Wellbeing Resources

Managing Intense Emotions:

When we experience intense emotions such as anxiety or stress, things can quickly escalate. However, there are some simple practices that you can put in place to help manage this. Our ‘Coping in the moment’ guide will talk you through some simple strategies, including Box Breathing and Progressive Muscle Relaxation.

Coping-In-The-Moment-Managing-intense-emotions.pdf (amazonaws.com)

The above resource is really beneficial towards coping in the moment; however, you may want something you can keep on you at all times. This Micro Reminder card can be kept on your phone or printed off easily as a quick reminder to use specific coping mechanisms when feeling a certain emotion.

Micro Reminder

Challenging ‘Unhelpful’ Thoughts:

It is quite common for people to fall into a pattern of 'unhelpful' or negative thinking, and when this happens, it is likely that a person's level of distress will increase. To prevent the escalation of distressing emotions, it is helpful to identify, notice and challenge the 'unhelpful' thinking styles that you are using. Our ‘Challenging ‘Unhelpful’ Thoughts’ guide provides some examples of unhelpful thinking styles, and how these can be challenged.

Challenging-Unhelpful-Thoughts-style-and-challenge-examples.pdf (amazonaws.com)

Managing Anxiety:

Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety at some point in their life. For example, you may feel anxious about an upcoming exam, or have worries about life after university. For some people, it can be really difficult to control their worries, and this can start to impact their day-to-day life. Our ‘Managing Anxiety’ guide provides an insight into different types of anxiety and strategies that can be used to manage their symptoms.

Managing Anxiety (amazonaws.com)

Managing Stress:

Stress is a common emotion at university. Sometimes we are stressed about one thing, other times there are multiple things that overload us that make us struggle to feel in control. Although stress is common, it is still vital we look after ourselves and there are loads of great ways to manage your stressful emotions as well as the causes. This 'Managing Stress' guide covers a range of different stressors and helps you feel 'on top of things' whilst at university. Further down this page, there is also more specific guidance on assignments and looking after your wellbeing.

Managing Stress guide

Managing Self-Harm:

Self-harm is when someone intentionally hurts themselves as a way of coping with intense and difficult emotions, experiences, or memories. Our ‘Managing Self-Harm’ guide provides some information about where to access support around self-harm, and strategies that can be used to manage this behaviour.

Managing-Self-Harm.pdf (amazonaws.com)

Crisis Support Resources:

During a mental health crisis and when experiencing complex emotions, it can sometimes be difficult to take rational or logical steps to improve the situation and keep ourselves safe.

It can be helpful to plan ahead so that we feel better equipped to cope with a mental health crisis. Sometimes physical or written prompts can be helpful- these can act as a reminder of things you can do to help yourself.

We have created some resources to help you during a mental health crisis- it is best to complete these on a ‘good’ day, so they are there and ready for when you need them the most.

Our Crisis card template can be used as a prompt or reminder and should be kept somewhere that is easily accessible, like in your phone case or wallet. On your crisis card, you may find it helpful to...

• Note the names and numbers of people or services that you can contact.
• List some positive phrases or statements that you can say to yourself.
• Plan out some things you can do or places you can go to, which help you to feel safe.

My Crisis Card (amazonaws.com)

You may find it helpful to make a more specific and detailed plan of things you can do to help yourself during a mental health crisis. We have created a ‘personal safety plan’ to help you to do just that.

My-Personal-Safety-Plan-keeping-myself-safe.pdf (amazonaws.com)