As we spoke about a couple of weeks ago, 27 27 is taking place this month. This is a challenge Mind runs every year across the month of March, to get people to run 27 miles over 27 days whilst raising money, in solidarity to every student that is struggling with their mental health. Whilst we are coming towards the end of March it doesn’t mean we should stop doing more to help and support students with their mental health.
Whilst for a lot of students this time in their lives can be great and a lot of fun, there are many students who will experience mental health problems. So we at Burton and District Mind have put together a short list of possible things to hopefully help students with their mental health whilst they are at University!
1) Talking to the people around you.
For many students going to University, this will be their first time really living away from home and as a result can often be a very daunting experience. Might feel homesick and lonely without your normal support system. However, there will normally be a wide variety of people at University for you to talk to, whether that be your lecturers, fellow students and even roommates. Additionally, if you are really missing the people back home, there is now access to things such as Zoom, social medias and other ways of spending time together online so people aren’t really as far away as they seem.
2) Try not to overwhelm yourself
It is completely understandable that during your time at University you will want to make the most of your experience. However, it is also a good idea to try not to do too much as otherwise this could leave little time to do things and cause large amounts of stress as a result. You just need to find a balance that works for you where you are both able to get your work done, whilst also ensuring you have time for a healthy break when needed.
3) Keeping a regular sleeping schedule
At University it can often be normal to spend most nights awake, whether that be out partying, talking to friends online or even just staying up late to get work done. A disruptive sleeping pattern can cause tiredness and make it harder to focus important things. Especially if you are having to sleep later into the day causing you to have even less to get things done.
4) Being active!
Keeping active can be good way of helping you both relax and manage stress. If you are unsure of ways to keep active, there are often lots of clubs at Universities that are open for people to join whether it is an activity you have done before or one that is completely new to you.
5) A healthy diet
As mentioned earlier, the University experience can be the first time living away from home. So with that for many people it will be the first time they have to make their own meals. Whilst the easy option may be to eat out instead it is important to try and get a balanced diet, and that can often work out way cheaper! There are lots of resources online to help you come up healthy meal plans on an affordable budget.
We hope this list will be useful to any students who are either at University currently and even those looking to start their studies later this year.
We at Burton and District Mind wish you the best of luck with your courses!
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