Our Oxford Community: University Mental Health Day 2018
This year’s University Mental Health Day theme is ‘community’. We speak to Gregg, Margaret, Dan and Waverly about their experiences of mental health struggles and support, as well as give you hints, tips and tools to enable you to find the support you may need from your Oxford University community.
We are here for you. Let’s talk…
Gregg
“As a 6’7 Viking force of a nature, I probably wouldn’t be your first pick as a stereotypical person dealing with mental health. Yet, for many years, depression and anxiety hung heavy over my head — at points crippling me entirely.”
Mental health affects all of us in some way or another. Aside from my own battles, I’ve had family members brought low by untreated mental health conditions. I’ve worked in a secure unit and seen first-hand how schizophrenia and other conditions can eat a person from the inside. I’ve seen colleagues waylaid through underestimating the ruthlessness of stress. I’ve lost friends who were consumed by depression.
In nearly all these cases, a better understanding of mental health and a culture that promotes mental wellness would have made all the difference. Instead, mental health remains a taboo that many refuse to discuss.
In my own treatment and recovery, it took me many years, but I finally chose resolution over suppression. Through CBT, mindfulness, exercise, tons of reading into neuroscience and psychology, plenty of deep cognitive work, and a solid determination to rewire my mind for the better, I finally overcame two conditions which had come to define my early years.
Today, while there’s the odd twinge here and the off day there, I largely find myself imbued with a peace that took me over 30 years to find. None of this would’ve been possible without an openness and honesty about mental health, not just to others but most importantly, to myself.
Yet, when I put out the call for others to share their story, only a handful came back. To me, that says we still have much work to do. It feels like despite today’s awareness, mental health still gets brushed under the carpet. It is my hope that when the next university mental health day comes around, my voice is one of many.
Interested in Oxford and its developments in mental health? Gregg tells us about some of the projects paving the way:
True Colours: Monitoring mental health with a questionnaire.
Nowican: Using virtual reality to deliver rapid, lasting improves in psychological health.
An app to overcome anorexia: Some words are subtly helping people with eating disorders — others are making things worse: Emily Troscianko, Oxford researcher and blogger at Psychology Today, is working on an app that will put this new understanding to good use, to help anorexia sufferers overcome the disorder.
Oxford Mindfulness Centre: Based within the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, OMC has been at the forefront of mindfulness research and training since 2008.
National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre: Awarded to the Department of Psychiatry and the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. This is only the second NIHR biomedical research centre in the country dedicated to mental health.
Margaret
“Prompt assistance and support can help students look after their mental well-being and learn to study well without falling into depression or severe anxiety.”
For any student, it takes time to acquire the skills involved in studying at university level. Learning can be a difficult process at the best of times, but for some, studying can bring additional stresses which contribute to or increase a vulnerability to mental distress. For example, you are likely to have much more responsibility for your own study than you have faced in the past. This can be very liberating, but planning your own time can be a huge challenge, especially for students who experience periods of mental health difficulty. Indeed, that very freedom can be a source of huge anxiety.
Of course, not all mental problems demand medical intervention. Prompt assistance and support can help students look after their mental well-being and learn to study well without falling into depression or severe anxiety. This kind of help is already available, and a current early stage proposal at Oxford University Innovation aims to roll out a university-wide centre to reach the entire student population. It will cover all manner of learning skills such as time management, essay writing, reading and note-taking, presentation skills and healthy living, with the aim of helping everyone to stay well and happy while achieving the successful degree result which is the aim of everyone, student and tutor alike.
Dan
“The Faculty accords to taking the health of its staff seriously, in both a physical and mental capacity.”
I started working for the Law Faculty around one month after graduating from University, and entered my first full-time job with some trepidation. Now, 6 months later, I can confidently say that due to the warm, approachable, and professional atmosphere of the Faculty, I had nothing to be worried about.
This is most apparent when taking mental health into consideration. The Faculty takes mental health seriously when considering the well-being of its staff. If you need to take a day off work due to a mental health problem, then this is treated in an identical manner to if somebody had a physical ailment, such as tonsillitis. This demonstrates mental health issues are given the respect they deserve at the Faculty. Further, we have a member of staff specifically titled the ‘Law Faculty Staff Disability Coordinator’, which demonstrates the gravitas the Faculty accords to taking the health of its staff seriously, in both a physical and mental capacity.
The Faculty also ensures we maintain personal relationships with one another — we have after work drinks at least once or twice a term, frequent communal tea breaks in our Faculty social space, and ensure everyone receives a birthday card signed by the entire team each year. We also ran a Secret Santa this year, and have a summer party at the Director of Development’s house every summer (thanks Maureen!) Whilst this will never entirely solve mental health issues, it does foster a safe and welcoming work environment. This, coupled with our effective line manager schemes, helps us maintain close working relationships within the Faculty, and ensures everyone is effectively ‘looked after’.
Waverly
“During early meetings with my manager, I was able to talk frankly about the impact my mental health problems might have on my work, and to set expectations accordingly.”
Here in the English Faculty, I’m lucky to be part of a friendly, understanding admin team. In my first week in post, it was made clear to me that mental ill-health was recognised, which was an early sign that I’d chosen a good place to work! During early meetings with my manager, I was able to talk frankly about the impact my mental health problems might have on my work, and to set expectations accordingly. I’ve also been able to accommodate appointments during working hours, which has made it vastly easier to access treatment. I’m conscious of how fortunate I am to have such a supportive work environment, as I know it isn’t a universal privilege.
It can be exhausting to keep up with the pace of Oxford life, even for staff, so we do what we can to maintain our general wellbeing throughout term. As a team, we meet for tea and biscuits once a week, to catch up socially and to take a break from our work. We also try to maintain our desk spaces well — particularly in winter, having a brighter and more pleasant workspace can be a great help. Sadie, our Head of Admin and Finance, has a light box for use on shorter days, and she keeps daffodils on her desk when they’re in season to stave off the effects of SAD. Meanwhile, in the Faculty Office, we have fairy lights up year-round, as well as some whiteboards which always end up thoroughly illustrated by the end of every term.
Lastly, while it’s far from being a cure in its own right, we like to build in some movement and exercise where we can. Even if it’s just a walk to the bus stop at the end of the day, or a mid-afternoon stretch at a safe distance from a street-facing window, it can help with symptom management and create some room to breathe.
We’d like to thank everyone to took the time to contribute to this article and share their stories.
Hey, why not give these a go? From CBT to counselling, podcasts to peer support, we’ve got you covered:
University Counselling Service supportive resources
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