Mental Health Awareness Week: Get together and take part

Your mental health and wellbeing are always our priority. Whatever difficulties you might be facing, if they are impacting your studies, wellbeing, or wider experience with us, there is support in place to help you.

This Mental Health Awareness Week (9 to 15 May) we’ll be running a series of events to help bring students and staff together to tackle this year’s theme – loneliness. Check out the schedule of free events that will be taking place across all four campuses below, and download the Mental Health Foundation’s Student Guide to Loneliness for more information on how to spot and deal with loneliness.

What events will be taking place?

Monday 9 May

Falmer – Ribbon artwork and board games, Checkland atrium

Come along between 12 and 3pm to contribute your ideas on how to make connections or share your personal experiences of overcoming loneliness. Simply write your idea or experience on the ribbons provided and pin them to the board to inspire and reassure others.

They’ll also be board games available all day, so take a study break and challenge your friends to a game!

Falmer – Chatty Space, Student Information Desk

The Student Information Desk will be hosting a Chatty Space all day in their reception area. Come along to make connections and discuss the mental health support options we have in place to help you with whatever issues you may be facing.

Tuesday 10 May

Falmer – Ribbon artwork and board games, Checkland atrium

Come along between 12 and 3pm to contribute your ideas on how to make connections or share your personal experiences of overcoming loneliness. Simply write your idea or experience on the ribbons provided and pin them to the board to inspire and reassure others.

They’ll also be board games available all day, so take a study break and challenge your friends to a game!

Falmer – Chatty Space, Student Information Desk

The Student Information Desk will be hosting a Chatty Space all day in their reception area. Come along to make connections and discuss the mental health support options we have in place to help you with whatever issues you may be facing.

Online – Student Advice Service, Money Matters Blog

Head over to the Student Advice Service’s Money Matters blog for lots of brilliant ideas of how to connect with others without spending money!

Wednesday 11 May

Falmer – TOGETHER CO befriending event, Falmer Library entrance

Local loneliness charity TOGETHER CO be at the Falmer Library between 11am and 1pm looking for new volunteers for their befriending service. The scheme sees volunteers matched with people in the local area who have been identified as lonely or socially isolated to get together and chat, to help lift them both out of loneliness.

Eastbourne – Walk My Dog, Queenswood library car park

Run by your Wellbeing Champion student ambassadors, Walk My Dog events are a great chance to walk, talk, and connect in a low pressure environment. Just bring yourself, we will bring the dogs, and you can (literally!) take the lead on a countryside walk just minutes from your campus. Meet outside Queenswood library car park at 3pm for an hour long walk.

Thursday 12 May

Falmer – Sunflower seed planting and board games, Checkland atrium 

Spending time in nature is a great way to boost your mood and support your wellbeing. Weather permitting, you’ll have the chance to plant your own sunflower on Falmer campus – just come along to the Checkland atrium to find out more. And, if the weather does take a turn for the worse, you can hole up inside with our range of board games, instead!

Moulsecoomb – The Chatty Bus, parked on campus

On Thursday, we’ll be hosting not just a ‘Chatty Space’, but a very special ‘Chatty Bus’! Parked on campus from 10am until 2pm, the bus will be a safe space to meet and chat to fellow students, get advice from your SSGT, and speak to Brighton and Hove Buses about their Helping Hand assistance card scheme. There will also be free fruit and other goodies, plus the chance to win a prize in our tombola!

City – Sunflower seed planting, The Quad

Spending time in nature is a great way to boost your mood and support your wellbeing. Weather permitting, you’ll have the chance to plant your own sunflower on City campus – just come along to the quad between 12 and 2pm to take part.

Friday 13 May

Falmer and Moulsecoomb – Walk My Dog

Run by your Wellbeing Champion student ambassador Jade, these Walk My Dog events are a great chance to walk, talk and connect in a low pressure environment. Just bring yourself, we will bring the dogs, and you can (literally!) take the lead on a countryside walk just minutes from your campus.

Falmer – meet outside Checkland at 12pm

Moulsecoomb – meet outside Manor House at 2pm

Moulsecoomb – Table tennis and mixed lacrosse

Being active is not only great for your physical health but can improve your mental wellbeing, too. Challenge your friends, course mates or even your lecturers to a friendly game of table tennis in Elm house from 12 to 2pm.

Or if you prefer to get some fresh air, Lacrosse coach and national level player Sam Perry will be on Manor House lawns from 12 to 2pm to guide you through some fun, entry level games of mixed LAX. This activity will be non-competitive and suitable for all.

Use social media for good

Follow us on Twitter to get involved with our daily, themed posts about different ways to tackle loneliness, for yourself and others. Throughout the week, different teams from across the University will be sharing their tips to make connections and

Remember, people tend to only post the positive aspects of their lives on social media. If social media is having a negative impact on your mental health or making you feel lonely, try unfollowing or muting the accounts that bring up difficult feelings and start following accounts that make you feel empowered.