Things you can do if you suffer from a mental illness at Leicester

Starting university in a new city is never easy. Being shoved into halls surrounded by people you have never met before can be daunting, especially when anxiety rules your life.

A recent survey has uncovered that over 78 per cent of students at university have experienced mental health problems, with 33 per cent experiencing suicidal thoughts. Dealing with depression, anxiety, or other strands of mental health problems are exhausting, especially when you feel alone, four hours away from the comfort of your family, childhood friends, and your cat.

Mental illness isn’t such a taboo subject anymore

Awareness for anxiety and depressive disorders has grown increasingly over the years, and in my own experience I have found the support provided by the university to ease the tension my anxious little head creates on a daily basis. The worry of “but what if I end up getting kicked out for not showing up? What if people start getting pissed off? What if I look like I’m lying?” is still there, however reaching out for support and speaking to the support services available at UoL has tamed my anxious thoughts, proving to myself that mental illness is not just laziness, and people do understand.

But what about the people who are not familiar with depression and anxiety?

Not everyone suffers from mental health issues. A large portion of students are unaware of the weight depression puts on your shoulders, and it comes as a shock to them to find people do fight battles in their own heads – illness is not just physical. If you do not understand the effects of mental illness, that’s OK. But support is out there for you also, to help you understand how to support a friend dealing with depression and/or anxiety, and to support you overall. The Student Wellbeing Service are there to support you through your university life, and services provided can be found here: www2.le.ac.uk/offices/welfare

Different organisations outside of the university also deal with support and awareness for mental health, such as MIND and Rethink.

Leicester uni is the ninth best university in dealing with mental health

Support available for dealing with mental illness ranges from GP support at Viccy Park Health Centre, to counselling and general meetings with the Mental Wellbeing services to help you deal with your anxiety or depressive disorder. More information on Leicester rankings in dealing with mental health compared to other universities, visit here.

Battling the bad pixies in your head is also down to you

There are several ways you can help yourself, and clear your mind a little more. I find a lot of the time that my head is constantly muddled, so organising your thoughts down on paper is an excellent way to set them out in a way that makes more sense. Shopping lists, To Do lists and budgeting lists are my personal favourites. Even organising my bedroom and desk I find help settle my head – tidy house, tidy mind after all. On my worst days I find myself cleaning the entire of my shared kitchen, or making my bedroom spotless.

Sleep and diet are also crucial in helping yourself battle the naughty pixies in your head. Eating the right amounts of the right foods and getting enough sleep are important to anyone, in improving mental and physical health. Sleep and a healthy diet are not on the top of your to do list at university, right? It’s not on mine anyway. Even starting by setting yourself a daily routine, on when to wake up in the mornings, when to get into bed, when to prepare your meals… every small step counts and leads towards personal success.

Exercise. This for me has been a major help through my battle with depression and anxiety. Taking my frustration out on those treadmills, tiring myself out in the weights section, to then go and relax in the jacuzzi to help my poor aching legs. The gym isn’t for everyone, but taking part in societies, whether it be tennis, trampolining, volleyball or whatever, it’s important to keep your body moving and get some good old fashioned fresh air! If this doesn’t sound appealing to you, even a slow walk down to Morrison’s for some Ben and Jerry’s and a tube of Pringles is exercise… right?

Keeping busy. I find keeping busy keeps my head busy, and away from the anxious thoughts. Lying in bed all day sounds great, and a lot of the time your head will win, but try filling your day with different activities. Taking house outings, going shopping, visiting friends, taking on a part time job, all these things are excellent in keeping your mind busy. Isolating yourself away from the world is not so fetch. Make sure you surround yourself with friends and family!

Don’t forget about those assignment deadlines! Falling behind on uni work is not the one. Panicking last minute about that dreaded assignment you haven’t started yet is not going to help. Creating yourself a healthy work routine can help with this; it can be difficult to stick to it, shit! But the overwhelming sense of accomplishment and feeling proud of yourself over completing an assignment is better than sex. (Well, maybe not that good).