Posted on Thu 04 Feb 2021 at 21:26 by
Emily Banks Hi Everyone,
I hope you are all staying safe and well. I have deicide that for this blog, I will talk about mental health. I believe things are improving in terms of Covid but we are still stuck in lockdown and things are difficult. Its hard to keep remaining positive and carry on as normal. It is hard to find motivation and enthusiasm. It is even hard to get up in the morning and actually be productive. But it is important to remember, that all these feelings are completely normal. It is okay to feel down, and like you don’t want to do anything. It fine, if you don’t feel any enthusiasm to actually do anything until it is too late.
What is important, is to remember to look after yourself. Take the time out for yourself and if that means getting up, having a bubble bath and treating yourself to a McDonalds, then that is fantastic because you have treated yourself and focused on you. When we take the time out to focus on just ourselves, when we come to work or attend a lecture, or write an essay, we can feel more focused. Just don’t feel guilty for having that time to yourself.
I have been finding things very difficult lately, I have become overwhelmed and very stressed with essays and things have felt too much for me to handle. It does not matter how organised I think I am, how many to do lists I keep, how early I get up, when I am feeling anxious and down it is difficult to do work. I seem to worry about absolutely everything and that worry can take control of me. But things have slowly improved as we head towards the end of the week. I try and take control of the situation and think to myself, is it really worth worrying about. (Usually in my mind, everything is worth worrying about). However, just today, I attended a mindfulness session where I learnt a technique to help stop worrying called THINK. T- Is what I am worrying about the truth. Am I worrying about something that has not happened and is not actually real (yet). H- Is what I am worrying about helpful, does my worry have a purpose. I- is what I am worrying about Important. N- is it really necessary that I think about this. K- Is this thought kind. Is worrying about this, kind to me. Hopefully this strategy works, but I will no doubt find out in the following weeks.
But what is important, is that we keep talking about mental health and if we are struggling, it is important to know that you can get help and you are not alone. No matter how big or small you think your feelings are, help is at hand. Whether you keep a mindfulness app, talk to a doctor or friend, or use the university well being service. Find that help!
Remember to stay safe, stay well and stay positive.
Thank you