University Mental Health Day is a national awareness day that aims to get University communities across the UK talking about mental health and the importance of making it a priority all year round.
The health and wellbeing of our staff is always a priority, and the impact of Covid-19 this year has made this even more important. For many, working from home and the ongoing government restrictions have had a massive impact on many people’s mental health.
Accessing support
Staff can find out how to access the various kinds of support, depending on their situation, via the Staff Wellbeing Hub.
The hub brings together information on the internal services available, such as the Chaplaincy or Occupational Health Service, self-help resources and specialist external services that can help when you are struggling.
Self-help resources
Evidence suggests there are five steps we can all take to improve our mental wellbeing by encouraging you to stay active, take notice, keep learning, connect and give. If you are looking to improve your mental wellbeing have a look at activities available to you now at the University.
The Five Ways to Wellbeing
| Stay Active | Take Notice | Give | Connect | Keep Learning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Take part in online classes including: Access home workouts | Read and reflect on the weekly The MindLetter Embrace Mindfulness Enjoy Blogs, podcasts and daily reflections from the Chaplaincy Sign up to Events from the Chaplaincy Take part in Wellbeing courses, drop-ins and events | Use your Day to Make a Difference to volunteer for a charity you care about Give some of your time to Support Others | Join staff networks such as the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Networks Read or contribute to Bulletin Staff Magazine Take part in Wellbeing Conversations | Complete the Mental Health Awareness course Enrol in the Abundant Academy Make the most of Personal Effectiveness, leadership and management resources Improve your Digital Skills Complete the Be Sustainable training |
Supporting others
Talking about mental health is one of the aims of University Mental Health Day, and we want staff to feel confident and supported if they are approached by a colleague for help or advice. It can be hard to know what to do when supporting someone, but just having a conversation can make a big difference.
The Wellbeing Hub has various resources on supporting others, including additional guidance for managers on supporting staff who develop or have pre-existing mental health difficulties, or those affected by work related stress.
We have also created a new Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Toolkit which is now available to support HR and Communications colleagues, line managers, or any staff looking for guidance in this area. The toolkit outlines the key messages and University services, guidance on having wellbeing conversations, and useful resources for helping spread the word about available mental health support.
If you have any ideas on other ways we can encourage staff to talk about mental health, we would love to hear them. Get in touch via staffnews@ed.ac.uk.