In support of University Mental Health Day on Thursday 5th March, this week, the Her Campus Nottingham team are writing content on the topic of mental health to help raise awareness of mental health in higher education.
*the following article contains themes which some readers may find triggering. Please read with caution.
The focus of this article is going to be on self-reflection and self-care. I thought about basing this article on the ways in which you can deal with periods of anxiety or depression, but I feel like there are so many of those articles out there already. Plus, you can’t help but generalise in them which doesn’t always seem very helpful, because everybody’s experience with mental health varies from person to person.
So, I pondered and pondered on what to do until I stumbled across the idea of making a mini mental health questionnaire. I thought, brilliant, because it allows you to actually answer questions based on your own life, day-to-day mood and hopefully encourage you to “check-in” more on your mental health.
The purpose of the questionnaire I have made below is to ultimately get you to understand yourself better. My challenge for you is to answer these questions every day over a period of a week (or even longer if you want to!), so you can see how your mental health has changed or didn’t change over a period of time.
You could complete this questionnaire in your head or even copy it, print it out and then fill it in with a pen. There’s space for you to answer the questions, but it is entirely up to you. Obviously, I can’t force you to do this (the perks of being a reader!), but I definitely think it is a great way of writing down your thoughts and emotions completely privately if you want it to be, and without the fear of being judged by others. But if you do start recording this over a period of time, and want to actually talk to someone about it – then that’s great too.
I hope this helps!
1. On a scale of 1-10, how are you feeling today?
*1 = extremely low and 10 = extremely happy
Answer: ____________
From here onwards, the questions will be multiple choice, but I’ve tried to make them as flexible and inclusive as possible!
2. How anxious and/or stressed do you currently feel?
*You can pick up to two options if both anxiety and stress apply to you.
Very anxious
Very stressed
Relatively anxious
Relatively stressed
Not anxious at all
Not stressed at all
3. a. If you have encountered a difficulty today that has affected your mood, e.g. a family issue or an exam result that was lower than expected, how well would you say you have coped with it?
Very well
Relatively well
Not very well
I have not encountered a difficulty
b. Why do you feel this way?
*If you haven’t encountered a difficulty, please skip this part of the question.
Answer: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. a. If you have had any worries or anxieties today, did you tell someone about it?
*If you haven’t had any worries or anxieties today, please skip all parts to this question.
Yes, I told someone
No, I kept it to myself
I haven’t had any worries or anxieties
b. If so, who did you tell?
Answer: _______________________________________________
c. Would you say that telling someone made you feel better about your worries and anxieties?
Yes, definitely
No, definitely not
It made me feel better and worse
I’m not sure
5. Have you felt lonely and vulnerable at any point today?
Yes, all the time
Sometimes
No, not at all
6. If you could describe your mental state in three words, what would you say?
Answer:
1. _______________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________
Well, that’s the end of the questions! I really hope that you found this useful and it has made you feel even slightly less overwhelmed simply by being honest with yourself. Please remember that looking after your mental health doesn’t have to be challenging and even spending as little as 5 minutes of your day reflecting on your mental state can be an effective method of self-care.
Don’t underestimate the importance of checking-in on your mental health. Take care of yourselves guys!