Coping with coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic presents psychological challenges for many of us. If it's causing you to feel anxious, depressed or is otherwise taking a toll on your mental health, you might find it helpful to read some of this good advice:

• Practical guidance for cultivating wellbeing at this time – from Mind, the mental health charity
• Tips on maintaining your mental health when self-isolating, dealing with financial and family issues and more – from the Mental Health Foundation
• Advice from the World Health Organisation for reducing coronavirus-related stress

In addition, we've recorded a podcast for students living at home in lockdown: Surviving Your Family, a Heads Up podcast from the University's Counselling team.

General advice

Mind is the UK’s leading mental health charity. They provide advice on:

• types of mental health problems
• coping with student life
• helping someone else.

The NHS provides excellent guides to coping with a wide range of mental health problems.

Specific issues

Overwhelming feelings

How to manage uncomfortable feelings, published by Sydney University, explains how emotions can become overwhelming and provides useful techniques for regaining some calm and control.

Anxiety and panic

Grounding is a technique for coping with anxiety and panic. It can help you calm your nervous system and connect with the present moment so you’re not hijacked by difficult thoughts and feelings. A range of approaches is explained in this guide to grounding techniques.

You could also try this NHS-approved breathing technique for restoring calm.

Social anxiety

Advice on overcoming social anxiety and building social confidence:

• Dealing with social anxiety, a guide based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) from CCI, a well-regarded Australian clinical psychology service.
• Building assertiveness, a guide based on CBT from CCI.
• How to stop worrying whether or not they like you, a video from the School of Life, a global organisation that helps people lead more fulfilled lives.

Low self-esteem

Self-compassion can be a powerful antidote to low self-esteem. Self-compassion is not self-pity or self-indulgence. Nor is it self-esteem; with self-compassion, you don’t have to feel better than others to feel good about yourself. Self-compassion allows us to drop some of the harsh self-criticism that can make us so miserable. Find out more about self-compassion:

• Cultivating self-compassion, a workbook based on CBT from CCI.
• TED talk on self-compassion by author and researcher Kristin Neff.

Sleep problems

Resources for getting a good night’s sleep:

• Sleep hygiene, a simple guide based on CBT from CCI.
• Relaxation before sleep, a podcast from the UK’s Mental Health Foundation.

Loneliness and homesickness

• We have written a guide to getting support if you or someone else is feeling lonely or isolated.
• The Mix is a young people’s charity that provides guidance on dealing with homesickness.

Exam stress

Some people take exams in their stride. But for many, they cause a great deal of stress. Our exam stress podcast can help you spot signs of exams stress in yourself and take steps to combat it.

Perfectionism

Do you constantly judge yourself against exacting standards of excellence? Does this take a toll on your mental health? If so, you may find it helpful to look at these resources:

• Learn to pursue healthy goals rather than unrelentingly high standards, a guide based on CBT.
• TED talk on the Growth Mindset by pioneering psychology professor Carol Dweck.

Procrastination

On the face of it, putting off what's important or necessary makes no sense. Yet so many of us do it. Find out why, and what you can do to work with this tendency, in The Problem with Procrastination, a Heads Up podcast from the University's Counselling team.

Finding someone to listen

• The Samaritans support anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide. They offer 24-hour confidential support on the phone, by email and in person.
• Nightline is run by fellow Bath students. It offers listening, support and practical information. It opens every night from 8pm to 8am during term times.

Support here at Bath

If you’re struggling to cope on your own, there’s plenty of help available at the University to support your wellbeing and mental health. During the coronavirus outbreak, these services are operating by email, telephone and video call.

Wellbeing

Our Wellbeing Service offers immediate help and advice on all kinds of welfare and wellbeing issues. You can come along to one of the daily Wellbeing drop-in sessions or contact the service by calling 01225 383838 or emailing wellbeingservice@bath.ac.uk.

Counselling and Mental Health

Our Counselling and Mental Health team runs courses and workshops as well as providing one-to-one counselling and mental health advice. To access our one-to-one services, you first need to book an initial consultation by emailing referrals@bath.ac.uk. Please include your name, University email address and mobile number.

Podcasts

We have recorded a number of podcasts to help you deal with common problems faced by students. Subjects we've covered include:

• exam stress
• being back at home with your family
• procrastination.