Hello, my name’s Natalie and I’m an English with Creative Writing student
at the University of Aberdeen. Today, I’m going to discuss what I think are the top
ten tips for looking after your mental health at university. I know, from my own experience,
how stressful and overwhelming university life can be, there’s so much to do and so little time,
but I hope that at least a few of these tips resonate with you and you can take them away and use them yourself.
Of course, I’m not a mental health expert, everything I’m going to talk about today
is from my own experience, and what works for me might not work for you, and that's totally okay.
You can try stuff out, if that doesn't work, there's always something else that you can try.
Also, if you are seriously struggling with your mental health please do go speak to your
GP or a part of the Student Support Services at university, they are here to help!
So, with that, let’s get started! Tip number 1,2, and 3. These are all coming together
they are the big three We all know them, so lets
get them out of the way right now: one, get enough sleep, two, eat good food, and three, exercise regularly!
It can be tough to fit everything in and sometimes you can feel like the only
option is to pull an all nighter to finish an essay, or sometimes you just don't have time to cook
healthy meals, or you’re just too tired to go to the gym and exercise. We all have
a myriad of reasons that these things are difficult but making small changes can lead
to much better long-term happiness.
So, a few things I’ve found useful to try and ensure I get the big three in my life
is to: Firstly, set a regular time to go to bed and wake up.
For me, this is between 11pm and 7am the next morning but you can, of course, work out what’s best for you.
Two, I like to meal prep one or two meals at the start of the week so that when I am coming home really tired
I know that I have something healthy and filling there waiting for me
Third, lastly, I tend to walk pretty much everywhere that I need to go. It's not only good exercise,
but it also means I’m spending time outside and enjoying nature as well.
So, there’s lots of small changes you can make, and a wealth of information that you can find about
these small changes, you just have to find what works best for you.
Alright, the big three out the way, let's move on to number four. So this, for me, this is my most important tip. Stay organised.
For me, this is the biggest and best thing I can do for my mental health. There is so much to do in a week and it can feel overwhelming trying to remember everything.
You know, going to classes, getting coursework in, making it to my job on time, seeing my friends regularly,
just trying to remember everything doesn't really work. So, instead, I like to plan out my week on my outlook calendar – it
comes with your university email so I figure why not use it. This is what my calendar
looks like the week that I’m recording this video:
Now, that might look a little scary to some of you, and it might not work, so there’s lots of ways to stay organised!
You can use a diary or journal
Or a to do list
Or even sticky notes strategically placed to remind you of important things to do.
There’s lots of ways to stay organised, you just have to find what works best for
you.
It’s way less stressful and so much easier to stay on top of things if you have a
way to keep organised.
Number five, talk to your tutors. Your tutors are people just like you and me
and they understand how difficult uni can be – they have literally all been there!
For me, I found it really helpful to go along to my tutor’s office hours. Here you can ask questions
about things you didn’t understand during the lecture or get feedback on coursework
that you’ve already handed in and had marked. I always like to go and get feedback on essays I’ve submitted
because I, personally, find it much easier to understand what I need to improve on in
my next essay if I can have a discussion about it.
If you’re struggling with your mental health, do let your tutors know! If you don’t feel
up to going in to speaking with them, just sending a little email to let them know what’s going
on. It's good for you and them. They might be able to put things in place to help support you through
your studies, or they can signpost you to people and organisations that might be able to help
If your tutors know what’s going on, they can support you through your studies
– and you have one more person in your support network , so it’s a win-win!
Number six, get outside. Spending time outside can have amazing
benefits for your mental health, like lowering feelings of stress, anxiety and depression.
We’re so lucky to have such a beautiful campus with lots and lots of outdoor space, when it's sunny
I like to have lunch outside – even if I do have to be very wary of the seagulls!
We have lots of really nice outdoor spaces like the Lady MacRobert Memorial garden, the quadrangle, and of course, the lawn in front of Elphinstone hall
that you can spend some time in and enjoy the outdoors in. We’re also only minutes away from Seaton park that
has lots of lovely walks that you can go on in between classes, and we're only about fifteen minutes
walk from the beach as well. So, you can always head off campus and get some sea air.
