You may be feeling disturbed by images in the news, or
worried about the safety of loved ones. Find out how to look after your
wellbeing and where to go for support if you need it.
It is absolutely natural to feel anxious and frightened, and to
feel that events are out of our control. You may be feeling disturbed by the
images you have seen on the news. You may be feeling worried about the safety
of loved ones. If you have lived through similar events yourself, the current
crisis may be bringing up some very traumatic memories. Staff in Student Support and Wellbeing are here to
support you during these unsettling times.
Support available at Kent
24/7 support services
For support at any time of day or night,
check out the Emergency Support page with details on
online and telephone support available round the clock for Kent students,
including our support partners:
- Spectrum Life, who you can call in the
evenings and at weekends on 0800 0318227 pressing option 1, and
- Togetherall, the safe anonymous peer to
peer online support forum free to Kent students.
Although you may wish to
stay informed, it is important to be aware of your limits.
Distressing world news can certainly affect
our mental health. Here are some things you can do to retain some balance.
Try to be intentional in how you are consuming
news, avoid long ‘scrolling through’ sessions
- Take
a break from watching the news – consider checking in at certain times of
the day only.
- Mute
or turn off news notifications on your phone.
- Mute
or unfollow social media accounts if you are feeling overwhelmed, or limit
your news intake to once or twice a day.
Make time for people, activities and actions
that are positive for your wellbeing
What helps will be different for each person,
but here are a few ideas;
- Connect
with friends and family members.
- Go
for a walk in the fresh air.
- Listen
to a podcast.
- Listen
to some soothing or inspiring music.
- Write
out your thoughts and feelings in a journal.
- Go
to the gym.
- Grab
a coffee with a friend.
- Connecting
with nature can be very soothing, there are some lovely walks on campus or
along the river Stour.
- Have
you caught the bus to Whitstable yet, why not have a walk along the beach?
- Try
to have a regular sleep pattern.
- Try
to eat healthily which will help when you are feeling emotionally
depleted.
- Listen
to some guided meditations as these can really help as a distraction from
racing thoughts.
Focus as much as you can on hope
Remember that distressing events are
relatively rare and amidst all the horrors, there are also reports of wonderful
acts of courage, bravery and compassion.
Positive News
It can seem like mainstream media is
overwhelmed with bad news, but good news itself is not in short supply; the
broadcasting of it is! Take a look at the Good News Network website, which seeks to
be an antidote to the barrage of negativity we get from major news outlets. The
Good News Network also has an app, and a weekly Good News Gurus podcast. A similar
website, Positive News also has articles about
what you can do to make a positive impact in the world today, such as How to help people in Ukraine and What can I do about climate change?
For inspirational videos from our Medway
University Chaplain, check out Take Ten with Lynne on YouTube, covering
topics such as kindness, how to be a people helper, and conflict resolution.
For more Chaplaincy information and activity from faith groups in Canterbury
and Medway, explore the Chaplaincy webpages.
Student Support and Wellbeing – professional
support at university
Did you know that Kent has a professional
support service of over 100 specialist staff? We’re here to support you with
mental health, disabilities, and neurodiversity such as specific learning
difficulties or autism, through 1:1 support as well as peer support groups and events. Here’s a video of top mental health tips from our mental health
team.
Are you
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