Mental Health & Friends

Saturday 30th July marks the International Day of Friendship. The Editorial Team have taken the opportunity to share their thoughts on what friendship means to them and how their friends have supported their mental health.

- Student Minds Blog Editorial Team

With everything that's happening in the world, the International Day of Friendship is a celebration of all the goodness and solidarity in friendships.

Thoughts on friendship from the Editorial Team:

✨ Natalie (Student) ✨

• Friendship is very important to me and my friends have shown me lots of support with my mental health struggles. They have helped to find the best options of support for me and always listen to what I have to say. I always hope to show this same support when my friends turn to me for help with their mental health.

✨ Luke (Student) ✨

• Friendship and friends have a massive impact on your life. My friends were amazing to me during my experiences of grief and mental health struggles. Friendship isn’t always about having someone to always talk to about your feelings but someone who will take you out and distract and sense your mood.
• It is important when identifying good friendships that the feelings and effort being put in are reciprocated otherwise this leads to toxic friendships. Your true friends will show themselves in times of adversity and will support you through hardships. So maintain consistent respect and communication and trust your gut.

✨ Martina (Graduate) ✨

• Friends have helped me through my lowest times, supported my decisions, and always celebrated my achievements. My closest friend, I have known since secondary school and she has become the family I got to choose.
• I believe it is important to be respectful of each other's space, which is why we don't need to be in touch constantly. We know we will be there for each other and can reach out for good and bad news. I value friendships where we can tell each other the truth, and not simply what we want to hear. She has been open to listening when my mental health was at its lowest, sharing her points of view and advice which helped me gain perspective and feel less isolated.

✨ Caoimhe (Graduate) ✨

• I believe any friendship you have should be good for your mental health. I am so grateful that if I need to speak about anything I can come to my friends with no fear of judgement, and I feel so safe being vulnerable with them. Trust is the core of friendship and this is how you can be vulnerable with your friends because you trust them. 
• A friendship is something which is built through consistent effort, love and respect. You always choose to be a better friend and always support these people.

✨ Sarah (Student) ✨

• My best friend has been wonderful for my mental health. We confide in and listen to each other, and encourage each other to see the positives in life.
• That being said, I haven't always been lucky enough to have a friend like this. I've had friends who made me feel drained after talking to them, and who left me feeling worse about myself rather than better.
• In times like these, I tried to treat myself as my own best friend, reminding myself that if I wouldn't say things to a friend, I shouldn't say them to myself. Be as kind to yourself as you are to others - you deserve it.

✨ Preksha (Student) ✨

• From a very young age, I have strongly believed in the saying “a friend in need is a friend indeed”. I feel incredibly blessed to have friends who have stuck by me through rainbows and storms. They have given me the best advice, always with my best interest in mind… and on other days, they are just great listeners! When I talk myself down, they are the first to stop and remind me of the positivity around me. 
• When I went to University, I struggled a lot with my mental health in the first term. I had barely met some people for a week when they decided to walk alongside me on my journey to recovery. This is when our friendship flourished the most because they had no ‘reason’ to support a stranger - they were there for me only because of their own goodwill. That is when I realised that friendships don’t have a ‘reason’ or underlying motifs. 
• I aspire and try my best to be as supportive and understanding a friend as I have been blessed with. 

✨ Shamira (Graduate) ✨

• My friendships were a great help to my mental health, especially when we couldn’t meet in person. This made me appreciate them more but also appreciate that we’re all going through our own personal issues and life stories, so when you naturally drift away from someone it’s not a slight against you but just the consequence of people growing up. 

✨ Rosanna (Graduate) ✨

• We sometimes underestimate how important friendships are as we enter into adulthood, especially as romantic relationships and other commitments demand a lot of our attention. It can also be tricky to make new friends and maintain them. Friendships go through cycles; we support our friends and they are there for us at different times. It's also okay when we outgrow friendships or need to remove ourselves when they become toxic. But each friendship is unique and worth celebrating, no matter how new or old it is.

