Your mental health is a priority. Join us on University Mental Health Day 2024 to raise awareness for mental health amongst university students and open up discussions to ensure it is a university-wide priority.
Studying at university can be full of new experiences – it's a place where you meet new friends, learn new skills and create life-long memories. This, along with juggling assignments, deadlines and navigating the transition from being a teenager and adulthood, means it can understandably feel at times a bit hectic and overwhelming. It is normal to experience feelings of stress at times, but you shouldn't feel ashamed or scared of reaching out for support:
- 1 in 4 students have a diagnosed mental health issue.
- 30% said their mental health has got worse since starting university
- 1 in 4 students would not know where to go to get mental health support at university if they needed it
And whilst it is important to acknowledge that students can experience low mental health during their university studies, it is also important to know that there are ways to ensure you look after your mental health. It can be hard to, but remember to remind yourself that:
- A problem shared is a problem halved. Whether you're stressing about a certain assignment or deadline, if you have an overwhelming sense of worry for the future, situations with your peers or feelings of – it often helps to share these with friends, family members, or mental health care professionals. By sharing your struggles, an outsider's perspective can often help advise a resolution, and it means you're not bottling these feelings up.
- Your university experience is a journey – full of highs and lows. There will be times where everything feels manageable, and then other times when everything is overwhelming. Remember to not compare your experience to that of others and that busy periods (such as deadline week) are often temporary.
- Help is always available. Whether it is stress relating to assignments, relationships, self-identity, or cost-of-living worries, there is always support to make life seem a little more manageable.
- Contact your course tutor/lectures for support and tips for assignments and examples. Schedule in some dedicated one-to-one time with them to work through any areas that are causing you stress. Similarly, reaching out to peers on your course can help.
- Universities have dedicated mental health support departments. Reach out to them to for support regarding university-related doubts and stress.
Let's come together on Thursday the 14th March 2024 to raise awareness for university mental health and support each other!
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health during university, please look to the below for support:
- Your dedicated CRM site team (email us directly and we will reach out to support you where we can)
- Student Minds (the UK's student mental health charity)
- Student Space (from Student Minds) – here you can find your universities dedicated support services.
- Samaritans (or call 116 123 for free)
- If you're feeling desperate or depressed, please contact NHS 111 (urgent medical advice) or NHS 999 (immediate medical help).