tackling current difficulties and exploring what is maintaining these difficulties.
But it doesn’t mean that past problems or issues are discounted or not addressed, as past experiences may be an important contributory factor in the development of the problem.
CBT treatment
CBT treatment is goal orientated and can be short-term if a problem is mild. In that case, as little as six sessions could make a big difference. Whereas more complex situations may require up to 20 sessions or more.
Sessions are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure treatment remains goal focused, client centred and collaborative.
One of the things that makes CBT different to other types of therapy is the focus on in session ‘tasks’ and ‘homework’, which are practical tasks that you and your therapist work through together in a session. The you, as the client, would practise these activities or tasks outside of the session. For example, you might keep a mood diary or a thought record.
These ‘tasks’ would be reviewed at the following session, together, and this would enable you to start to build a ‘toolbox’ of strategies for you to use, both during your period of therapy and in the future, remaining valuable long after therapy is completed.
Therapy
You would be an active participant in therapy and would want to allow yourself time to complete the in-between session tasks, to enable you to get the most out of your therapy experience.
The therapeutic relationship between the therapist and the client is really important and for me, this is one of the main contributory factors to successful therapy, as well as active engagement from the client in the treatment process.
Treatment is collaborative whereby you and the therapist work together to explore your thoughts, feelings, behaviours, triggers, and maintenance factors, to enable effective treatment planning and implementation to be carried out that is both goal orientated, client focused and holistic, putting you, the client at the heart of treatment.
I hope my first blog has helped explain CBT just a little?
Maybe you can relate to some of the difficulties I’ve mentioned today? If so, CBT might be a therapy that you want to consider. So, please do give us a call or email kate@wellbeingtherapysolutions.co.uk for a chat.
If you get a feeling in the pit of your stomach, around tea time on a Sunday, and start worrying about work on Monday, you are certainly not alone
Do you experience the ‘Sunday Scaries’?
That feeling in the pit of your stomach, around tea time on a Sunday, that the weekend is nearly over and it’s back to work when you wake up on Monday morning?
If so, you are not alone.
A new report has shown that work stress is the most common trigger for Britons who feel anxiety about the week ahead.
And 1 in 7 of us are now feeling those ‘Sunday Scaries’ according to a survey of more than 4,000 people, the findings of which were released just over a week after the World Health Organisation (WHO) released its first-ever set of guidelines on how to improve mental health in the workplace.
The statistics paint a worrying picture for managers and bosses who are faced with making the working environment one in which staff can not only spot the signs of colleagues when they are struggling with their mental health, but also provide support for those members of staff too.
“The well-being of the individual is reason enough to act, but poor mental health can also have a debilitating impact on a person’s performance and productivity,” said WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who announced new guidelines to help prevent negative work situations and cultures and offer much-needed mental health protection and support for working people.
“The guidelines also suggest employers should make adjustments for workers with mental health conditions as well as offering support for those returning to work after mental health-related absences.”
Wellbeing Therapy Solutions MD Kate Jackson said that more and more companies were starting to be aware – and act upon – supporting their employees towards better wellbeing and mental health.
Mental health absences
“There are 72 million days a year lost to mental health absences in the UK economy and, on the back of Covid having such a big effect on all of our lives, more business owners are starting to realise the importance of doing everything they can to improve the wellbeing and mental health of their staff,” added Kate.
“Forward-thinking businesses are not only upskilling their staff and making them aware of the importance of positive mental health within the workplace, they are also keen on creating a positive wellbeing culture at work where people can be honest and open up to colleagues about any issues they are facing.”
Wellbeing Therapy Solutions have a number of workplace wellbeing packages they are offering to businesses and organisations.
Gold, silver and bronze packages are available where a number of services can be purchased and planned to meet the mental health and wellbeing needs of a specific team in a consistent and transparent manner.