✨ Taylor (Student) ✨

• University meant outgrowing a lot of friendships which seems scary at first but along the way you meet some many more incredible people. Through the good and the bad times, friends that make you laugh and be grateful for what you have are the ones that you need to keep close.

Share how you're getting involved with the International Day of Friendship on our Facebook group.

Find out more ways to get involved with Student Minds and volunteer today.

Written by the Student Minds Editorial Team. Find out more about them here.

University Mental Health Day 2022

Thursday 3rd March marks University Mental Health Day 2022. The Editorial Team have come together to share their thoughts and experiences on speaking out and seeking support as a student.

- Student Minds Blog Editorial Team

Chen-Chun (Student)

My university provides five free counselling sessions at the Student Services Centre for students who need help, and I have recently sought support from them. It was not an easy decision to make. I worried that I might be overreacting, so I hesitated while trying to seek support. The experience turned out to be really good and extremely helpful and I regretted not seeking support earlier.

 

Seeking support is okay and people working at universities are experienced, they will never judge you for asking for help and regard things that troubles you as insignificant.

Luke (Student)

The switch from living at home to university was exceptionally daunting, therefore the hardest part was reaching out. My university was quick in giving me an initial appointment where they facilitated open conversations where I felt safe to vocalise my initial anxieties. The appointments they provided were as frequent/infrequent as I wanted them to be. This really helped me not bottle things up which I began to.

They directed me towards an amazing NHS service which really helped me understand myself and my feelings. This experience really empowered me and enabled me to become a great talker and listener, and I feel I now have the tools to help others in similar situations.

Remember never to be afraid to ask for help!

Caoimhe (Graduate)

I personally didn't have to seek support while at university. As a student, I spent two years working with my university's mental health charity. As a mental health ambassador, I attended regular sessions and further training with Young Minds. 

I felt very grateful being in a position where people felt confident speaking with me expressing their struggles and worries. From these conversations, I would introduce these individuals to the support services on campus. It's rewarding helping people.

My university provided six free therapy sessions and raised awareness of mental health days throughout the year. 

If you are struggling, please seek support. You aren't alone!

Riley (Student)

I remember I needed help when I first came to London for my studies a few months ago, something really practical... for example, how to rent a flat, register a GP, even things like how to print at the school library. Sometimes I felt so ashamed to ask those kinds of questions because I thought those were so just stupid and small issues. 

Making good use of the university's service centre and joining the international students' community are the ways for seeking support.

It is okay to ask 'stupid' questions. I should forgive myself as a foreigner in a new place.

Sarah (Student)

Sometimes it can feel intimidating to reach out for support from student services. Although not a replacement for seeking professional help, peer support networks are a great way to talk to someone that understands the issues that students face. 

From my experience, peer support volunteers are all kind, empathetic, lovely people who are happy to listen to you and refer you to any relevant resources. 

No problem is too small, and this may just be the bridge you need to gain the confidence and encouragement to seek further help. Good luck!

Preksha (Student)

As an international student, I was far away from my comfort zone and initially culturally shocked - the systems, norms and even slang were all so different. I also experienced ‘imposter syndrome’ during my first term at Cambridge, constantly feeling like I did not deserve to be here. These situational challenges, when compounded, led to me being diagnosed with depression in the first few months of university. I struggled to create and maintain a healthy (and completely new) lifestyle of independence and productivity. My friends would encourage me when I didn’t have the energy to get out of bed or make myself a meal on most days. I was extremely fortunate to have found support professionally and in my friends. Despite initial hesitance, my friends and family encouraged me to reach out to the university's mental health services. This helped reassure me of the potential to recover, and guided me towards the light at the end of the tunnel. Many people are struggling like you, so don’t be afraid to reach out and get the help you need!

Fionnuala (Graduate)

 

My university offered many supports for students experiencing mental health problems. There was a free counselling service that offered students sessions with trained therapists. I used this service and found it very helpful.

