In recent years the discussion surrounding mental health has become a lot more apparent in society,
which is a great thing to see. However there's a couple of areas where we can still improve even
further. One of these prime examples is on male mental health. By looking at some of the facts and
figures that are beginning to emerge, over recent years we can really see how much of an issue this
is in our current society and how much of a devastating effect it's beginning to have. When
exploring some of the underlying issues behind why male mental health is on the rise in recent years,
we can associate a lot of this down to mental health and the conversation of mental health,
sometimes mistakenly being associated as a sign of a weakness, when in fact we know this
is not the case at all. Having a conversation about mental health and being open and honest
about your mental health is if anything quite the opposite of a sign of weakness, particularly in our
modern society nowadays, if anything, it's showing an acceptance and encouraging and inspiring others
to come out and join this conversation. I can relate to this issue, particularly this feeling
of perhaps being apprehensive or fearful of being judged in a different way or being perceived in a
different light, when in fact nowadays you will find that everyone is so understanding. As part
of breaking down the stigma that we can sometimes still associate with mental health, we should feel
comfortable and open and honest to be able to have discussions about any underlying concerns or
issues we may have surrounding our mental health. I know that for me for instance I have anxiety and
I find that if things get particularly stressful, or things start maybe getting a
little bit overwhelming, then just having a simple conversation and being honest with things can be
such a great reliever and be such a great tool to manage in my mental health. Now the topic of mental
health and everything associated with it can affect different people in an array of different
ways, and particularly nowadays in the current climate that we're in, undoubtedly it's a test
on everyone it's going to be straining on everyone and it has undoubtedly proven to be a test for a
lot of people, which is why it is so important that particularly when we find ourselves in
these environments that we work together and talk to each other. Just a simple thing like checking
in on your friends once every so often, can be a great relief to hear that they're doing okay as
quite often some of the people that are struggling the most will unfortunately struggle in silence.
Now undoubtedly as I mentioned mental health isn't something that's exclusive just to the male
population, like I said it's a global phenomenon and it affects different people in different ways.
For example university students on this day of University Mental Health Day, we can see
that 27% of university students reported a mental health issue, which is a drastic number and it
shows that we really need to work together. Within Loughborough University there's an amazing range
of facilities resources and acts of guidance and support out there for students to engage with.
For example you've got the amazing volunteers at Nightline for any queries and concerns you have.
You have the amazing support team, so such as the wardens, you have part of the medical centre, you
have specialised counsellors who will see you and act as a form of support, even just the Loughborough
Family as a whole, within your halls, or within lectures. Undoubtedly as university students one
of the big reasons for perhaps feeling a bit low in your spirits or perhaps just not feeling quite
up to things is stress. Stress is a big part of university, in addition to some of the amazing
strategies and ideas formulated from the Welfare and Diversity department in the University, here's
just a couple of general pieces of advice that I've found personally really helpful for dealing
with any stress journeys on certain times and beyond, hopefully it helps you as well. So coming in
at No.1 is speak to people. It sounds simple but just speaking to people, having a conversation,
engaging in a chat, can do absolute wonders for your wellbeing. No.2 try to engage in any
societies or any sports, whatever is your fancy, whatever you get enjoyment out of, just try and
engage in it, be active. Coming in at No.3 is just trying to take a step back, so sometimes
just simply taking a step back from things, having a deep breath and viewing things from a different
perspective can make you feel a lot better about certain situations, as understandably sometimes it
can feel like things are overwhelming. There's a million and one things going on at one point
in time but simply by taking a step away from things and then going back to it can relieve
these feelings of overwhelmingness. This ties into No.4 which is try and stay positive.
Now I know this is a lot harder than it sounds or I'm making it seem but simple easy things, like
looking at all the amazing things you've done in your life, looking at all the amazing work you've
done, looking at all your greatest moments and how much fun you've had even in your worst moments, can
just bring you up and make you realize that even in the worst moments when you can find yourself
struggling that there's always gonna be a good end to things. And finally, No.5 is don't be
so harsh on yourself. Allow yourself some me time, like I said sometimes if you do something
wrong or you're feeling overwhelmed with stress you can feel like oh you never get anything right,
when in fact it's normal to make mistakes, nobody can be perfect and sometimes we can be too harsh
on ourselves, so whatever it is you enjoy, a couple of things I mentioned earlier like sports and
societies, if that's not your cup of tea then just doing something that you enjoy will give you a state
of calmness, in a good state of mind. So that nicely sums up a couple of the points I wanted to mention
in my video today. Last thing I will just leave you with, particularly for those who may be struggling
at this moment in time which is completely normal and completely understandable, is if you can just
try to take a sense of control, so what I mean by this is if you can, after watching this video
or a couple of days time doesn't matter when, just try and take that first step towards
opening up, engaging in that conversation because although the first steps always
the hardest, believe me when I say that it really does get easier from that point onwards.