Thursday 10 October is World Mental Health Day. Here at The Students' Union, we are running events for students across all campus sites to discuss the importance of self-care, how to manage your mental wellbeing and exactly how to recognise mental health symptoms. Check out this post for more information on campus events and how to support your own mental health.
Thursday 10 October is World Mental Health Day. Here at The Students’ Union, we are running events for students across all campus sites to discuss the importance of self-care, how to manage your mental wellbeing and exactly how to recognise mental health symptoms. You can check out everything that is going on here.
Everything you encounter in life can affect your mental health in either a positive or negative way. To help with this, we have put together some areas to look out for when managing your mental health:
The Stress Bucket
As we worry over a long period about things like exams, money or relationships, stress can start to build up and feel overwhelming. The ‘stress bucket’ theory relates to our stress filling up and gradually overflowing.
When this happens, it is very important that we empty the bucket, or at the very least reduce the amount of stress inside it. If we don’t do this, we could start to experience symptoms such as mood swings, or other feelings that may manifest themselves in mental health illnesses.
Performance Graph
What point on the graph do you find yourself? It’s good to know your stress level and when to take a break.
When we worry about small or big things, we are activating the ‘fight or flight response’ part of our brains. This starts to increase the likelihood of unwell mental health. There are different ways of reducing the likelihood of this breakdown: such as exercise, playing sports and talking to a close friend or counsellor.
Ways that alcohol can affect your mental health:
While a glass of wine after a long day can seem like a good way to relax, it can actually have the opposite effect and contribute to feelings of depression and anxiety. While alcohol can have a temporary positive effect on your mood, in the long term, it can have a negative impact on your mental health.
Check out five ways that alcohol can have a negative effect on your mental health here.
How can The Students' Union support you and your mental health?
At The Students’ Union, we are here to support you throughout your time at UWE Bristol, through our campaigns, events and services. Here are some of our major campaigns that can support well mental health that you can get involved in:
Movember: This year, we are supporting the Movember Foundation in a bid to raise awareness for mental health, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. Last year, our Movember campaign raised an incredible £4,000 and even won ‘Campaign of the Year’ at the National Student Fundraising Awards! For more information, check out this page.
MOVE: is a great way to get involved with a range of physical activities which can also have a positive effect on your mental wellbeing. To view the MOVE timetable click here.
Feel Good February: is a month of health and wellbeing initiatives across UWE Bristol that aim to help students and staff get active and feel great. For more information, click here.
For more information on The Students’ Union and UWE Bristol’s Wellbeing services, click here.