We all have mental health. Sometimes it’s great and sometimes it’s not so great. When we have poor mental health it impacts on every aspect of daily living and can make simple tasks seem impossible.

Thankfully, there has been a recent openness when talking about mental health, its issues and impacts. This has been underpinned by household names like Stephen Fry, George Ezra, Grace Victory and Anne-Marie being honest about their own experiences. This has helped to normalise mental health and made it more acceptable to seek support.

Here at Unipol we understand the stressors associated with the move to University. It is a major life change and can be the best thing you ever do. For some people it can be simply overwhelming.

We also understand how the environment can play a significant part in maintaining good mental health. Therefore, it is important that your accommodation and the relationships with your cotenants are a positive influence.

At Unipol the Tenancy Support and Wellbeing Coordinator is trained as a Mental Health First Aider and is the lead coordinator for mental health issues at Unipol.

Poor mental health is often characterised by overthinking and catastrophizing, which in turn can lead to two of the most common mental health issues, anxiety and depression. Sometimes, just talking to someone can help, and will often be the first step to putting things into perspective.

It may be that you need more intensive support which might be medical or psychological interventions, including medication and/or counselling.

The Tenancy Support and Wellbeing Coordinator can support you to identify and access the most appropriate support for you.

The good news is that with support and interventions when needed, recovery is entirely possible.

If you are feeling worried, anxious, scared or just feeling that you are not coping well, you can contact the Tenancy Support and Wellbeing Coordinator or Student Services at your institution.

Most universities offer student support through mental health and counselling support, this could be via a drop in session or a planned counselling session.

If you are concerned about someone else’s mental health you can contact the Tenancy Support and Wellbeing Coordinator, who will ask you to put this in writing. The Tenancy Support and Wellbeing Coordinator will contact you to discuss your concerns and may ask for further information.

Any contact you have with Unipol about mental health issues will be dealt with in the strictest confidence and information will only be shared with consent, or, if there is a risk of serious harm to you or another.

To conclude. . .

The majority of students have an enjoyable, fulfilling and sociable experience at university. At Unipol we take pride in providing support and assistance to those who are experiencing difficulty during their time at University. It is difficult to deal with issues on your own and it can be incredibly isolating to try. Whilst it takes courage to ask for help, it does help to talk things through with an impartial person. Bottling things up often leads to overthinking and negative thought processes.

If you are worried about how you, or someone else is coping, contact your Tenancy Support on tenancysupport@unipol.org.uk or use this form.