Mental Health Awareness Week - Mental wellbeing

Most of us in the UK are currently doing our social duties and staying home to prevent the spread of a deadly virus – COVID 19. As an international student, it can be particularly difficult. Here are 10 ways to look after your mental wellbeing in a pandemic.

Staying home by ourselves for such prolonged periods can be draining and studies show that it may impact our mental health over time. Social isolation, together with the uncertain circumstances we are currently in, can often make us feel anxious, uncomfortable or simply have that weird feeling in the tummy. Some days you might find yourself feeling restless at home or worried about the impacts of the pandemic on your life or about the wellbeing of your family living far away.

As an international student like I am, you may be constantly wondering what this pandemic means for you, in terms of your visa status, attendance, tuition fees, etc. While I may not have a solution for all your queries, I can tell you one thing – I go through the same. We all do in some ways or the other, I am sure. What is important, however, is for us to acknowledge the fact that it is completely normal to feel this way and there is nothing wrong with feeling vulnerable, anxious or worried. You are human!

At times like this, now more than ever, we need to take care of ourselves. By “ourselves” I don’t only mean our physical health but, perhaps more importantly, our mental wellbeing. I am going to take you through 10 ways to look after your mental wellbeing in a pandemic lockdown and try to help to connect yourself to at least some sense of normalcy.

Before we dive in, I would quickly like to add that I am not an expert. These are the things I am practising myself for my wellbeing and can recommend only based on my experience and research. If you are seeking guidance about a mental health difficulty or any pre-existing conditions, please speak to a doctor.

1. Stay connected with friends family and community

Every day now I make it a point to call my family, speak to a friend and ask others how they are doing. Calling a friend or doing a group video call with you whole family or just simply checking up on someone on social media can create a good connection with the outside world. From a distance, this allows you to connect with another individual just by asking how they are feeling today or by sending a silly Tik-tok video to make each other laugh.

2. Build a daily routine

Don’t let the subtitle scare you. A routine doesn’t have to be anything torturous. You are doing this for yourself. Plan it, try it and change it to fit your needs and goals. I have always been a strong believer in planning and, thus, having a routine allows me to plan my time in advance and know what I have on my plate.

3. Stay occupied 

Days when I am super busy with studies or work or running errands have always made me feel like I have better control over my mind, even when there was no pandemic or emergency. Currently, I am finding little things such as organising my closet or potting plants by my window have similar effects. They help me to keep my negative worrying thoughts away. I strongly recommend you try to keep yourself occupied. There is a saying in my culture which goes something along the line of “An idle mind is the house of all evil”.

4. Do things you enjoy

Remember all those things that you said you’ll try someday when you have more time? Now is the time to try all those things you like and have been meaning to start. Be it learning a skill or revisiting a forgotten hobby or even watching a series you wanted to watch – do things you enjoy.

5. Take care of your body

I think staying home is drawing most of us to junk food in unhealthy quantities. While treating yourself with treats or snacking while studying is completely normal in my world, doctors would say differently. Eating relatively well-balanced meals in the right portions, drinking enough water and doing some simple exercise is always to the best thing we could for our bodies, irrespective of what crisis is out there in the world. This builds our strength and boosts our immunity. Also, simpler things like breathing exercises, stretching and walks can relieve your body of stress.

6. Take a break from social media 

What is that one news story that is currently dominating all news channels and social media? COVID 19. Newsfeeds full of rising numbers of deaths and new infections or endless theories about how long lockdowns will last many more similar headlines are what we are constantly consuming over social media every day. It won’t come as a surprise if such excessive exposure to worrying news triggers your stress levels and races your heart. Earlier during this crisis, I realised this is exactly what it was doing to me. I took a break and stepped away from all social media and even stopped watching the news until I was able to evaluate by myself which news or how much of the news should I consume.

7. Make or reinvent a comfortable enviroment 

As an architecture student, quality of space and living environment means a lot to me. Since you are staying home mostly, reinventing the space around you could be a great way to find a comfortable environment to live in. This not only will keep you busy but will elevate your mood greatly as space that we live in impacts our minds a lot. The easiest way to test this is by comparing how your messy room makes you feel against a clean organised version of your room. Try it.

8. Write down your emotions 

Writing down how we are feeling can sometimes make us acknowledge our feelings and slowly come to peace with it. Try pouring out everything that’s on your mind onto a piece of paper and see if it makes you feel better. In many ways, I find this to be a great way to channel my energies – be it negative or positive.

9. Practice being grateful 

I know things are tough and none of us want to be in this situation. I would just ask you to take a moment to wonder if there is anything that you are grateful for? Some things that many others are in equal need for but don’t have the access or privilege to?

10. Get out of the house (keeping social distancing rules in mind)

With the easing social distancing regulations in the UK, we are allowed to walk or exercise outdoors which is something amazing to have. I strongly recommend stepping out (while maintaining social distancing) and going to the park or woods for a walk to bask in the freshness of open green spaces.

Lastly, whether you are in the UK or away, I highly recommend that you stay in touch with the University, the Students Union and your tutors who can provide you with the appropriate support if and when you need them. Things might get tougher or, hopefully, get easier – we don’t know yet. The only thing we can try and do is to take care of ourselves.

Earlier this year, Media and Popular Culture student Caitlin Thrower wrote a post titled Looking after yourself at University, have a read.

If you have any questions about University life you can chat to me on the University of Huddersfield website via a platform called Unibuddy.