If things were particularly tough and unmanageable around exam time there were policies in place allowing students to apply for extenuating circumstances which could postpone the examinations or allow a student to re-sit exams without penalty if they did not get a passing grade. There were disability support services for students that helped them to arrange accommodations to enable them to complete their education while managing mental health issues. 

Taylor (Student)

The stresses of university, exams and all the deadlines put pressure on everyone's mental health so rest assured that you're not alone there. You're equally not alone in wanting to seek support if that's what you feel is best for you. 

Speak out and get the support you need! It's much better to talk about the situation you find yourself in rather than suffer in silence.

And if you're not struggling with your mental health, then be there for your friends and loved ones. Let them lean on you for support and make sure they know that you're there for them.

Find out how you can make a difference on University Mental Health Day.

Written in collaboration by the Editorial Team. Find out more about them here.

Wellbeing Boxes

Linda shares her experience with wellbeing boxes and mental health during lockdown.

- Linda

During the first lockdown, I had a nice routine. I went on a walk every day. I would abandon Google Maps and venture anywhere and everywhere. I drew on most days, sent postcards, and sang. I called my dad most days to gossip about my siblings whilst he was drinking his afternoon tea. I saw that the usually shy sun was showing its face, so instead of battling on with my masters, I put my work on hold and soaked up the sun. The pandemic was not ideal but I was determined to make the most out of it. Well, that was when I thought that it would only be a couple of weeks. By the third lockdown, cold winter came with an even colder reality: that the pandemic was not going away anytime soon. I felt like a passive recipient of life and time was sliding away sluggishly. Fun times! 

I know that I am extremely lucky that, apart from some inconveniences, my life has been unscathed by the pandemic. I was lucky to have a stable job. And, though I might have been far away from my family, I had friends who lived locally enough for me to go on walks with them. It could have been so much worse. But counting my blessings didn't erase the pain or difficulty I was still experiencing. In December, depression had ensnared me yet again. It started with a persistent case of tonsillitis that left my body frail and fatigued. Still, I couldn’t stop; I was juggling so many things and many of them had already crashed to the ground. I was immensely bitter from a break-up and … well, even more lonely. The last straw was the drastic – but of course, necessary - change to the Christmas bubbles which meant that I was spending my first Christmas without family, all alone with my increasingly unhappy thoughts. My routine completely fell apart. I stopped cooking, forgot to grocery shop, and would sporadically clean. Occasionally, I’d have bursts of energy where I’d face up to adult life, but like lit matches, that fire was easily extinguished. 

But something changed last week when I learned about wellbeing boxes. It is simple really. You get a box, and you put together specific activities and the things that you will need to complete the activities. So, it is not just, “I am going to put on a face mask at some point this week." It is planning how long the activity will take and getting the face mask ready. So, I decided to put together a wellbeing box for myself. After all, when I am not working, sleeping, or eating, I am kind of just sitting around waiting for time to pass or stuck in my own head. So, I started to think about how self-care works for me. I know many people like to try out new recipes, but cooking can be a struggle for me. Because I am often inconsistent with cooking, eating, and buying food, I need my meals to be simple and low in effort, otherwise, it is draining. However, when it comes to drawing, I am always filled with ideas and inspiration. For the most part, I always have what I need as my room is filled with art and craft materials and books accumulated over the past five years. 

So, as I was organising my wellbeing box, it hit me that being specific and, in some respects, having constraints, are the secret ingredients that I have been searching for all my life. Sometimes, the myriad of decisions and options can be overwhelming. I end up spending more time thinking about what I will do instead of actually doing things. However, with my wellbeing box, I take a vague concept like improving my singing and make it manageable. Instead of thinking about the songs that will suit my voice, I have printed out specific songs that I want to learn. I have a hard copy so that I can practice away from my phone and I have set myself half an hour for any song so I have time to warm up, remember the lyrics, and practice the song. Therefore, when I get ready to actually do something, I don't have to invest a lot of time or effort in planning. So, if you're struggling with feelings and experiences that are similar to mine, I would definitely recommend that you put together a wellbeing box. 

