Maintaining Mental Wellbeing all year round

Mental wellbeing is very important, minding it sets us up for success to deal with everyday tasks, overcome any difficulties and achieving the goals we have set ourselves. Minding our mental wellbeing can reduce anxiety, increase self-esteem, improve relationships, bring a sense of calmness and lead to clearer thinking. Here are some ways to maintain mental wellbeing:

Talk about your feelings:

Talking about how you are feeling and coping with stress and anxiety helps maintain good mental health. Speaking with someone you trust, will lift the heavy load off your mind, bringing a sense of relief. It’s normal to be afraid or feel embarrassed for speaking about how you feel but don’t be!! The ones you love are there to listen and help you! If you are not comfortable with sharing how you feel with someone just yet, write them down in a journal!

Keep active:

Exercising regularly can improve concentration, clears the mind, and boost your self-esteem! Not only does it make you feel good, but it keeps your vital organs healthy and functioning adequately!

• 30 minutes of exercise every day is recommended to maintain good mental and physical wellbeing.
• 30 minutes of exercise can be done in 3 x 10-minute bouts across the day! Meaning you do not have to do the full 30 minutes all in one go!

Keep in touch:

At this moment in time, it is not possible to see everyone face to face. Technology has blessed us with the ability to ring, text, face time, skype and zoom our friends and family. Keep in touch with them, they are only a call away. Speaking to your friends and family will lighten your mood and may even brighten up their day!

Do something you are good at:

Doing something you love can reduce stress and takes your mind away from it for a while! The list of things you can do is endless:

Cycling, running, swimming, working out, painting, reading, playing a musical instrument...

Doing something you love and are good at, brings sense of achievement and increases self-esteem!

Reduce screen time:

Due to the pandemic, all of us have been on our phones, iPads, laptops and TVs more than ever! As a result of this, there has been an increased exposure to screens and a decrease in the quality of sleep. Avoid all screens at least 30 minutes before you plan to sleep. Instead of using the phone or watching tv,  grab a book, write in a journal, or listen to music and wind down!!

UCD resources:

UCD offers a range of supports and services to students and staff which aim to provide a safe place and courses to maintain good mental health all year round. Here are a list of the services and courses that are available throughout UCD:

Student Supports on Campus:

The services on campus include:                                                                

1. UCD Students Union Welfare Officer
2. UCD Health Service
3. UCD Student Counselling Service

To find more information about these services, click here.

Staff Supports on Campus/Online:

Employee Assistance Service- is a free, confidential 24/7 support service to assist you in dealing more effectively with any personal or work problems.

To find out more about this service, click here.

Student Supports Online:

1. SilverCloud is an easy-to-use online mental health support system that all UCD students have access to. The programs are designed to help you improve and maintain your wellbeing by addressing underlying issues that can have a negative impact on your life. If you’re interested in finding out more (opens in a new window)click here.
2. Koru Mindfulness Programme is an evidence-based curriculum designed for teaching mindfulness, meditation, and stress management. Follow the link to find out more.
3. Nationwide Services are listed here on the Healthy UCD website. These services are brilliant and do amazing work for people.

In the next section of this article other services and websites for Mental Health and wellbeing are mentioned.

Off campus supports

There are a variety of off campus supports available in Ireland. To access the longer list of supports, (opens in a new window)click here. Here are a few that you may find useful:

Text HELLO to 50808 to start the conversation. A free 24/7 text service, providing everything from a calming chat to immediate support for people going through a mental health or emotional crisis. This service is perfect for people who would rather text than speaking to someone on the phone! (opens in a new window)https://text50808.ie/

MindShift: MindShift CBT teaches about anxiety, helping users to engage in healthy thinking and to act! Users check in each day to track their anxiety and work with tools in the app.

Headspace: is a well-known mobile app that teaches meditation and easy to use mindfulness skills! Map your journey, track your progress and ‘buddy up’ with your friends!

Mental Health is important and should not be neglected. If you are struggling with exam stress, have lost interest in things you love or don’t feel like yourself, remember things will be ok. Speaking about how you feel is not a sign of weakness, coming forward and asking for help takes courage. It shows strength!

For information on how to look after your mental health during exam/college time, click here.