As Mental Health Awareness Week ends today in the UK, here at Her Campus Nottingham, we wanted to share some of the small, day-to-day activities that each of us do to look after our own mental health.
We hope that if you are struggling a bit at the moment, then some of these “tips” help to distract your mind, or offer you a bit of support during a very unsettling time. So, here they are…
1. “Social media breaks really help me when I’m down. I’ve found that it’s very easy to forget that the real world exists during lockdown if I’m on my phone all day so I’ve definitely tried to make a habit of going online much less!” – (Jess Smith, Blogger)
2. “Recently I’ve really taken up colouring. Like everyone I imagine, I’ve struggled over the past few weeks, and I’ve spent days (genuinely full days) colouring in to get away from screens and try to stop overthinking by focusing my attention on something else.” – (Emma Stirland, Reviewer)
3. “I love to re-watch my favourite film or reread my favourite book. It’s something I know I’m going to enjoy and it always cheers me up!”- (Bethany Smith, Blogger/ Copy Editor)
4. “I try to just slow down and step outside for a bit. Breathe in the fresh air and feel the sunshine! Being outdoors really soothes me.” – (Ellie Wright, Editor-in-Chief)
5. “It sounds really silly but a skincare routine has really helped me lots! Self-care is so calming and helps me to stay in the routine of getting up and ready every day.” – (Grace Sansom, Reviewer)
6. “I love to go for a little walk on my own, put my headphones in and turn the volume up- it always boosts my mood!” – (Maisie Ringrose, Editor-in-Chief)
7. “For me, having a routine is really important! This week has been the first week I’ve not had uni work to do so I’ve been trying to plan some regular activities in the times where I would have been reading/writing. I’m doing a jigsaw every morning and trying to spend a bit of time reading a (fiction!) book each day. Having a tidy room always motivates me, too!” – (Rebekah Dussek, Head of Reviews)
8. “I find decluttering and tidying my room helps to destress me. It also makes me feel productive!”- (Lucy Osbourne, Blogger)
9. “Lockdown’s lifted where I am so I go for a walk around the lake to unwind. I have also found that keeping a diary has really helped me! I normally suck at maintaining one but it’s working surprisingly well for me at the minute!” (Ru Sharma, Head of Social Media)
10. “Sometimes just getting a hug from the right person can help me feel so safe and relaxed in the moment. Reaching out to friends for a good old video call also helps me to feel connected and less alone.” – (Alice Reading, Features Writer/ Copy Editor)
11. “I’ve been trying to do some form of exercise each day, even if it’s only 10 minutes. It helps me to feel productive and if I have a lousy day, I still have those 10 mins of the day to feel good about!” – (Meghan Jarvis, Features Writer)
12. “I’ve been teaching myself to sew! It’s really relaxing and rewarding to make my own clothes.” – (Daisy Forster, Features Writer)
13. “My favourite way to unwind is having a bubble bath with candles and a wine/green tea. I always come out feeling like a new woman and it’s a great way to get some privacy to focus on my own thoughts for a while.” – (Emily Holt, Reviewer/ Copy Editor)
14. “I’d say – remind yourself of a time before when you’ve felt low and remember that the time passed and you came out the other side. Sometimes it can feel like things won’t get better, but they always do. Also, find things that bring you joy and do them, even if you don’t feel like it. For me, this would be baking or something musical!” – (Emily Hall, “Spilling Tea” Series Blogger)
15. “My tip is to stay inspired. To do this I look on Pinterest or I paint (mostly watercolours).” – (Alizée Potrel-Hervé, Blogger)
16. “I enjoy planning my meals each day with different recipes because I find cooking quite relaxing.” – (Katherine Welsh, Reviewer)
17. “I love routine! I always set goals to achieve by the end of the day e.g. baking, reading, exercising etc. but I try to be kind to myself so that if I don’t achieve all of them, I don’t get stressed or frustrated. The important thing is to do what makes you happy and I’ve learnt that being realistic with my goals is key in caring for my mental health.” – (Amy McClelland, Features Writer)
18. “A routine is definitely something I like to have. I try to go for a run in the mornings to start the day feeling energised, then I have tea with my family everyday at 4pm so we all have something to look forward to that brings us all together. I also like to bake and video call my friends whenever I can.” (Oliva Morel, Reviewer)
These are just some of the steps that our team at Her Campus Nottingham take to try and improve their mental health. Remember, if you ever need to talk to someone about your mental health, the University of Nottingham has a Mental Health Advisory Service which is currently accepting self-referrals and making remote appointments with students online.
“You will one day experience joy that matches this pain. You will cry euphoric tears at the Beach Boys, you will stare down at a baby’s face as she lies asleep in your lap, you will make great friends, you will eat delicious foods you haven’t tried yet, you will be able to look at a view from a high place and not assess the likelihood of dying from falling. There are books you haven’t read yet that will enrich you, films you will watch while eating extra-large buckets of popcorn, and you will dance and laugh and have sex and go for runs by the river and have late-night conversations and laugh until it hurts. Life is waiting for you. You might be stuck here for a while, but the world isn’t going anywhere. Hang on in there if you can. Life is always worth it.”
― Matt Haig, Reasons to Stay Alive