Today is the national day for University Mental Health Day.
Run jointly by Student Minds and UMHAN, the aim of the day is to make student mental health a national priority and to enact a nationwide effort to make student mental health better for the future.
As a campaign, University Mental Health wants to empower all university staff, students and anyone else to talk about their mental health and be active in supporting the mental health of those around them.
This year the mental health of students is even more important as the pandemic has caused upheaval for all.
Meg Riley, 28, a Children’s Wellbeing practitioner at Liverpool’s Young Persons Advisory Service said: “I’ve got uni two days a week and I struggle just sitting in front of a laptop.”
Most students in the past 12 months have had to adapt to a contactless education with all classes online.
This means many students are working from home in less than desirable environments either at home with family or student houses.
Rebecca Gee, the Student Wellbeing Manager for Liverpool John Moores University said: “The number of students accessing our service increases each year however we have definitely seen more students reaching out this year because they are struggling due to the pandemic, which is understandable due to all of the implications it has on everyone’s daily life.
“It’s important to be kind to yourselves and to each other. We’ve all been through a lot this last year and it’s important to remember that everyone’s personal experience of the pandemic will be different.”
Rebecca also said that she felt there was more to be done by the government and local authorities when it came to the consideration of student mental health.
Student Minds and UMHAN’s advice to get involved in University Mental Health Day is to join the now online movement, fundraise where you can and lobby a senior leader at your university to get involved.
