Re-discover old hobbies, be kind to others, and consider a digital detox - here’s seven well-being tips to mark University Mental Health Day.
The national awareness day takes place Thursday 4th March and aims to bring together the University community to make mental health a priority for staff and students.
While the Hope family can’t be together in a physical sense, colleagues from across the University have put together online events and links to resources, with a focus on kindness, compassion and self-care.
You can read more about those, below.
And here, to mark the event, we speak to Sally Wills Vice-President Welfare & Community for Liverpool Hope Students' Union, and Andee Moorcroft, Student Well-being Officer within the Student Development and Well-being (SDW) team, as they share some of their own personal hints and tips when it comes to mindfulness and self-care.
Sally Wills:
Pick up old hobbies, or find some new ones!
“You may be like me and find it easier to spend most of your time flicking through Netflix, but once you've exhausted the list of programmes, what should you do next? Move onto Amazon Prime or take a more proactive approach, trying something you've always wanted to!? Personally, I began reading for leisure and writing book reviews. I also remade a food blog to share my homemade lockdown meals, incorporating photography, an old passion of mine which has given me lots of happiness since picking it back up.”
Do you need a Digital Detox?
“Set yourself an achievable goal. You might want to ditch the social media for, say, a week at first and then see how you feel afterwards. After coming out of an unhealthy relationship, I deleted all my social media to eradicate the temptation of unblocking them. Not only did I improve my mindset, but also my body image, as I was able to stop comparing myself to others. You'll also see your phone use go down, which is great for your sleeping pattern.”
Give yourself a change of scenery
“I've found that being stuck in the same environment for the majority of the day has made me unable to unwind and it has also affected my routine. However, you can make simple changes to a room, such as decluttering, changing your bedsheets, buying flowers and plants, rearranging furniture, or installing some fairy lights, to help with ambiance and combat cabin fever. Alternatively, you can get a quick fix by getting outside for some fresh air, sun, and mindful walking.”
Andee Moorcroft.
Nurture your support network
“It’s important to maintain the connection with your support network because it’s all too easy to neglect those links. But you could maybe try something a bit more old fashioned, like writing a letter, instead of a Zoom chat or phone call, to add a much more personal touch.”
Don’t bottle it up
“Talk about your worries if you need to, and remember it's OK to feel bad some of the time. Don't feel guilty for not being happy, smiley or positive 100% of the time - because it’s impossible to maintain a mood like that. But if negativity is creeping in and taking over, do something about it - ask for help or seek support.”
Don’t carry on ‘carrying on’
“Set aside a day a week for you. It's easy to carry on ‘carrying on’ during lockdown, but you should try ring fencing a day every week to do the things that bring you joy, happiness or peace. For example, it might be that every Tuesday - after doing all the important, necessary things - just disconnect from all the distractions and selfishly focus on yourself for the rest of the day.”
Help others to help yourself
“Help and support those around you, even if you don't feel at your best. They say it's better to give than to receive, so why not give to others? It doesn’t have to be a huge, grand gesture - just a simple act of kindness. Doing something for others creates a feeling of purpose, and it also helps to spread some light and joy, making you feel better about things in the process.”
** To find out more, head to: https://www-hope-ac-uk.ezproxy.hope.ac.uk/gateway/students/studentdevelopmentandwell-being/mentalhealthwell-being/mentalhealthday/
** The Library has created its own well-being web pages and will be promoting self-care via their social media channels.
** The Personnel Office are encouraging colleagues to reach out to others by launching the Connect Café, an initiative for staff who would like to be paired with a colleague from a different part of the University for a coffee and a chat.
Alternatively, staff who would prefer to meet up with a colleague they haven’t seen for a while are being encouraged to arrange a virtual coffee date.
The aim is to get as many people as possible meeting in pairs at the same time for the first Connect Cafe at 10.30am on Wednesday 10 March 2021, but really any time would do - it's making connections that matters.
** The Chaplaincy has also pre-recorded some unique prayers: