Mental Health Awareness Week

It's easy to get overwhelmed when you first start uni. As it's Mental Health Awareness Week, we've put together some of the ways you can keep things from getting too much.

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, which brings us on to a slightly more serious note than usual.

While university is a brilliant experience, you’ll have to face pressures and deadlines that are likely to be more stressful than you’re used to.

Sometimes it all gets too much but, you know what? That’s okay. It happens to a lot of people.

Take a look at our advice for if things get a little overwhelming while you’re at uni.

Speak up

Your university wants you to achieve your best, and you’re not going to do that if you’re struggling with mental health issues on your own.

Whether you're homesick, overwhelmed with assessments, or simply stressed, it’s good to talk. And there are so many ways you can reach out to people to let them know you’re struggling. You could:

• Call someone back home - maybe a family member or a friend.
• Ask someone to come over and keep you company – even if you just end up watching a film or sitting in comfortable silence!
• Talk to your lecturer.
• Visit your uni’s wellbeing team – you may have the option to sign up for counselling. (Here's a link to Solent's counselling service.)
• Go to your doctor.

Universities take mental health issues very seriously, so there’s a lot of support out there. Different unis will host different events at different times but keep an eye on your uni’s social media pages or student intranet and go along to anything you think would be useful.

Here at Solent, we have a team of wellbeing advisers who you can make an appointment with to talk about any problems you're having.

Find out more about the support available at Solent

And remember, if ever things do get too much and you don’t want to do the above, you can always call the Samaritans on 116 123.

Be cautious on social media

You know how it is; your world feels as though it’s falling apart, but you post something on Instagram with a caption about how great your life is anyway.

Think about it; it’s not just you who only posts the good things and glosses over the bad. That’s why social media can be a dangerous place if you’re feeling down or stressed – you wonder why your life is paling in comparison to everyone else’s.

If this is you, try and limit your time on your phone, unless it’s messaging friends. Instead, you can get your dopamine and endorphin hits in other ways. That leads us to our next point:

Take care of yourself

It’s well known that eating the right things and doing regular exercise can help to boost your mood.

And eating well on a budget doesn’t have to be difficult.

Recipes like chilli con carne are great for batch cooking and freezing, plus it works well with loads of different veg and varying levels of spice.

Alternatively, see if your housemates would be up for a cooking rota if you’d like a bit of low-cost variation, or simply Google ‘cheap student meals’ – there’s loads out there.

Take a look at some of these budget-friendly, easy to make recipes from our executive chef, Melanie:

• Chickpea and lentil dhal
• Frittata
• Tuna pasta

As for exercise, while it can be hard to summon the motivation for a workout while you’re feeling low, there are ways you can incorporate moving more into your everyday life.

If you’re walking somewhere, take a detour to extend your walk a little, or try to walk faster than you would usually. Always choose the stairs over the lift. Or, if you’re feeling sociable, invite your friends to join you for some childish games in the park. It's a lot harder to feel down when you're trying not to be 'it'!

Also, we can’t forget an oldie but a goodie: if it’s your turn on the cleaning rota, put your earbuds in and dance around – there’s a definite joy to being in an empty house dancing and singing to some of your favourite tunes.