Life after a Pandemic Webinar 

On Thursday 9th March, at 10:30 am, hear directly from students about the challenges that they face. We will be hearing from a range of students and professionals in the higher education and mental health sectors about three major topics: cost of living, belonging and community, and finding balance 

Life Tools

The Life Tools programme is a series of free talks designed by experts to help you transition into university life and enhance your student experience. The programme allows you to be proactive and take control of your learning and your personal and professional development.

Under pressure?
Thursday 09 March | 13:00-13:45
Book your place

Feeling stuck? Strategies to make progress with your written work.
Thursday 09 March | 15:30-16:15 
Book your place

Confidence: “I can” and “I will” 
Friday 10 March | 13:00-13:45
Book your place

Learner’s mindset: prevent procrastination and get things done
Friday 10 March | 14:30-15:00 
Book your place

Sport in Mind

Sport in Mindis an independent multi-award winning mental health charity with a simple mission: to improve the lives of people experiencing mental health problems through sport and physical activity. They have a regular schedule of student events that you can take part in, find their latest schedule on Sport in Mind.

Compass Recovery College

Compass Recovery Collegeoffers free mental health and wellbeing workshops for everyone. Visit their website for the schedule this month.

 

For all events in relation to wellbeing and mental health visit our student events page.

Friends are often the first person that we talk to when we are having a difficult time.

This friendship can play a key role in helping someone live with or recover from difficulties they are facing. We know that providing this support isn’t always easy. It can be hard to know what to say and when to say it.

How to start a conversation with a friend

Tips to look after yourself

Support for specific difficulties

Mentalhealth.org have produced eight tips for talking about mental health:

1. Set time aside with no distractions

It is important to provide an open and non-judgemental space with no distractions.

2. Let them share as much or as little as they want to

Let them lead the discussion at their own pace. Don’t put pressure on them to tell you anything they aren’t ready to talk about. Talking can take a lot of trust and courage. You might be the first person they have been able to talk to about this.

3. Don't try to diagnose or second guess their feelings

You probably aren’t a medical expert and, while you may be happy to talk and offer support, you aren’t a trained counsellor. Try not to make assumptions about what is wrong or jump in too quickly with your own diagnosis or solutions.

4. Keep questions open ended

Say "Why don’t you tell me how you are feeling?" rather than "I can see you are feeling very low". Try to keep your language neutral. Give the person time to answer and try not to grill them with too many questions.

5. Talk about self-care

Talk about ways of de-stressing or practicing self-care and ask if they find anything helpful. Exercising, having a healthy diet and getting a good nights sleep can help protect mental health and sustain wellbeing. 

6. Listen carefully to what they tell you

Repeat what they have said back to them to ensure you have understood it. You don’t have to agree with what they are saying, but by showing you understand how they feel, you are letting them know you respect their feelings.

7. Offer them help in seeking professional support and provide information on ways to do this

You might want to offer to go the GP with them, or help them talk to a friend or family member. Try not to take control and allow them to make decisions.

8. Know your limits

You will have your own limits to the support that you can provide. And it's important to take care of yourself too. Give yourself time to rest and process what they have told you or what’s happened. Try to help them create a support network of other friends, relatives and mental health professionals who can help them too.

Find out more on mentalhealth.org

The Student Wellness Check - A University of Reading assessment tool that asks you questions and gives you contacts for your needs.

University of Reading Student Welfare Team - To help you with any personal difficulties you may experience during your time at university.

University of Reading The Counselling and Wellbeing Team - Free professional counselling, wellbeing and mental health support for students.

University of Reading/NHS Self-Help leaflets - In collaboration with the NHS the University has produced a set of self-help guides for students, they range in topics: stress, sexual health, anxiety, food, eating disorders and more. The guides talk you through each subject and have a range of organisations to contact for further advice and support.

Find a local NHS urgent mental health helpline (England only) - NHS urgent mental health helplines are for people of all ages. You can call for: 24-hour advice and support - for you or someone you care for, help to speak to a mental health professional an assessment to help decide on the best course of care.

Samaritans - Whatever you're going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. We're here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

NHS Mental Health Crisis Team - If you need urgent help, but it's not an emergency.

Student Space - Expert information and advice to help you through the challenges of university and coronavirus.

PAPYRUS - The national UK charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide.

Shout - Shout 85258 is a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. Launched publicly in May 2019 they have had more than 1,000,000 conversations with people who are anxious, stressed, depressed, suicidal or overwhelmed and who need immediate support.

Speak with your doctor/GP - It's not always easy to start a conversation about your personal feelings with your GP, someone you may hardly know. And it can be especially hard when you're not feeling well. But it's usually the first step towards working out what kind of treatment and support might help you.

Black Minds Matter UK - Connecting Black individuals and families with free mental health services- by professional Black therapists to support their mental health. Our vision is to make mental health topics more relevant and accessible for all Black people in the U.K., removing the stigma and remodelling the services to be relevant for the Black community.

Mind out - MindOut is a project run by and for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer people. The staff, volunteers and board of trustees, are all LGBTQ. 

Mind Infoline - Been worried about how you’re feeling for a while? Don’t wait to ask for help – we’re here for you.

Rethink Advice and Information Service - The Rethink Mental Illness advice and information service offers practical help on a wide range of topics such as The Mental Health Act, community care, welfare benefits, and carers rights. We also offer general information on living with mental illness, medication and care.

Anxiety UK - Anxiety UK offer support, advice and information on all anxiety, stress and anxiety-based depression conditions. They provide a wide range of services to support those affected by these conditions; from those living with stress or mild anxiety, through to those with more severe, complex and longstanding issues. Friendly volunteers can answer your questions and help find the right resources to manage anxiety.

Talking Therapies - A friendly and approachable NHS service that offers support if you’re coping with challenges like depression, stress, anxiety or phobias. If you’re aged 17 and over and living in Berkshire, we can help you overcome the mental health challenges you’re facing.

Free NHS Stress Less Workshops - Learn strategies to improve your mood if you are feeling low, anxious or stressed.

Boys in Mind (BiM) - BiM is charitable alliance of health and education professionals working in partnership with young people to empower them, particularly young men, to talk about their emotions and express their vulnerability in a safe and healthy manner.

Compass Recovery College - Offering free mental health and wellbeing workshops for everyone

Supporting Black mental health: highlighting the struggles and barriers that the Black community face when seeking mental health support and where you can go if you need some extra support.

Let’s take a walk! Nature & mental health: How nature has help student Florencia with her Mental Health.

Reaching out: Talking briefly and honestly about my experience of reaching out and getting support for Mental Health.

What’s it like to be a uni student and work in mental health: What is it like to be a uni student and work in mental health? Our writer Sabita tells us about the challenges of being an online Crisis Volunteer alongside her studies. 

My uni experience was moulded by mental illness: Rosie's Story: University can be a very difficult time. For a lot of people, living a completely new life is an exciting adventure. For others, it can be overwhelming. Meeting lots of new people, living in a new place and being given big projects to work on can be exhilarating, but it can also be exhausting. For University Mental Health Day, we spoke to ambassadors on our Step Up: University project to find out what it is like living with mental illness whilst studying. Here’s Rosie’s story…

More mental health blogs can be found on the UOR Student Life blog

Time to Change personal stories

Mind.org.uk stories