If you would like to find out more about putting together a wellbeing box, have a look at this resource:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnuamrBVjw4.

For additional resources on managing your mental health during lockdown, please click here.

I am Linda. I did a BSc in Psychology at the University of Warwick and now I am studying a MSc in Psychological research and working part-time. 

Building a Special Relationship with Yourself

Sarah writes about her experience with education and her pursuit to build a special relationship with herself in time.

- Sarah Flotel

Nineteen years later and I’m still in my second undergraduate year. Did I fail it nineteen years in a row? No chance - the word ‘fail’ isn’t part of my vocabulary these days. I am making it my life’s work to have the most incredible relationship with myself possible and that’s why I enrolled with the Open University: not to pick up where I left off but to engage in my continuum of personal development. I have also taken a bold move at the glorious age of forty to study modules guided by my heart strings, not my logical academic reward-seeking brain (I can work with that in the postgrad!).

The last time I stopped degree study was 2002. At that time I found it impossible to access any assistance to support my emotional world. There was very little flow and I was not in a great position to take care of my own wellbeing - survival mode was running high. I spent many years hiding from life, as many people know, and meandered through my troubles; unhealthy relationships and attachments, phobias, anxiety and a deep sense of loss when it came to my self-esteem and inner connection. However, within this tumultuous world I always felt a curiosity about the healing arts: what would it mean to ‘feel better’? How could I get there? At the time it was a magical, mystical destination, now I am with the growth and healing continuum school of thought.

So the years went by and I became a parent in 2008, left a relationship that did not serve us well and experienced a huge shift in my drive for growth and change. I had to serve my son better. I walked into an arts therapy room when he was 3, knowing that I didn’t have the wisdom to parent in the way I was trying to practise. I spent two years reparenting myself and there the journey of real change began.

It is so easy to become goal oriented with therapy and wellbeing when human development is so individual and varied. I spent many years training in various therapeutic modalities whilst single parenting and singing for a living; each one of these healing modalities taking its place in mine and my client’s growth jigsaw puzzle. 

Our learning and healing styles are as different as our DNA patterns and I have found it is important not to get too hung up on a destination of ‘feeling better,’ but honour the experience of your life as it is now. Give the tough stuff space to breathe, find support in many different places. One thing I know for certain is there must be an ongoing intention to create the best possible relationship with yourself - this doesn’t mean all out unrealistic ‘positivity’, but a conscious effort to keep pulling your mind-body-soul-spirit-psyche development back in when it gets distracted by the external world.

I remember my emotional health took a downturn around the age of ten, so when building my therapeutic and healing consultancy -  www.embraceyourpotential.co.uk  - I considered the concerns of children, young people and families. I started this line of work to pass on my tried, trusted and tested toolbox of techniques to others and to share healing with a deep understanding of what it was like to have experienced great stress in my younger years. I also realise that some people aren’t ready for in-person work so I have recorded video and audio courses as an introduction to the inner core training that serves me so well.

Sharing wisdom and being able to adapt things like meditation, movement and mindful work to suit younger minds is an honour for me: sometimes simply holding space when things are tough is a real gift to yourself and others. There is always a way forward...if you ask for help.

Each and every single one of you who experiences difficulty in your life, from exam worries to self-esteem, know that you are important and you can value yourself enough to start working on it. There is so much assistance out there with many brilliant doctors, practitioners, therapists and other professionals ready and willing to guide you. Healing and growth work can be fun too, it doesn’t all have to be serious; change can be scary, fear can be an old friend but with open hearts and minds we really can do great things for ourselves.

For more information about taking care of your mental wellbeing, check out these resources at Student Minds.

