Self Care and Resilience

Social network - sharing your problems with someone in your support network won’t fix anything immediately. However, it allows you to share your feelings, get support, receive positive feedback and discover possible solutions to your problems.

Look after yourself - having a healthy diet, engaging in regular physical activity, ensuring you have plenty of sleep - all of these things will help you develop a resilient mindset. If you want to try something new, yoga, meditation and deep breathing are all associated with developing mental resilience.

Think short term - resilient people have the ability to reassure themselves that stressful situations do not last forever and that the associated negative feelings will eventually dissipate. The ability to establish goals will also help you view these situations in a realistic way and then set reasonable goals to deal with the problem.

Ask for help - many people believe that being resilient is to be mentally strong enough to take on challenges alone. But in fact, the ability to know when to reach out to others for support is a key component of being resilient.

Use relaxation techniques. You may already know what helps you relax, like having a bath, listening to music or taking your dog for a walk. If you know that a certain activity helps you feel more relaxed, make sure you set aside time to do it. See Mind's pages on relaxation for lots more ideas.

Develop your interests and hobbies. Finding an activity that's completely different from the things causing you stress is a great way to get away from everyday pressures. If stress is making you feel lonely or isolated, shared hobbies can also be a good way to meet new people.

Make time for your friends. When you've got a lot on this might seem hard, but it can help you feel more positive and less isolated. Chatting to friends about the things you find difficult can help you keep things in perspective – and you can do the same for them. Laughing and smiling with them will also produce hormones that help you to relax.

Find balance in your life. You may find that one part of your life, such as your studies, a job or taking care of young children, is taking up almost all of your time and energy. Try making a decision to focus some of your energy on other parts of your life, like family, friends or hobbies. It's not easy, but this can help spread the weight of pressures in your life, and make everything feel lighter.

Support at university - For example, this could be from your tutors, student union or student services. See Mind's pages on how to cope with student life for more tips on accessing support as a student. You can also see what Societies and Groups we offer on our Student Groups page.