I’ve been a student many times throughout my life and now I find myself on the ‘other side’ as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Chester. Therefore, I am all too familiar the challenges which studying can present, and the necessity of taking good care of your mental wellbeing whilst pursuing your academic dreams.
Being a student can be a really exciting time in your life, learning more about a subject which you’re interested in and perhaps working towards a chosen career. It’s an opportunity to meet people who share your interests, make new friends and develop professional networks. It may also be a time to spread your wings, explore a new city and lifestyle. Exciting times indeed, however there are challenges alongside this, including assignment deadlines, exams, poor finances, missing home, trying to juggle caring responsibilities and the impact of too many late nights!
The number of students reporting mental health problems to their University is increasing year on year. From under 1% in 2010-2011 up to 5.8% in 2022-2023. These figures could be interpreted in one of two ways, more students are struggling or perhaps more students are feeling able to report their struggles. Either way, it’s clearly a significant problem. The figures increase further when you look at an anonymous survey conducted by the charity Student Minds. In 2022 they found that 57% of respondents reported a mental health issue and 27% said they had a diagnosed mental health condition.
Top tips for students:
Prioritise the ‘basics’: It’s impossible to study and succeed if you are not taking good care of yourself. Consider things like keeping hydrated, eating a healthy balanced diet, getting into a good sleep routine, regular exercise, and mindfulness. Avoid any recreational drug use of excessive alcohol too.
Ask for support: The good news is that as a student there are lots of resources available to you. Speak to your lecturers, fellow students and your institutions Student Support Service. There are also some ‘useful links’ below.
Make a study plan: Being organised is key to any academic study. Ensure you know key dates for lectures, assignments, and exams. Plan your study time and think about which environment is best for you, this may be at home, the library or local coffee shop. Most institutions offer Study Skills Support so see what’s available and take advantage of it.
Balance: As well as doing what’s expected for your course make sure that you are making time for things outside of this which you enjoy. This could be activities such as gaming, crafts, exercise or films.
Reduce the pressure: When studying it’s easy to put pressure on ourselves because this is important to us and we want to do well. However, too much pressure isn’t good for us and it can actually prevent us from achieving our goals. Remember, your qualifications do not define who you are. If things don’t work out how you’d hoped you can still be successful. Focus on all you have achieved so far and speak kindly to yourself.