Mar
University Mental Health Day: Q&A
07 March was University Mental Health Day, an annual day that’s all about the power of using your voice.
As a Students’ Union, young people’s mental health and well being is so important to us. SUSU, as well as University of Southampton, have a number of services available to every student. For this University Mental Health Day we teamed up with Enabling Services to answer all your questions. Here’s what you asked 👇
Q&A WITH ENABLING SERVICES
Q: How do you book an appointment with the Enabling Services? Or is it drop-in the only option?
A: You can call us on 023 8059 7726, email us on enable@soton.ac.uk, use our Live Chat via the website, or come to our Front Desk in the Student Services Centre on Highfield Campus
Q: Will all lectures ever be recorded for those who struggle to go?
A: We encourage Faculties to offer this and contribute to all University activities designed to explore how to roll this out University-wide.
So we hope one day the answer will be yes!
Q: How can you stay more focused for studies?
A: Find a good space to work from (not your bedroom!), eat well, stay hydrated, make a plan and work in manageable chunks of time – rather than solidly for hours. If you need extra support or advice, check out the Academic Skills resources and Hub offered by the Library.
Q: Why is it important to ‘use your voice’ as the slogan says?
A: All of us have mental health and we all have our own experiences and stories – using our voices can shape the future of student mental health, reduce stigma, allow us to seek help, and support others.
Q: What kind of things can you help with?
A: If you have any concerns relating to your mental health, wellbeing, or study skills, if you have a diagnosed health condition or Specific Learning Difficulty (such as Dyslexia), or if you’d like to learn more about the range of support we offer and how this can benefit you – please get in touch.
Q: I’m worried about being dismissed due to not being diagnosed – will this happen?
A: You do not need a diagnosis to seek support from Enabling Services – please get in touch so we can explore what support might be helpful for you.
Q: If I need treatment, can Enabling Services refer me to a hospital?
A: For medical treatment, we would advise you visit your GP but if you need further advice or support with this, let us know.
WATCH
As part of our University Mental Health Day events, we were visited by author and mental health campaigner, Hope Virgo. We were lucky enough to sit down for a chat with Hope
*Trigger Warning*
Hope shares her own experiences of Anorexia.
TOP TIPS FOR SUPPORTING OTHERS
- Listen
- Look out for each other
- Be patient
- Ask how someone wants to be supported
- Don’t judge
- Try activities away from food
- If you are worried about someone don’t feel afraid to ask them outright
- Avoid diet chat
- Utilise the University intranet to share stories and raise awareness
- Never underestimate the power of a simple conversation
Want to know more about the services available to you? Click here.
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Tags: Hope Virgo, stories, top tips, Uni Listen Look