Mental Wellbeing in 2020
Today we sat down with Gwen Shumack, a psychologist from UNE’s Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS). We talked about mental wellbeing and how it ties into successful study in 2020.
Firstly, mental health comes from the inside out. Gwen told us that an important part of sustainable mental health comes from understanding our stressors and our responses to difficult emotions. A great way to track that is sleep! Our sleep changes with your emotions and moods, so keeping track of how much or how little we’re sleeping can help us track when we need a little extra help.
Another way to take a proactive approach to mental health is to build connections. Family and friends make great support networks. By maintaining our relationships even when we’re feeling a bit down, we can create safe spaces to check-in on each other.
In 2020 we are walking the tightrope of life and we need balance! Studying is great and we want to do really well, but we also need to take some time for ourselves. While we try and do it all, it can create a storm of emotions just waiting to escape. Gwen’s tips are to plan ahead but be realistic about the day to day activities. She even suggested (for worrier’s like myself) an app called WorryTime, which allows you to dedicate time each day to worrying and then resolving to leave those emotions in that space. It’s a great way to acknowledge our emotions but not let them wreck our day.
One last piece of advice from Gwen is super important to our study. If you have anything that may impact on your study, whether it be a chronic condition or you are going through a more isolated event, register with UNE’s Student Access and Inclusion. Their aim is to create an inclusive environment and help student’s reach the fullest academic potential no matter what they may be dealing with.
There are so many ways to build connections at UNE as an on-campus or online student. You can consider joining a Club or Society like Phune, UNEMSA, or the Student Teacher Society. You can also listen to your friends here at Tune!FM to really get involved in all UNE has to offer.
PS- if you do find yourself going through a rough time right now and want to reach out for some help, don’t forget UNE’s got your back with their counselling service and student support. You can also talk to Advocacy and Welfare about how it’s affecting your studies.
There are more ways to get support here too.
Download our interview here.
