Students often have a tough time adjusting to college, so if you are feeling stressed, lonely, worried or depressed you’re not alone. A survey several years ago found that as many as one in three Irish students suffer some mental health or emotional problems during their university career. In fact, students are more likely to suffer from mental health issues than young people not enrolled in third-level education.

There are a number of reasons for this: the study-load is higher with less personal attention from teachers, there may be money worries, and if you’ve moved from home, being away from familiar surroundings, friends and family can leave you feeling isolated.
That’s the bad news. However there are things you can do to look after your mental health.
1. EXERCISE
Some people love playing sport or going to the gym, others find exercise a chore. Either way, physical activity is necessary for your overall health, including your mental health. Exercise releases endorphins and these help reduce stress and make you feel more positive and able to cope. It is recommended that you get at least thirty minutes’ exercise each day. If you don’t enjoy sports then get creative – activities such as dancing, walking and rollerblading all count as exercise and are a lot more fun than the treadmill. Make minor adjustments to your routine as well, such as taking the stairs instead of the lift, or a bicycle instead of a car or public transport.
2. EATING WELL
Food affects your mood, and lack of nutrients means you will be less able to cope with your studies. Eating well can be a challenge for students who’ve been relying on mammy but it really doesn’t require much culinary skill – if you can read you can follow a basic recipe. Nor does it mean a huge outlay in cash. However, if you are strapped for cash – and that will be most of you – you need to pre-plan your meals. Cooking for one can be more expensive so make enough for two or three meals and freeze the remainder. Here’s a useful tip: fish, beans and nuts are excellent ‘brain’ food so eat lots of these around exam time.
3. ENOUGH SLEEP
Ideally, you need around eight hours of sleep a night to be at your mental and emotional best. Come exam time that might not seem possible, and you may be tempted to spend all night cramming. However, sleep helps you deal with stress, and it is actually better to get some sleep before an exam as your mind processes what you have learnt while you sleep. It is generally better to wake up at the same time every day, even if you’ve been out late or it is a weekend. Napping during the day is supposedly better for your mental health, mood and energy levels than sleeping late.
4. JOINING SOCIETIES AND GROUPS
Human beings are social animals – we need the company of others. If you’ve come from a small town to a large university or are naturally shy, it can be difficult making new friends. That’s why it is a good idea to join university societies. This is an easy way of meeting people with similar interests. Cultivating close friendships is important, no matter how busy your schedule. Spend time each day with someone you like (we don’t mean yourself). You should also consider volunteering or charity work – helping others, being useful or feeling like you have made a positive impact releases endorphins. That’s one reason why people with pets tend to be less stressed than those without.
5. TALK TO SOMEONE
As the old cliché has it, a problem shared is a problem halved. Everybody needs someone in their lives who is a good listener. It could be a friend, a parent, a sibling or a counsellor. This should preferably be a face-to-face conversation. But if need be, pick up the phone. Talking to someone can help lower stress. Unvoiced worries can get on top of you. Talking can help put things in perspective. The trick to finding friends who are trustworthy and willing to listen. And to be that kind of person yourself.
6. LIMIT ALCOHOL AND AVOID ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES
Alcohol can certainly make you feel good in the short-term. However, if you have a problem, self-medicating with booze is a recipe for disaster. Even if you are generally feeling pretty good about life, too much alcohol can affect your mood negatively. No one is asking you to join the Pioneers – just be sensible.
The major reason people take drugs is because they affect your mood. However drugs can be associated with mental health problems and these can be very serious, such as toxic psychosis. Toxic psychosis is similar to schizophrenia but caused by taking drugs, particularly hallucinogens, and can affect even casual users.
7. KEEP TO A SCHEDULE
If you let the work pile up, it will soon become seemingly unmanageable. It’s not very rock ‘n roll I’ll grant you, but making a work schedule and sticking to it will make sure you keep on top of things and help you balance your responsibilities with the more enjoyable things in life. A study group is a great idea, as long as your find students who are willing to hunker down and get on with things. Come exam time, you’ll be way more prepared and a whole lot less stressed out than if you leave everything until the last minute. Using energy boosters or pills to get you through exams can be dangerous.
8. TIME OUTS
There are all kinds of easy and free ways of dealing with stress. According to research, activities such as listening to music, walking through a garden, visiting a gallery or sitting on the beach lowers blood pressure and relieves stress. Sunlight elevates your mood as well, even if the sky isn’t exactly sunny. As little as fifteen minutes can make a difference, so no matter how much studying you need to get done, you should give yourself regular time-outs during the day.
9. MANAGE STRESS
Unfortunately there is no way to avoid stress. The best thing to do is learn to recognise the signs and manage it. If you are stressed about a particular task, give yourself a time out and take a break. If you don’t have enough time for an activity such as a walk, try meditation, visualisation or deep breathing for 10 minutes. Or call a friend or family member and complain heartily about what’s bothering you. Doing something creative on a regular basis, such as singing, painting, cooking or gardening, helps lower stress as well so take up one of these as a hobby.
10. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR RED FLAGS
There are certain times when you may need professional help. Admitting this is not a sign of weakness. It takes courage and strength to know when you can no longer go it alone. There are a couple of things to watch out for, such as difficulty sleeping; concentration problems; feeling helpless or hopeless; fears you cannot control; and self-destructive or suicidal thoughts. If you experience these, please speak to a counsellor.