Sarah Flotel is a singer and songwriter with jazzy roots who also runs a health and wellbeing consultancy: Embrace Your Potential. She is a Mum to two boys and is on a mission to share her love for personal growth and development with the world. Emotional intelligence comes first in Sarah's household! Her spare social time is spent devoted to the tennis court where she is cultivating a backhand not too dissimilar to Roger Federer's. 

The Impact of Community: University Mental Health Day

For University Mental Health Day, Katie shares the importance of community to help tackle mental health while at university.

- Katie

How do you give back to your community?

I do a lot of volunteering, campaigning, and fundraising, both inside and outside of university. Back in 2016 I signed up to skydive for mental health charity, Mind, which was such an amazing experience but I definitely prefer terra firma! Currently I am a Student Minds Press Ambassador and within my students’ union I have been President of our Mental Health Awareness and Support society (MHAS), and currently Disabled Students’ Part-Time Officer.

Who do you speak to for your mental health?

I have used a variety of services, both in and outside university. My first point of call is usually my close friends, but I am getting more comfortable with talking to my parents. I make regular use of my university counselling service, as it can be very helpful to talk through how I am feeling – especially with a familiar staff member who knows my story. They can also help me see things from a different perspective, such as how resilient and strong I am. I also have an accessibility tutor, trained to help students with mental health difficulties, who assists me with planning my time and organisation. This helps me establish routines, especially for revision or assignments. Recently, I started my own YouTube Channel which I use to talk about my mental health story among other things.

What do you do for your mental health?

One of my favourite outlets is writing. I both blog online on my wordpress site and write creatively - stories and poems. I’m also pretty much never seen without my iPod earphones in my ears! Music can be soothing when I’m feeling down, or can provide an outlet such as going to music gigs where I can sing and dance. Being an advocate and talking openly about my experiences also helps, because I am helping others and creating an environment where we don’t feel alone in our struggles.

Where do you feel part of a community?

I feel part of a community where I am able to thrive, around people who have my back no matter what. This includes being around friends, my family, within my church, and university staff. These people have my best interests at heart and always try and support me in any way they can within their remit. I also use a lot of online spaces where I talk to other fans of TV shows I enjoy as well as fellow writers. They are supportive communities where I feel safe and able to be myself, and this is really important.


Take action and be part of a growing movement to transform the state of student mental health. Join a Student Minds group on your campus or set up a group today. 

Hi, I’m Katie, a geology student at the University of Leicester and Student Minds Press Ambassador. I was diagnosed with mixed anxiety & depressive disorder in 2015 and have since become a confident advocate, speaking out and writing about my experiences. 

Finding a community of support at university

For University mental health day, Emma shares her experiences of building supportive networks and the importance of communities for dealing with your mental health at university.

- Emma

No matter your situation, community plays a massive role in mental wellbeing. Loneliness and isolation often worsen anxiety and depression, and having a social circle or someone you can talk to is important. This is heightened during University for many people, leaving their comfort zone and entering adulthood and independence. 

I’m a student at the University of Winchester, five hours away from the little Wirral peninsula where I grew up and the people I’ve spent my whole life with. As someone with generalised anxiety disorder, it was my mission to build up a community and support network straight away, to ensure I’d be able to manage. On my first day, I spoke to the student mental health team and they helped me go to my first class. At Winchester, we have learning agreements for students who need extra support for any disability or illness. So, during my second week, I spoke to Disability Support and we wrote a list of my needs, such as: leaving the room at any time, rest breaks in exams, separate exam rooms, and all my lecturers being aware of my anxiety. 

I have also taken the time to speak to every one of my lecturers and explained my anxiety in more detail so that they don’t think I’m rude or not interested in their subject. Just today, I missed my radio production lecture due to an anxiety attack, so I spoke to my lecturer and he was understanding and supportive. It’s really important to let people know what’s going on and seek any help you may need. I know it sometimes feels like a weakness or failure but to achieve the best experience and best grades, your mental health has to be a priority. 

