Anxiety
This self-help guide (provided by the NHS) is intended for people with mild-to-moderate symptoms of anxiety.
If you’re feeling distressed, in a state of despair, suicidal or need emotional support you can phone Samaritans for free on 116 123.
- Find out if you have symptoms of anxiety.
- Understand more about anxiety.
- Find ways to manage or overcome anxiety.
There are a number of conditions that have anxiety as a symptom, or have anxiety in the name – like social anxiety, social phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This guide is designed to help with general anxiety symptoms.
This guide is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT helps you to examine how you think about your life, and challenge negative automatic thoughts to free yourself from unhelpful thought and behaviour patterns.
Depression
This self-help guide (provided by the NHS) is intended for people with mild-to-moderate symptoms of depression.
If you’re feeling distressed, in a state of despair, suicidal or need emotional support you can phone Samaritans for free on 116 123.
- Find out if you could have symptoms of depression.
- Understand more about depression.
- Find ways to manage or overcome depression.
This guide is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT helps you to examine how you think about your life, and challenge negative automatic thoughts to free yourself from unhelpful thought and behaviour patterns.
Insomnia
Insomnia is difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep for long enough to feel refreshed the next morning. It's a common problem thought to regularly affect around one in every three people in the UK, and is particularly common in elderly people.
- Find it difficult to fall asleep.
- Lie awake for long periods at night.
- Wake up several times during the night.
- Wake up early in the morning and not be able to get back to sleep.
- Not feel refreshed when you get up.
- Find it hard to nap during the day, despite feeling tired.
- Feel tired and irritable during the day and have difficulty concentrating.
Occasional episodes of insomnia may come and go without causing any serious problems, but for some people it can last for months or even years at a time.
Persistent insomnia can have a significant impact on your quality of life. It can limit what you're able to do during the day, affect your mood, and lead to relationship problems with friends, family and colleagues.
Self-help tips:
Insomnia can often be improved by changing your daytime and bedtime habits or by improving your bedroom environment.
Making small changes may help you to get a good night's sleep. Try some of the methods below for a few weeks to see if they help.
See your GP if you're still having difficulty getting to sleep after trying these techniques.
- Set a specific time for getting up each day. Try to stick to this time, seven days a week, even if you feel you haven't had enough sleep. This should help you sleep better at night.
- Don't take a nap during the day.
- Take daily exercise, such as 30 minutes walking or cycling. But don't exercise for at least four hours before going to bed, because this may make it more difficult to fall asleep.
- Stop drinking tea and coffee for a few hours before bedtime.
- Avoid drinking alcohol and smoking, particularly shortly before going to bed.
- Don't eat a big meal just before bedtime.
- Only go to bed when you're feeling tired. If necessary, go to bed later than usual if it means you might be able to fall asleep more quickly.
- Don't use back-lit devices shortly before going to bed, including televisions, phones, tablets and computers.
- Try to create a relaxing bedtime routine, such as taking a bath, listening to soft music, and drinking a warm, milky drink every night. These activities will be associated with sleep and will cause drowsiness.
- Avoid regularly using over-the-counter sleeping tablets. It is not clear how effective these are, they don't tackle the underlying problem, and have potential side effects. Read more about treatments for insomnia.
- Don't lie in bed feeling anxious about lack of sleep. Instead, get up, go to another room for about 20 minutes and do something else, such as reading or listening to soft music, before trying again.
- Avoid watching the clock because it will only make you anxious about how long it's taking you to fall asleep.
- Write a list of your worries and any ideas to solve them before going to bed. This may help you forget about them until the morning.
- Use thick blinds or curtains or wear an eye mask if the early morning sunlight or bright street lamps affect your sleep.
- Make sure your bedroom is at a comfortable temperature for sleeping.
- Wear ear plugs if noise is a problem.
- Don't use your bedroom for anything other than sleeping or sex. Avoid watching television, making phone calls, eating or working while you're in bed.
- Make sure your mattress is comfortable and that you have a pillow you like, as well as adequate bedding for the time of year.
When to see your GP:
Make an appointment to see your GP if you're finding it difficult to get to sleep or stay asleep and it's affecting your daily life – particularly if it has been a problem for a month or more and the above measures have not helped.
Your GP may ask you about your sleeping routines, your daily alcohol and caffeine consumption, and your general lifestyle habits, such as diet and exercise.
They will also check your medical history for any illness or medication that may be contributing to your insomnia.
Your GP may suggest keeping a sleep diary for a couple of weeks to help them gain a better understanding of your sleep patterns.
Each day, make a note of things such as the time you went to bed and woke up, how long it took you to fall asleep, and the number of times you woke up during the night.
Eating Disorders
If you have an eating disorder or are concerned about a friend or relative, there are a variety of sources of helpful information for you:
- More information can be found out about eating disorders on the NHS website HERE.
- The University Counselling Service is available to any Aston University student. You can contact the Counselling Service on 0121 204 4007 or visit their website.
Self-help Apps and Resources
Student Minds
Student Space is led by Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity. Student Space is here for students through coronavirus and is available to all higher education students across England and Wales.
Student Space is here to make it easier for you to find the support you need during the coronavirus pandemic:
Togetherall (formerly known as Big White Wall)
Do you need to chat? Togetherall is a digital support service you can use to help you deal with everything from everyday stresses to major life events.
It is a digital support and recovery service here for you when you’re feeling stressed, anxious, low or not coping. It provides an anonymous online community where you can share your troubles and feel supported. It is a safe space as it is moderated by trained professionals who are available 24/7.
Login using your University email and password on the Togetherall Website:
FIKA
Take some time to work on you. Fika is on a mission to mainstream Mental Fitness by bringing Emotional Education to students around the world. Fika is a mental wellbeing app that has been adapted since COVID-19 to specifically support YOU to stay well and cope with working remotely.
Click here to know how to cope with remote.
How to Access: