For World Mental Health Day on Thursday, 10 October, we’re taking a look at the Student Support Wheel and checking in to see how we’re doing.

It’s the start of the year and you might be feeling excited and on top of everything right now but we know that this might change as we start to get shorter days and head towards deadlines.

If you haven’t already, see where you are on the Student Support Wheel that we made in collaboration with UoM students to check in with yourself about how you’re doing, and check out our tips for keeping on top of your mental health below.

Headspace – sleep better and beat stress

Many students report having issues with sleeping which can create a cycle leading to more stress which in turn, causes worse sleep. It’s really important to get a good sleep routine sorted, so you have something to fall back on when your brain is busier and you’re finding it harder to get good quality sleep.

Headspace is a meditation and mindfulness app that has hundreds of guided exercises for meditation, sleep, focus, and movement, helping you stress less, focus more and sleep soundly.

The University is currently offering a free subscription to Headspace for students. Headspace gives you access to hundreds of guided exercises for meditation, sleep, focus, and movement for one year.

👉 The University is working with the Students’ Union to offer this service. You can visit the Advice Service’s website using this link and click on  Headspace for more information and how to sign up.

Connect – Feeling close to and valued by others is key to our happiness

It’s important to remember when we’re feeling on top of things to take a proactive approach to our mental health and wellbeing. There are things we can do to keep ourselves feeling good, even if we’re not facing any difficulties.

Studies have shown that happier people have stronger relationships with others (and stronger relationships lead to increased happiness).

Finding the time to nurture your existing relationships with others, and connecting with new people, can help you feel better and live better.

Things to try:

🎮 Arrange a games night with housemates

🗣️ Ask a course mate to meet up before/after a lecture

📱 Schedule a call with someone who knows you well and ask about their day

Self-care – not just treating yourself

Self-care comes in lots of different forms, it’s not just about facemasks and bubble baths. Sometimes self-care isn’t pretty – it’s doing the dishes when you don’t want to because you know you have a full week of lectures or packing a lunch the night before classes.

Self-care is anything you can do to make things easier for your future self. A lot of the time, self-care has become synonymous with treating ourselves, which is also important, but it isn’t all that self-care requires.

If we employ only these types of self-care, things might build up and become unmanageable. Setting small, daily achievements can be a great way to combat this. Set a timer for 15 minutes and see what you can get tidy, your future self will be grateful for it.

Self-care might also be described as giving yourself rest. It is crucial to take breaks and give yourself down time but have a think about what kind of rest you need – did you know there are 7+ types? Think about what kinds of rest and self-care you need throughout the week and make space for them, as well as giving yourself a little treat!

We hope that you find some time to implement these ways of looking after yourself this World Mental Health Day and beyond, to keep yourself feeling good. If you’re somewhere else on the support wheel and feel you need some advice or support, you can find out more about the services available here.