Join us for some activities and events, on campus, as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.
As a student you will face many life changes - moving to university, moving away from those close to you, making new friends. Experiencing these changes can affect your sense of belonging. We may have an emotional need to connect with people and be accepted by a group of people.
Anyone can feel lonely, however there are groups which are at a higher risk of experiencing loneliness. Those who are from a minority group, live in an area without many people from a similar background or those who may experience discrimination due to their gender, race, sexual orientation, or disability may be at higher risk of experiencing loneliness.
Student loneliness has been shown to be the strongest predictor of mental distress in the student population, stated in the University Mental Health Charter 2019. Loneliness is feeling alone, not being alone, someone can feel lonely in a room full of people.
Loneliness is closely linked to mental health. Experiencing loneliness can have an effect on poor mental health. If we feel lonely it may lead to poor mental health, or if we have poor mental health it may cause us to feel lonely.
Tackling Loneliness
Find your clan- Finding people with similar interest who we can relate to can help us feel more connected. Joining a Club, Society or volunteering project is a great way to meet new people and make friends.
Self-care- The increase of workload at university can result in us neglecting looking after ourselves and neglecting making time to relax, do something you enjoy or spend time with your friends. Being disconnected from our friends and the things we enjoy doing can cause loneliness. Many students feel guilty for not studying or working on their assignments, but it is important that we make time for ourselves away from our studies to maintain a balanced life and good mental wellbeing.
Spend time with friends- good friendships and healthy relationships can prevent us from experiencing loneliness. Spending time with our friends and those we care about is going for our wellbeing and can be a great support to us.
Connect with yourself- Take time to think about how you are feeling and what could be contributing to this. It can be good to keep a journal about how we are feeling. By taking time to understand ourselves and our feelings we can learn what works for us to maintain and protect our mental health.
Join us for some activities and events, on campus, as part of Mental Health Awareness Week (9th – 15th May).
Monday 9th May
- Tea, talk & table tennis. 1-3pm in the Students’ Union drop-in in the Student Centre
Tuesday 10th May
- Giant board games. 1-3pm in the Students’ Union drop-in in the Student Centre
Wednesday 11th May
Thursday 12th May
- Wellness Walk. 1-2pm, meeting at the Students’ Union