World Mental Health Day
For this World Mental Health Day, our Guest Blogger - Claire Nelson, from the Student Support Team - shares with you her top recommendations for looking after your mental health. She includes some really useful web links and self-care suggestions - as well as ways you can connect with others.
Tips for everyday living
A great starting point for anyone who may be experiencing mental health problems is the Mind website. This an excellent source of information where they offer advice, support and share self-help resources. Take a look at their top tips for everyday living - where they cover everything from loneliness, online mental health to student life.
Self-Care suggestions
Accessing self-care is something you can do to help keep your mental health in balance. Allowing yourself some time, linking into hobbies and interests you have, can do wonders for mental wellness. Here are some ways you can look after yourself:
Get some fresh air. Wake up a little earlier and take a walk outside. Getting a daylight and fresh air helps to boost your mood for the day ahead and promotes healthy sleeping patterns too.
Have you really explored Perth? Go out and explore your surroundings in your spare time. Whether you have moved here from afar, or if you haven’t explored Perth before, Walk Highlands has some Perthshire walks which will allow you to take in the scenery, get active and best of all it’s free!
Start reading. Getting into a new book, something other than course work, can be healthy as you are allowing yourself time to relax.
Join a gym. The Academy of Sport and Wellbeing is the student leisure and wellbeing facility based on campus and student memberships are only £10 a month. Facilities include a bright and spacious gym with a variety of cardio and strength resistance equipment, dedicated weights lifting area, sports hall, as well as a climbing centre offering more than 90 climbing routes of varying grades. Within the fitness studio, members can enjoy a range of body conditioning classes, as well as take part in group training sessions using the Queenax functional training rig.
Social connections
Some may find meeting new people and making friendships quite tricky. This is completely understandable. However, there are lots of places that you can meet new friends:
Going along to one of the gym classes mentioned earlier, is a great place to start.
Our HISA (Highlands and Islands Students’ Association) are setting up new groups and societies. This is a good place to meet like-minded people. Be sure to keep an eye on the HISA Perth Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages for updates on new clubs and societies forming.
If you are away from all of your friends and family, then scheduling in some time to catch up with them over the phone, Skype, FaceTime etc is a really good way of still feeling supported when you are at a distance.
Apps and Podcasts
The Mental Health Foundation have created specific podcasts in relation to wellbeing. There are a selection of mindfulness based podcasts, breathing exercises and exercise related podcasts.
The Suicide? Help! App is a great resource which can be downloaded for free. You fill in all of the details including contacts and a safety plan for times when you may need to think ahead.
Wellbeing and self-help resources
The Student Support Team have put together some self-help content we hope you will find useful. These are all free resources, to help improve mental wellbeing. You can find a selection of podcasts, apps and websites - for a whole range of mental health and self-help topics.
