Time to change

Be kind to your mind

Self-help guides

Depression and Me: Denise and Chloe’s mental health journeys

Play video
Depression and Me: Denise and Chloe’s mental health journeys

Your mental health is as important as your physical health. Promoting good mental health and wellbeing can help you feel empowered and resilient to cope with life's stresses. The College's Strategy 2020 to 2025 states we will be mindful of the need to promote good mental health and a healthy work-life balance.

Good mental health and wellbeing are best described as subjective conditions. For example, good social, economic, spiritual or medical health means that, in a sense, the experience of life is positive or beneficial.

Good mental health means responding to challenging circumstances, innovating, and constructively engaging with others and the world. It also represents a highly effective way of realising good outcomes in many different areas of our lives.

Good mental health is as important to our lives as legs are to a table. It is an essential component of physical health and happiness. Our goal is to help you uncover and use some simple tools to improve the wellbeing of your body and mind.

Mental Health Facts

  • 1 in 3 people will experience a mental health problem in any given year
  • We probably all work with someone experiencing a mental health problem
  • 9 out of 10 people with mental health problems experience stigma and discrimination

What Can I Do to Improve My Mental Health?

Talk about your feelings
  • Talk about your feelings: Opening up about how you feel helps your wellbeing. It’s part of taking stock of your sense of self.
  • Keep in touch: Family and friends who know you well can offer different perspectives about your feelings and thoughts. They can help keep you active and grounded and help you solve practical problems.
  • Acceptance: Some of us are funny, some are great at maths, others are not so, and others are great cooks. Everybody is different, and accepting who you are is important.
Keep active
  • Keep active: Research shows that exercise releases chemicals in the brain, inducing a strong sense of well-being.
  • Drink sensibly: People sometimes drink to feel better about things ranging from loneliness to anxiety. What is important to remember is that the effect is only temporary. Overdoing it is like stealing happiness from tomorrow.
  • Ask for help: We are not superheroes. Sometimes we get tired, sometimes overwhelmed, especially when things go wrong. If things are getting too much for you, ask someone for help.
Do something you’re good at
  • Do something you’re good at: Perhaps you like drawing, or maybe you’d rather be cooking. Whatever the activity, try to find something you’re good at and can lose yourself in. To help identify what this might be, think about what you used to love doing in the past. Doing an activity you enjoy allows you to achieve something and enhances your self-esteem. Enjoying yourself helps relieve stress.
  • Caring for others: This is often overlooked but is essential to maintaining relationships with those close to you. Whether it’s dropping in on a loved one in need or just sending a pleasant message to a friend’s email, don’t underestimate the power of helping others.
External Support

Resources

Mental Health First Aid

Supporting mental health at work

Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy

Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy outlines our goals for creating an inclusive, respectful and compassionate environment that supports our students and staff in their work and study.