We know student mental health has really suffered in recent years, so this University Mental Health Day, what’s Kent doing about it, and how can you join in?
University Mental Health Day is a national annual occurrence, this year on 3rd March 2022, and is run jointly by Student Minds, a UK student mental health charity, and the University Mental Health Advisors Network (UMHAN), who provide support to students experiencing mental health difficulties in Higher Education.
The University of Kent is celebrating University Mental Health Day with a range of information and initiatives to help all students, wherever they may be studying, learn more about the wealth of wellbeing opportunities we have available. Look out for #UniKentWellbeing on the socials for more information.
Could you use professional help for your mental health? Check out our Mental Health webpages for details of free support available to you.
Free plants!
To follow the theme of ‘wellbeing and green spaces’, we are giving away free pot plants to any student who wants to come onto one of our campuses and grab one! We’ll be outside Templeman Library in Canterbury from 12-3pm on Thursday 3rd March, and outside Drill Hall Library in Medway from 12-2pm on Thursday 10th March. Take a plant to nurture, and a flyer on lots of ways you can nurture yourself and boost your mental health with a variety of outdoor and indoor activities to connect with yourself and others.
Opportunities to Connect, Stay Active, Enhance Your Wellbeing
As well as giving away plants, there will be student volunteers and staff from all different departments ready to chat about all the different things you can get involved with alongside your studies to boost your mental health and general wellbeing.
For example, the Kent Community Oasis Garden (KentCOG), is a welcoming green space on the Canterbury campus, where students, staff and community members work together to create a sustainability hub centred around growing food, listen to this recent podcast to find out more.
Are you looking to meet others who live nearby? The College and Community Life team run a real variety of events from monthly movie nights and cooking workshops, to mindfulness walks and day trips. Would you like to boost your physical health? You don’t need to be a sporting pro to try something new with Kent Sport – there are a range of social sessions including running, badminton, tennis and much more. Love to read? Put down the textbooks and pick up a novel with others! Choose from the Templeman Library’s ‘Love to Read’ or ‘Wellbeing and self-help’ collection to relax and escape or discuss books with others at the Book Club. If you’re in Medway head to the Drill Hall Library to Pick and Paint a Pot, attend a Wellbeing Drop-In or take the opportunity to have a relaxing massage and de-stress; check out the Drill Hall Library events webpage for all the details.
Kent investing in mental health
Check out this podcast with Lee Fellows, Head of Student Support and Wellbeing, for more on what Kent is doing about student mental health.
Student Support and Wellbeing – professional support at university
Did you know that Kent has a professional support service of over 100 specialist staff? We’re here to support you with mental health, disabilities, and neurodiversity such as specific learning difficulties or autism, through 1:1 support as well as peer support groups and events. Here’s a video of top mental health tips from our mental health team.
Out of hours support
Feel like you really need to talk to someone but the Student Support offices are closed? Check out the Emergency Support page with details on online and telephone support available round the clock, such as our partners Spectrum Life, who you can call in the evenings and at weekends on 0800 0318227 pressing option 1; or Togetherall, the safe anonymous peer to peer online support forum free to Kent students.
Written by Natalia Crisanti, Student Services, on 23.02.22
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