I try to help other students at university too, since we are all in the same situation and sometimes knowing that someone understands can lessen the burden. I have an upcoming radio project and I’ve decided to base mine on mental health support at university. I plan to interview students who suffer from different mental health difficulties, as well as representatives from support teams. I hope that this will help people who are afraid to speak up to know that there’s a huge community of people who understand. I’m very open about my struggles, usually making jokes about my anxiety to let people know what’s going on in a light-hearted way. For example, if I know that going to a lecture is out of the question, I’ll say to my friends, ‘don’t think I’ll make it this morning, classic anxious me.’ This way of being open might not suit everyone but it helps me keep people in the loop without feeling like I’m complaining or being negative. It has helped friends speak to me about their own problems, because I think it makes me more approachable, and I’ve created a strong social circle that is open and understanding. 

As well as the support I have in place at university, I’ve also made a habit of using positive coping techniques when I’m in my flat too. I make sure the flat is always (reasonably) clean and tidy, I write down the issues I’m having and their solutions, I practice mindfulness, and I make lists of all the assignments that I need to work on. My course has a group chat on Facebook too so we all help each other stay on top of the work and help each other out when there’s room changes or upcoming deadlines. 

I feel very much part of a community at University and I feel confident that my mental illness will not hinder my experience or my final grades, and it’s important that you put support in place to feel the same too.

Take action and be part of a growing movement to transform the state of student mental health. Join a Student Minds group on your campus or set up a group today. 

I’m Emma and I’m studying Journalism at the University of Winchester. I’ve suffered with anxiety and anorexia for a long time so thought I’d share my own experiences to hopefully help others on the same journey to recovery.

Building mental health communities at university

As part of University Mental Health Day, Julia discusses the importance of building communities for students to talk about shared experiences of mental health in university.

- Julia

Coming to university having quietly struggled with mental health, I was keen to be involved in extracurricular activities and to build myself circles of friends. It has always been a coping mechanism if mine to find friends with common interests and surround myself with them. From choirs and music ensembles to other student journalists, engaging in shared interests has always been so important to me for my mental wellbeing.

During my first year, I was encouraged to seek out further help and relatively quickly, having struggled quite substantially, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was then that, as well as my friends and extracurricular communities, I started to engage with mental health communities in my university. Or rather, I started some communities myself. Joining the Students’ Disability Community and becoming actively involved and engaged in that, I was quickly elected to Mental Health Officer. I became aware that lots of students did not want to become involved in physical support groups because that was an intimidating step, so I created online support groups for Oxford Students on Facebook. These were all secret but could allow students to discuss struggles and shared experiences with services in the city. There are now six support groups for different mental health conditions, supporting over 500 students, and some groups have met in person now. Even though advertising these groups among the university community, it enriches the community in the normalization of mental health difficulties.

It can be easy to feel isolated at university when you have a mental health difficulty, and speaking to other students who also share experiences of mental health difficulties can make you feel less alone. Meeting with the bipolar support group for the first time, the other students and I shared our experiences – laughed at similar situations we’ve been in, and empathized with the bad experiences. It was so reassuring to be part of a community who understood what I’d been through.

Even now that I am stable and don’t feel that I need much support on a day to day basis, I still like to engage with other students who have struggled or are struggling with mental health difficulties. When you are part of universities communities, whether a sports team, a musical group, or a college at your university, talking frankly and sharing experiences make mental health normal for the whole community. Students I don’t know personally have approached me because my openness means that they feel comfortable talking, often for the first time, about concerns or struggles that they have had. To me, this exemplifies why community is so important for mental health and why it is the perfect theme for University Mental Health Day. Both on a personal level of support from the communities we surround ourselves with, and also seeing the change that happens to communities as we talk, without shame, about mental health.

Take action and be part of a growing movement to transform the state of student mental health. Join a Student Minds group on your campus or set up a group today. 

