Written by Lily Scone, Journalism and Media NTU Student

Feeling low over the winter break? You are not alone.

Once again, the winter break has rapidly snuck up on us. No one can believe how dark it is outside which means that the countdown to the end of the first term has officially begun. This may come as a relief for some of us, however this time of year can be a struggle for many different reasons, and you wouldn’t be alone in feeling like this. Whether you are going home or staying at university over the winter break, it is important to look after yourself.

Firstly, if no one has told you this, well done for getting through the first term of the year, it is a really tough one to get through. Whether it be due to financial struggles, loneliness or general lack of motivation, each year I am reminded of the negative impact that the colder and darker months have on the mental wellbeing of myself and people around me. On top of this, the change in routine due to the time away from university can make it harder to look after yourself. It comes with pressures to have the “perfect holiday” or to feel happy all the time, despite the expectations to spend money, socialise a lot, or eat and drink more than usual.

Even though you may still be working over the holidays, it is important to remember that it is called the winter ‘break’ for a reason. Give yourself a break! Taking time to relax and rejuvenate is just as productive and important as using it to work, as resting ultimately helps us recover from, and prevent, burn out.

How do I look after myself?

It is all well and good being told to rest, relax and ‘look after yourself’, but what does this actually mean? Whenever I hear the term ‘self-care’ I think of the cliché advice to take a warm bath and put a face mask on, or go on a walk outside in nature. And whilst I appreciate that these things probably do help some people, they definitely don’t work for everyone. So, realistically what does self-care actually look like in reality and how do you implement it into your everyday life?

Firstly, giving yourself some slack and recognising that you are doing the best you can helps to take some of the pressure off yourself. Self-care may sometime seem pointless, but is all about taking a step back in order to give yourself the time and space to slow down and process your thoughts. This means consistently taking time out of your day to day life to focus on yourself, which all collectively adds up over time to benefit your mental wellbeing. In order to start implementing self-care into your everyday life, it is important to move away from an ‘all or nothing’ mindset. This means that you should start by keeping it simple and doing one little thing each day which benefits yourself, as this is better than nothing at all.

For me, the hardest part of implementing self-care into my life is trying to rack my brain for ideas of things I could do, which takes a lot of brain power and often puts me off starting it. This is where the ‘self-care menu’ comes in. Making a list or ‘menu’ of some specific ideas tailored individually to you allows you to remove the decision-making out of the process and makes it easier to get on with actually doing them. This acts as a positive feedback loop, as the achievement of ticking something off a to-do list, no matter how small, often gives you the boost you need to carry on and get other things done. Each day, you can pick and choose an item off the menu depending on how you are feeling and how much time you have that day.

Example of a self-care menu:

Starter: (5-10 minutes)

• Brush teeth.
• Eat a piece of fruit.
• Have a shower
• Sit and listen to my favourite song uninterrupted
• Quick tidy of bedroom (make it a challenge – set a timer for 10 minutes and see how much I can get done in that time)
• Brain dump (get a plain piece of paper, set a timer and start scribbling down anything that comes to mind)
• Write a to-do list
• Have a cup of tea and drink it uninterrupted
• Read 1 page of a book
• Drink a glass of water

Main course: (10-30 minutes)

• Have a nap
• Go for a stroll – weather permitting (make a list of different routes to do which vary in length/time to pick from to take the decision making out of the process)
• Colouring a colouring book page
• Paint my nails
• Cuddle with my cat
• Make myself a sweet treat
• Listen to my favourite album uninterrupted
• Tidy one room in the house

Dessert: (30-60 minutes or more)

• Watch tv show episode or movie.
• Read a chapter of a book
• Spend time working on my hobby (e.g. crocheting, video gaming, baking, building Lego)
• Deep clean one room in the house
• Listen to an episode of a podcast
• Cook your favourite meal, sit down and eat it uninterrupted

The fact that I am writing this blog is proof that so many students struggle with their mental health & wellbeing and find it hard to look after themselves over the winter period. This is completely valid and is not your fault. Students deserve to feel looked after by the government and services, however, we live in a time where getting support for your mental health is increasingly difficult. Even though this can feel overwhelming, there are numerous charities and organisations who recognise this and are fighting for help, change and a reform of the system. You can access support through NTU’s Student Support Services and the NTSU IAS, as well as through various organisations such as Student Minds, Young Minds and Mind.

For help, advice and resources whilst studying at NTU, take a look at the following for sources of support.
Support from NTU
Self-Care books in NTU’s libraries
Silvercloud: SilverCloud is our online system designed to help with a range of mental health issues.
Health and Wellbeing resources
NTSU Information and Advice service
Wellness in Mind: Advice and support for anyone in Nottingham experiencing issues with their mental wellbeing
Student Minds or Student Space
10 Keys to happiness
Mind
Papyrus
CALM