Supporting your wellbeing at university

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Let’s talk about wellbeing 

At university you’ll be used to doing and hearing about all sorts of things. There’s always something happening, something to do, to work on, to attend...  

As exciting and amazing as all this can be, it can also be challenging too, and unfortunately for some, it’s a time that can be plagued by feelings of self-doubt or worrying about grades, finances, assignments, exams, friendships and more. 

Life at uni life affects everyone differently, so to help you take the best care of your wellbeing so you can spend the rest of your time making the most of, and most importantly, enjoying your time at uni, we’ve put together our top 6 tips. 

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1. Talk

We get it, if your wellbeing is getting the best of you, recognising that you’re struggling is already a big step, after all you’re meant to be having the time of your life, aren’t you? 

If this is how you feel, you’re not alone, in fact, 1 in 3 have poor mental wellbeing and in an annual student mental health study, supported by Student Minds, 75% of respondents said they worry about their mental health every month, while the National Union of Students (NUS) found that 37% of students have actually considered leaving their studies altogether due to poor mental health. 

If you are finding it all a bit overwhelming, if you’re feeling a bit low, or lonely, or worrying about finances, exams… it’s ok. It’s ok to feel that way and you don’t need to try and justify it to yourself. One thing we can assure you is that others are feeling and worrying about the exact same things. So, what can you do? The best thing is to talk. 

You may shudder at the thought, but trying to put on a brave face won’t help. What you’ll find is that speaking out loud and honestly is often the first step to feeling better and can be liberating in itself. Talk to someone you trust, a close housemate, course mate, family member or friend from home, you never know, they may feel the same or have experienced the same thing you’re going through.  

Or, if you’d prefer a less familiar face, speak to your university support services, your GP, confidential helplines like Student Minds’ Student Space, Samaritans, or Mind. Whoever you feel most comfortable opening up to, the main thing is to talk.

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2. Get Active

With your hectic schedule we know what it’s like, between your uni coursework, assignments, revision, and your day-today food shops, washing clothes, socials and cooking, it can be tricky to find the motivation or time for an epic gym session or 5k run, never mind if you’re also trying to put on a brave face too. 

Staying active isn’t just positive for us physically, but also for our mental wellbeing too, giving you a healthy boost of endorphins to lift your self-esteem, while increasing dopamine and serotonin levels that also help with motivation and mood. 

As it’s beginning to stay lighter for longer, with temperatures starting to rise (kind of), it’s a perfect time to get outside and get active. Whether you go for a walk, jog or gym, any exercise will help. If you do opt for outside in the daylight, that will also top up those serotonin levels and give your vitamin D levels a nice boost. 

The more regularly you can get active, the better you’ll feel, you could even invite your trusted course mate or housemate. A 30-minute walk at midday would be a great place to start. 

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3. Switch off with some ‘me time’

Not always the easiest or most practical advice we admit, but that’s what makes switching off and taking ‘me time’ all the more important. You may have deadlines, exams on the horizon, lectures...   Whatever needs your attention, we get it but locking yourself away to crack on without getting any exercise, or socialising with your housemates, course mates or other uni friends won’t help, in fact, it could have the opposite effect and leave you feeling lonely and burnt out. 

Do something you enjoy, relax, exercise, get out of the student bubble... ultimately, give your brain a rest. Trust us, you don’t need to focus all the time and you certainly can do without all the pressure you’re piling on yourself. 

Instead, make a schedule with plenty of time to switch off, relax and recharge doing something you enjoy and stick to it. 

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4. Sleep!

We don’t want to sound like your parents, but seriously, you need a good night’s sleep, we all do! 

Again, it’s probably something you’ve heard millions of times, but sleep really is important and the benefits certainly aren’t to be laughed at. 

According to the Sleep Foundation, we need a minimum of 7 hours sleep each night so that our body has the time to repair and maintain processes that affect almost everything. This includes improving energy levels which has a positive effect on mood, regulating blood sugar, decreasing blood pressure which helps our hearts and vascular system rest, improving mental function, relieving stress, restoring your immune system, maintaining healthy weight... 

What does a lack of sleep do? Literally the opposite, it can be seriously damaging mentally and physically, it can lead to poor concentration, higher blood pressure, poor judgement, tiredness, poor decision making, lower immune system and it will also lower your mood and your ability to manage stress. 

What can you do? First things first, rearrange your bedroom so that it’s a calm and de-cluttered space, avoid the blue screen of your phone when you do go to bed as it tricks your brain to think it’s still daytime, and try to avoid any caffeine, nicotine or alcohol before bed either, as all of them impact not only your ability to fall asleep but your quality of sleep too. Instead, relax, unwind, and get a good night’s rest. You’ll feel all the better for it. 

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5. Think about what you’re eating and drinking

What we all know about uni life is the cheeky takeaways and nights out.  

It’s easy to get caught up in it all, between food shopping, cooking, the latest social, catch up, or just one more in the bar... it can be overwhelming particularly with your trusty fast-food apps on hand and the peer pressure to indulge, after all, you’re at uni. 

Unfortunately, mood and diet go hand-in-hand, so this can easily become a vicious circle. We’re all aware of the long and short-term effects alcohol can have, any positivity you may feel because of alcohol will certainly only be temporary, as it’s also a depressant that can have various negative impacts on your mental and physical health. 

We know you’ll have probably heard this a million times by now, but there really is truth in maintaining a healthy balanced diet as it does help your mental and physical wellbeing. 

Now don’t panic, we’re not going to tell you not to eat or drink everything that can have a negative impact, but simply don’t overindulge and know your limits, you certainly won’t miss another takeaway this week or that last one in the bar, not just in the morning either, but long term too. 

If you’re worried about your alcohol consumption or the consumption of somebody else, visit drinkaware.co.uk. 

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6. Limit your time online

Another daily habit and temptation that can actually lead to low mood, FOMO and anxiety, is scrolling through your social media feeds. 

It’s something we’re all guilty of, whenever we have a minute, we all love scrolling through reels of our favourite influencers, friends, celebrities... particularly as a procrastination tool or at night where the blue light of your phone screen impacts the much-needed sleep we all should be getting. 

You may enjoy it or feel uplifted or inspired, but the reality is that you’re removing yourself from the present and looking at everyone else enjoy themselves, rather than making sure you are. 

We’re not saying delete all your accounts and never go on social media again. What we’re saying is set a healthy limit to improve your mental wellbeing. If you don’t believe us, studies have shown that simply reducing your time by just 30-mins a day can help significantly reduce your levels of depression, loneliness, sleep disruption, anxiety and FOMO. 

So be mindful of checking out what everyone else is up to and spend your time having some ‘me time’, sleeping, getting active, catching up with mates or focusing on that assignment or revision you’d scheduled in. 

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Free 24/7 wellbeing support for UniHomes customers 

At UniHomes we know just how challenging life at uni can be. Not only finding somewhere to live or sorting and managing your utility bills, but everything else as well. 

As we continue to open the doors to stress-free student living, we’ve partnered with Howden Insurance (formerly Endsleigh), to provide all our student customers with access to free 24/7 wellbeing support via Howden for Students, should ever they need it. 

So, whether you find your perfect bills-included uni home on our website and sign up to our student utilities package, or you’ve already found a property elsewhere and add our all-inclusive student utilities package to it, we’ll send you our unique UniHomes customer access link so that, should you need wellbeing support, you can access it immediately. 

As a UniHomes customer, we want you to feel as supported as possible all year through, so that you can spend your time enjoying yourself and having the best uni experience you can.  

Look after yourself and remember, you’re not on your own.