Today, Thursday 4 March is University Mental Health Awareness Day. This past year has shown us all more than ever before the importance of taking care of our mental health. To mark University Mental Health Day, Student Services and RUSU are promoting a range of events and resources to make sure you have all the support you need to manage your mental health and wellbeing. These include:
- RUSU and Reading’s Open Mind Society are hosting a free virtual mental health conference on Thursday from 6pm to 7:45pm.
- RUSU have also created a YouTube series, Let’s Talk Mental Health, which is designed to break the stigma surrounding mental health, through casual conversations in a relaxed environment
For other useful advice and links, visit the dedicated University Mental Health Day page on Essentials, and the University’s social media channels, to find out more about help and support available. This includes student-created blogs about personal experiences and other useful links.
As well as events and sharing resources, we will be showcasing your stories on our Student Life blog. These are a window into the struggles and strains that many student face as well as how they have been tackled in real life – an amazing source of inspiration to us all! And don’t forget the wide range of support you can access here at Reading, as well as externally:
- Our ‘Look After Yourself’ tips – providing guidance for a wide range of challenging situations
- Student Life Blog – written by Reading students for Reading students. Subscribe to read how others manage little and big challenges in their lives
- TogetherAll – a free, online support network, available 24/7
- Life Tools – interactive workshops to help develop your skills. This week there are talks on emotional intelligence and making effective decisions to sign up to.
- Student Welfare Team – here to help with personal difficulties such as homesickness, family, relationships, and issues related to drugs or alcohol, bullying and harassment
- Counselling & Wellbeing – providing specialist mental health support
- Academic Tutor – for advice relating to your academic progress, development, or study skills
- RUSU Advice Service – offering independent and confidential advice for all students
- Your doctor (GP) – if you’re not registered with a local doctor, you can set this up with the University Medical Group
- Berkshire Mental Health Crisis Team – providing a telephone hotline 24/7 for urgent support
- Samaritans – also providing a 24/7 telephone hotline for those experiencing suicidal thoughts
Best wishes,
Paddy Woodman
Director of Student Services
Bandy Karki
RUSU Welfare Officer