Mental Health Week May 20201 - Connecting With Nature
This week marks Mental Health Awareness Week. This year, the theme is: the power of nature. Thank you to BSc Psychological Studies student Rhiannon Jehu for compiling some fantastic key things to focus on this week.
Mental Health and Nature
The Mental Health Foundation believe that nature is an untapped resource for our national mental health and wellbeing; last summer half of the people surveyed in the UK said that being in nature had helped them to cope with pandemic pressure. They also point out that this year is especially important for our environments future due to national and international political events.
The foundation would like us to do 3 things over the week:
- Take a few minutes every day to experience nature, for example by taking a moment to listen to birdsong; breathe in the smell of the sea or care for a house plant.
- Share those experiences online using #ConnectWithNature & #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
- Discuss nature with the people we meet
The more people share how much they value nature and our environment, the greater the incentive our government has to produce regenerative legislation.
This is a win-win situation we have the opportunity to care for our own health and that of the planet at the same time.
Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 provide a printable journal so we can record what we do and how it makes us feel: pdf (mentalhealth.org.uk)
Local Wellbeing Walks
Did you know that your student association HISA Shetland organise weekly wellbeing walks alternating between our Gremista campus in Lerwick and the NAFC Marine Centre UHI in Scalloway? If you are a local student and want to get involved, keep an eye on your emails and social media for the information, or contact hisa.shetland@uhi.ac.uk. This month there is even a competition where HISA are offering students the chance to win £20 Gift Vouchers for local businesses or Amazon.
To enter, take a photo of “nature” while out walking and send it to studentvoiceshetland@uhi.ac.uk. Any photos HISA choose to showcase on social media and/or in the newsletter will win a £20 voucher. Entries close Sunday 16th May 2021.
Support at College
Don't forget that the student support team is there to help you and we also have access to the fantastic Togetherall, a digital mental health support service which is available online, 24/7, and is completely anonymous so you can express yourself freely and openly. Find out more on our Student Support Page.