There’s loads of activities that you can do outside; you could spend some time
volunteering with AberGreen and learn how to grow your own food, join one of the many
sports societies that train outside, or even just go for a walk and have a chat with your friends.
However you choose to spend time outside, it can have a positive impact on your mental
health, which in turn can lead you to have a more positive outlook on things that have
been bothering you.
Number seven, have a chat. It might seem silly, but sometimes it can
be really hard to talk to people about what’s going on with you. University can be a great
experience, but it can also leave you feeling a bit lonely, especially if you’ve moved from
far away or another country.
Taking time to have a chat about how you’re feeling with a friend or family, flatmate,
or even someone on your course can help you feel less alone and as they say, a problem shared is a problem
halved. Personally,
I love having a chat with my flatmates, we share our problems and worries with each other,
whether it’s something small like an annoying customer at work to bigger stuff like breakups
or homesickness. It’s good to know that there are people that I can talk to about
anything that’s going on with me.
There’s also some evidence that even the littlest social interaction can have a positive
impact on your mental health, so next time you’re at the shops, why not skip the self service
check out and have a wee chat with the cashier? It can help you both feel a little bit better.
Number eight, budget. As a student, I know that we don’t always
have the largest amount of money coming in. Even if you're receiving a student loan, bursary
or you're working part time, it can sometimes feel like you have no clue where your money is going to
at the end of the month.
One of the best things I did for my mental health was to take a look at my bank statements and
work out exactly where my money was going. I was genuinely shocked by the amount
of money I was spending on useless stuff that I didn't need! I was paying subscriptions services that I
barely used and was spending an awful lot on coffee and eating out.
Me and numbers are not always the best of friends, so I like to keep a really simple
budget. Once I saw where my money was going – and what I could stop spending on, as well – I
worked out how much I need for my essentials, like bills, rent and for my phone. I
then worked out how much I needed to spend each week to be able to afford a decent food
shop and still have a little bit left over if I want to go out with my friends or grab a small coffee or two when I was out.
I then put these two budgets into separate accounts so that I could not touch
my essential money and knew that my rent and stuff is definitely covered.
This is so useful for me because even having
a simple budget means that I don’t have to worry that I’m overspending and
I can still enjoy myself.
Whether you make a really simple budget like this, or go way more in-depth, it can really take
a weight off your mind knowing where your money is going, so you have more brain power to
focus on studying or enjoying yourself with your friends.
Number nine, find a hobby. University is such a good time for trying out
different hobbies and sports, especially as we have so many societies and sports
clubs to choose from. No matter what you're interest in, there’s something for you, from
the art club, to show choir, to kick boxing and horse riding. And if you can’t find
something that you enjoy, you can always create your own society!
Spending time doing something that you love, that doesn’t involve studying, is so important
for your mental health. It gives you time to relax and recuperate.
You can meet lots of really nice people and make new friends if you decide to join a society
or sports club. It’s a great way to get your mind off anything that’s bothering you
and you never know, having a little break might lead you to figure out that problem.
Personally,
I like to spend my free time drawing, writing, watching a little bit of Netflix but I also head out to concert bad every week
so that I can play some cool music and spend time with like-minded people as well. So there is something for everyone.
Last but not least, number ten, get support
If everything is feeling really overwhelming, and you don’t know where to start, or you feel
like your mental health is really deteriorating, all you have to do is reach out. There’s
tonnes of support that the University offers. If you need to have a chat, you can speak
to the Chaplains at the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy, you can pop in to see them any time without
an appointment. You can also get an appointment with counselling if you would like to do some
talk therapy and explore what’s causing you to feel concerned or distressed. You can
visit the Student Advice and Support Office; they can help implement practical
support for you and signpost you to external charities and organisations that can help.
My fellow Student Channel blogger, Wilma, has written a lot more on the different types of support
that you can receive at the University and in the surrounding areas, so check out her blog post for more info.
I hope that this has given you a few ideas on how to look after your mental health while studying
at University and helps you know where to go to get support. The best thing you can do
if you’re worried about your mental health is to reach out, whether that’s to one of
the support services at the university, your friends and family, or someone like your GP or the Samaritans.
That’s all from me just now, have a really good week and enjoy your time at Uni as much as
possible! Bye!