WHERE TO SEEK HELP:

THINK BIG
Think Big is a joint project by Headstrong, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health, and O2. The aim of Think Big is to enable young people to creatively challenge the way we think about mental health. A recent example is the Student Welfare app developed by students in Maynooth and Trinity.
Fiach O’Neill from NUIM and Aisling Ni Chonaire from TCD wanted to make information about mental, sexual and physical health, financial planning and other relevant topics more accessible to students. Think Big sent Aisling to Campus Party in Berlin – Europe’s biggest technology festival, which is sponsored by O2. There, she learnt more about programming and app development at specially organised workshops.
This was formative in allowing Aisling and Fiach to develop the Student Welfare app. “When I went to Campus Party I hadn’t a clue what to expect. But after the two days of intense workshops I left with a prototype of an app that has the potential to save lives, by allowing students to access information and support services whenever they need them,” says Aisling.
Think Big has so far supported over 210 projects across Ireland and are working with Aisling and Fiach over the next months to bring their idea to life. If you want to get involved, submit an idea at o2thinkbig.ie.

MENTAL HEALTH IRELAND
Mental Health Ireland is the national voluntary mental health organisation. MHI understand the difficulties students can face and will be taking visiting colleges during National Mental Health Week this autumn offering information and assistance to students.
MHI explains that mental health challenges are a very common part of student life:
“Young people having finished second level education and perhaps entering third level education in various colleges throughout Ireland reach an important milestone in their lives. In many cases, this will be the first time young people will be away from the family unit where they will be organising their daily lives without the on-hand support of family members. This is a new and exciting development. However, it does leave open the possibility that the sudden change in lifestyle can lead to stressful or lonely experiences which some students might have difficulty managing. These are, when they occur, normal reactions and are part of life’s challenges but can impact negatively on the mental wellbeing of young people.”
MHI has a wealth of resources on their website, including fact sheets on mental health, so this is a good place to begin if you need information. In addition, MHI supports local mental health associations across Ireland, campaigns for improved mental health policy and service provision, organises workshops, seminars and conferences, develops programmes and undertakes research. See mentalhealthireland.ie for more information.

Other places to turn
Aware
Aware offers a helpline, email support and support groups nationwide and online. See aware.ie.
Pieta House
If you are having suicidal thoughts, self-harming or if you are worried about a loved one, see www.pieta.ie.
1Life
The 1Life Suicide Helpline can be reached at 1800 247 100
Samaritans
The Samaritans Helpline is 1850 60 90 90 or email [email protected].
BeLonG To
BeLonG To is the national youth service for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people. See www.belongto.org .