Tips and Advice
This section provides tips and advice on how to manage mental health and wellbeing. We have divided the tips into three categories: looking after yourself, looking after your colleagues, and looking after your team.
Some of the tips have been submitted by members of the community, during various workshops and Mike's fellowship talks.
Click on a section heading to expand the guidance for that category.
On this page, we focus on self-help; tips & advice to help you manage your own mental health and wellbeing.
Self-Care
Self-care is about looking after yourself, doing what makes you feel good, and taking time to recharge your batteries. Self-care is not selfish. After all, you cannot do your job effectively, or be there to support your friends and family, if you're burned out. You can't pour from an empty cup, and sometimes you need to make time to refill it.
We all know what we need to do, but it isn't always easy to find the time or motivation. Getting enough sleep, eating well, exercising, getting in touch with nature... all these things are important. So is spending time with our loved ones and making time for the things we enjoy.
As Mike says in his talk, we don't want to be the ones who say "You look stressed, have you tried yoga?", but research has shown that Yoga and other mindfulness techniques can be very effective in helping to manage stress and anxiety. You need to find what works for you.
Getting Help and Support
If you are struggling, and feel like you need additional support, there are a range of options available.
Mental Health organisations
There are organisations that can provide more information about a range of problems, as well as provide emergency support. These are discussed in more detail on our Get Help page.
Support at work
It can be daunting to talk to your colleagues and line manager about your mental health. You may be worried that they won't take you seriously, or that they might view it as a sign of weakness. But remember:
"It's better to raise a red flag,
before you're forced to wave a white one!"
Nobody is invincible, and if you struggle for too long, you may end up burning out or developing more serious conditions that will require you to take time off and may take years of hard work and therapy to recover from. It is always easier to raise an issue before it becomes a problem. By admitting that you are struggling, you might be able to get support.
- Your line manager - they may be able to provide additional support or make adjustments to your workload or deadlines.
- Mental Health First Aiders - are trained to provide confidential support to people experiencing mental health issues, and can signpost additional sources of information and support.
- Support from your Institution - most universities have an Employee Assistance Programme, which can provide confidential support and advice, often including free counselling sessions.
- Occupational Health - occupational health may be able to help evaluate and support your needs, including giving you time off to recover or making changes to your work environment. You may need a referral from your line manager or HR department.
- Your Doctor/GP - your doctor may have useful advice and can also refer you to specialists and other methods of support, as well as prescribing medication that may help manage your condition.
- Therapy - there are a number of different types of therapy, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), group therapy and counselling, available through the NHS, or privately.
- Other organisations and charities - as previously mentioned, there are various organisations that provide a range of services, some specialising in working with certain groups or mental health problems. A good starting point might be to check out the list on our Get Help page.
Self-care Suggestions
It's difficult to give advice on self-care, as everyone is different. What works for me might not work for you. However, here are some suggestions that you might find helpful:
- Setting Boundaries - Splitting up your work day, especially when you're working from home, or turning off notifications outside of work hours can make a huge difference. Read more about it in this blog post.
- Writing - Some people find journalling to be a useful tool. Mike found it more useful to write about his experience in a different way, as he explains in this blog post.
- Hobbies - One of the top responses to Mike's survey was to find a creative hobby. Not only that but "find a hoby that does not look like work", i.e. something that doesn't involve sitting in the same office in front of the same computer screen that you've been working at all day!
- Task Management Apps - As Mike has discussed in this blog post, task management tools can help you to manage your workload more effectively, and help deal with anxiety and feelings of inadequacy. Mike recommends Todoist, which allows you to set tasks, including recurring tasks, and categorise them. Not only will it help you get on top of your work, but ticking off completed tasks can give you a buzz, like levelling up in a video game! (Stay tuned for a longer blog post on this topic).
More
- You can find more examples of ways to look after yourself on our Blog page.
- And remember, if you have any advice you would like to share, please submit your own post via the Contribute page.
If you are concerned about the wellbeing of a colleague, or your team in general, then there are a few things we can recommend.
Consider becoming a Mental Health First Aider
By training as a Mental Health First Aider (MHFA), you are equipping yourself to help support colleagues in a crisis, and to advocate for better mental health in your workplace. We particularly recommend this if you plan to be a team lead or line manager in the future.
You can find more information on the MHFA association websites:
- MHFA England
- Scottish MHFA
- MHFA Wales
- AMH in Northern Ireland
Courses are also offered by a number of charities and organisations, and may even be available through your institution.
Tips for RSE leaders for looking after your team:
Listen
The most important thing you can do as a leader and line manager is to listen to your team. If someone comes to you with a concern, make sure to listen to what they have to say, and take their concern seriously.
You should also do what you can to help support that person. However, we accept that there are limits to what you can do. You may not be able to move deadlines, assign other team members, or help the person yourself.
The worst thing you can do is to make the person feel like you are ignoring them, that you don't appreciate them and that you are not taking their concerns seriously. This can lead to them feeling isolated and unsupported, which will only make the situation worse.
Consider appointing a Mental Health First Aider
Having a Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) in your team can help to create a supportive environment where people feel able to talk about their mental health. Mental Health First Aiders are trained to listen, reassure and respond, and can also signpost further support if needed.
MHFA training costs £325 and is delivered by a number of charities and organisations across the UK. The training is usually delivered over two days, in-person or online, and covers a range of mental health conditions, as well as how to support someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis.
You can find more information on:
- MHFA England
- Scottish MHFA
- MHFA Wales
- AMH in Northern Ireland
Courses are also offered by a number of charities and organisations, and may even be available through your institution.
Learn how to be a supportive leader
There are various courses and resources out there to help you be a better, more supportive leader, and how to create a better working environment and support your team's mental health.
- For example, we recommend the the leadership guide from Jonathan's Voice, which includes a 3-tier model for creating a mentally healthy workplace. You can find their resources on the link above.
