Getting the most out of your studying years
Thursday March 5 is Student Mental Health Day and at a time when one in five students are now making use of university mental health support services the world of being a student in 2020 is definitely a juggling act.
Headf**k!
The world of a student has its own unique set of circumstances to deal with. Living away from home for the first time, coping with exams and deadlines, the pressure to succeed, uncertainty about graduate employment prospects and financial hardship all of which can accumulate to affect life one way or another.
Fortunately Student wellbeing is high on the list at Kings College, London, who has a policy of talking openly about mental health and equipping its student to build their self-awareness. I am very pleased to have been invited to contribute to their ‘Make – Do – Play’ Workshops where I will be introducing art journaling. Not everyone wants or responds to talking therapies, not everyone is creative so art journalings non clinical approach and zero requirements for art experience is going to be a fun way to introduce self-awareness and build on an going wellbeing practice.
Freeflow writing and intuitive collage
Core Art Journaling is more about the process than the finished pieces and there are many mental health benefits to free flow writing and unloading daily stresses and anxieties. Your journal can become a safe space to have a visual conversation with yourself, check in and practice self-care can lead to feeling more confident and empowered and help to cope with student life.
The Kings College Student Wellbeing Plan is about:“Taking an imaginative approach to connecting the arts and health, leveraging its extensive cultural partnerships to provide students with extra and co-curricular activities that contribute to wellbeing.”
STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING REPORT AND STRATEGIC PLAN 2018–20
Student Mental Health Day highlights the importance to know that there are actions that can be taken. Speaking to someone from your subject department, or going to the student advice centre in your student union.It is always advisable to seek advice from your local GP for a professional diagnosis.
“Harriet is a second-year university students shares her story:
I am studying a full time degree, it is classed as full time for a reason and hence the guidelines given for working are 10 hours maximum a week. However, this is pretty impossible, especially when you have bills to pay and you need to feed yourself every week.
I also enjoy working and alongside my studies work between 15-25 hours a week with 3 different jobs which often leaves me pretty pushed for getting my university work done as well as attending all (or at least most) of my lectures.
Money can also be a big stress, my student loan covers my rent and most of my bills and for that I am lucky because I know many students whose loan doesn’t even cover their rent. But not having much money means having no choice but to work at least some hours through the week just to get by. Although I’d like to cherish the time I have left as a student and make the most of it because I’m pretty sure it won’t get any easier.””
Everyone wants to finish and enjoy their years at university so trying out new self care tools like Art Journaling could be the wellbeing tool to help you build your resilience whilst producing wonderful visual memoirs!
Student Minds is a superb organisation that run support groups for students struggling with their mental health and campaign to improve the state of student mental health as a whole. Big thanks to Harriet Gately for her contributions.
If you would like to explore art journaling for wellbeing contact me: Deborah@coreartjournaling.co.uk or www.coreartjournaling.com
https://www.studentmindsblog.co.uk