I'm Julia, and I'm currently studying music at the University of Oxford. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder during my first year and, since then, have dedicated my time to talking about mental health. As well as writing for the blog, I am one of the sub-editors and have been involved with Student Minds as a press ambassador, a peer support facilitator, and on their Student Voices Forum and Student Policy Panel. I'm also the Oxford editor for Blueprint, a student mental health magazine, and the mental health officer the Oxford SU disability campaign. I feel strongly about discussing aspects of mental health, such as hypomania or mania that accompanies my bipolar disorder, to reduce the taboo.

University Mental Health Day: Community

For University Mental Health Day, Emily shares her views on the importance of community within her university to help deal with mental health.

- Emily Maybanks

How could I give back to my community? 

I believe that I can do this through expressing my gratitude and appreciation on a blog for the continued support from my community. Using a blog is both accessible in today’s technology-focused society, but it is also a thoughtful and creative way to express my thoughts. I think that feeling as though you are a part of a community, whether a university or in a working environment, is important for mental health because you feel included and involved.

Who do you speak to for your mental health?

For my mental health, I speak to a wide range of people: professionals, such as doctors and counselors, my close friends, and people I work with. I think it is vital to have a varied but reliable support network for mental health. However, I also think it is important to be self-reliant when it comes to mental health and to know what to do to help yourself when you’re feeling down and struggling - whether that is to take a break for a while or do something on your own.

What do you do for your mental health?

One thing that especially helps my mental health is writing. I love to write, and it is my way to express myself and how I am feeling. Sharing my mental health story through writing has also helped me with my mental health.

Where do you feel part of a community?

I feel part of a community within the editing and writing crowd at my university, working for Swansea University students’ newspaper: the Waterfront. It is an amazing thing to be involved with and it is nice to feel supported and appreciated.


Take action and be part of a growing movement to transform the state of student mental health. Join a Student Minds group on your campus or set up a group today. 

My name is Emily (Em). I am currently in my final year studying Modern Languages, Translation & Interpreting at Swansea University, where I'm also the Creative Writing Section Editor and Deputy Editor for The Waterfront - Swansea's student newspaper. I wanted to write for Student Minds because I have experienced depression and anxiety as well as other health issues, and I support friends who have also experienced mental health difficulties. I am also a passionate writer and writing has been important in my mental health experiences - both in helping me to cope with my mental health, as well as sharing my story in order to help others.

What is community?

Leah shares the importance of community and how this has helped support her with her mental health through university.

- Leah Barfield

"The condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interest in common"

When it comes to your mental health, it’s important to surround yourself within a community where there isn’t judgement or stigma. A group that is supportive and helps you through the hardest times.

When I first moved to University, it took a long time for me to adapt to the new lifestyle and the ‘Student Life’. I find myself to be quite anti-social and avoid situations like large parties or nights out. I fear that when I am out with people I will get left or something bad will happen to me. Living in a new area, thats so far from a place which has so much familiarity to me is hard to adjust to.  Being nearly 200miles away from home.

I would get days when I wouldn’t leave my flat because I thought that if I was to try and get somewhere in the area, I would panic or get lost; if I did then I would be a fool or failure. I found different groups of people who I would acquaintance myself with, however I never felt confident enough to stay with those people.  I managed to figure out and discover who it was who accepted me once I started to mingle with more people.

This is where I was able to reach out.

Since being at University for over half of the first year, I’ve managed to mould myself out of this shell of extreme low self esteem and confidence, into a group where I feel supported and I can trust them with how I’m feeling. I no longer feel alone and I have more confidence in getting through my time at university knowing that I’m not going be alone.

I may still have days where I find it hard to go to lectures due to my depression and anxiety but I know that the support team at my university, my lecturers/tutor and my peers and friendship groups will accept me and be there for me when things get a bit overwhelming or when I need some guidance.

Finally feeling a part of a community within University has finally made me feel so much better about being here and studying what I love.

Take action and be part of a growing movement to transform the state of student mental health. Join a Student Minds group on your campus or set up a group today. 

Hi I'm Leah, I study Documentary Photography at the University of South Wales. The importance of talking about mental health and starting the discussion is key to my ambition.