Take care of yourself and get the most from life. Mental health is about the way you think, feel and your ability to deal with ups and downs.
Here are 10 tips to help you take good care of your mental health…
1. Talk about your feelings: Talking about your feelings can help you stay in good mental health and deal with times when you feel troubled.
2. Keep active: Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and help you concentrate, sleep, and look and feel better. Find out about the Kent Sport ‘Stamp Out Stress’ activities and Let’s Play at Medway.
3. Eat well: Food can have a long-lasting effect on your mental health. Your brain needs a mix of nutrients to stay healthy and function well.
Check out the UniKentFood Instagram to see what food you can grab on our campuses.
4. Drink sensibly: We often drink alcohol to change our mood but the effect is only temporary. Drinking is not a good way to manage difficult feelings.
Read our alcohol advice.
5. Keep in touch: Strong family ties and supportive friends can help you deal with the stresses of life. They can make you feel included and cared for.
6. Ask for help: We all get tired or overwhelmed by how we feel or when things don’t go to plan. If you feel you can’t cope, ask for help. You can see all our support services at the bottom of this post.
7. Take a break: A change of scene or a change of pace is good for your mental health. Just a few minutes can be enough to de-stress you.
8. Do something you’re good at: Enjoying yourself can help beat stress. Think about what you love doing, what activities you can lose yourself in, or what you loved doing in the past.
9. Accept who you are: Accept that you’re unique rather than wish you were more like someone else. Good self-esteem helps you cope when life takes a difficult turn.
10. Care for others: Caring for and helping others can make you feel needed, valued and boost your self-esteem. It also helps to put your own problems in perspective
There’s help on hand!
For extra support and to take advantage of the services we have on offer at the University please see the following links:
Student Support and Wellbeing: www.kent.ac.uk/studentsupport/wellbeing/
Student Support and Wellbeing Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/UniKentSSW/
Kent Union Advice Centre: www.kent.ac.uk/studentsupport/wellbeing/
Kent Union Activities and Societies: kentunion.co.uk/activities/societies/
GK Unions Advice Centre: www.gkunions.co.uk/advice/health/
GK Unions Activities and Societies: www.gkunions.co.uk/activities/societies/
Kent Sport: www.kent.ac.uk/sports/
Campus walks: www.kent.ac.uk/safety/oh/general-health-topics/Campus%20Walks%20Maps.pdf
Campus Wellbeing
Map: www.kent.ac.uk/graduateschool/images/Wellbeing%20map%20with%20text.pdf
Medical Centre https://www.umckent.co.uk/services-and-clinics/mental-health-services/
Kent Hospitality Catering on campus: www.kent.ac.uk/catering/index.html
University of Kent Alcohol Policy
Alcohol can make you momentarily happier: www.kent.ac.uk/news/society/9730/alcohol-can-make-you-momentarily-happier
Postal service: www.kent.ac.uk/estates/services/postal.html
Download our wellbeing app today at www.kent.wellbeingzone.co.uk or create an account by clicking ‘Register’ and using the following code. Organisation code: KENT1