It’s time to talk about mental health. From a very young age we’re taught that if you fall and graze your knee you clean it and put on a plaster, that if you’ve got the flu you stay in bed and drink fluids, if you break your leg you go to A&E. What we’re not taught is how to manage stress, or what to do if we’re worried about our mental health, and it really is time to change.

University can be one of the best experiences you’ll ever have, but it’s not uncommon to have periods where you’re struggling, whether that’s feeling lonely or stressed, or experiencing mental health difficulties.

From Monday the 7th November until Friday 11th we are going to be running the ‘Don’t Bottle It Up’ campaign, a week where we will be campaigning to make mental health a priority- no one should have to go through university feeling alone and unable to seek support. Over the week we have a tonne of great events running.

We’ll be running mindfulness arts and crafts sessions and pet therapy on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and will have a session called ‘How to Help Your Mate’ on Monday, helping you understand what to do if you’re worried about a friend.

In addition we’ll be screening The Perks of Being a Wallflower on Tuesday evening, and Leeds Suicide Bereavement Service coming in during Tuesday daytime to facilitate a session where anyone who has bereaved through suicide can drop in for a chat.

On Wednesday evening we will also be holding a mental health panel discussion, which will bring together representatives from the university mental health team, students and different people from LUU. We’ll be discussing what it’s like to struggle with mental health whilst at university, about stigma and accessing services.

There will also be an opportunity to ask any questions you may have if you would like.

You don’t have to keep your worries bottled up- no matter how big or how small a problem might seem, there are people who will listen, who will care and help you through.

The LUU Student Advice Centre are here and can help you with whatever is on your mind, and if you just need to talk, Leeds Nightline are a helpline open to students in Leeds every night from 8pm-8am – their number is on the back of your student cards.

Please believe me when I say that no matter what you are going through you won’t be the only one and you’re not alone, we really are here to help.

Jess Reed
LUU Welfare Officer

(Photo credit: https://www.luu.org.uk/helpandadvice/healthandwellbeing/)