Looking after ourselves…and others Prepared by: Lynn Maher Advocacy and Inclusion Development Coordinator

Committee, committed, commitment… Being a Committee member brings responsibility Your members will often come to you for support Your members may also be your friends Your committee position and role might mean that you have a duty of care or… You might just be a good person and want to help Looking after yourself is important You will be able to look after others better if you look after yourself These are good life skills to develop Don’t get overwhelmed…it’s not good for your mental wellbeing

What is mental health? Mental health is not mental illness Emotional ups and downs are normal Being mentally well means being able to cope with life’s ups and downs - have the ability to bounce back Sometimes bouncing back is harder – good mental health helps us recover even after negative life events Good mental health means we have resilience to life’s challenges

Developing resilience on The rollercoaster of life…

Looking after ourselves… Self awareness – get to know the signs when you are stressed, anxious or your mood is getting low Have a ‘toolkit’ of things to manage stress, reduce anxiety and raise your mood – your own Mental Health First Aid kit  Maintain good boundaries and achieve a personal/study/committee/club/social life balance Identify your personal priorities Learn to say ‘no’ Self awareness – training like Stress Control, SMHFA and reliable websites like Moodjuice can help people learn what the signs and symptoms are and how to manage these. Toolkit – ask the ‘floor’ if they have any suggestions for what they might do to relieve stress and anxiety and raise their mood when low. Boundaries – knowing what you need and what you can and can’t so helps.

Drop some ‘CLANGERS’ every day… Connect with people and don’t live in isolation Learn new things and continually challenge yourself Active – even if only to get up and move about regularly Notice the world and savour the moment Give back – do something nice for someone, smile, volunteer… Eat well Relax, take time out to chill Sleep – 6-8 hours good quality sleep is fundamental to good mental and physical health

Looking after others… Recognise that someone might not be in a ‘good place’ – their mood might be low, anxiety high and may not be coping with challenges Low mood, anxiety and diagnosed mental health problems can affect people’s behaviours, perception and how they interact (or withdraw) Don’t feel that you need to ‘rescue’ and solve all their problems Listen non-judgementally. Being judged can make us feel worse – being accepted and listened to can make us feel better If mediating be aware of any conflicts of interest or bias – be as impartial as you can by setting these aside…for now Anxiety and low mood might affect someone’s behaviour and how they interact (or don’t). Speak a bit about considering this and how the right approach might at least avoid making things worse. For example – rather than criticising behaviours ask how the person is and acknowledge their behaviour as possibly indicating that they are not okay or something is wrong. Rescuing – see Drama Triangle next screen. Listening non-judgementally – we don’t nee dot agree but we don’t need to voice an opinion either – focus on the feelings of the individual more than the situation.

Knowing when to pass on and where to signpost… Sometimes were are not the best people to support someone. Whether we lack the expertise or don’t have the time or capacity. It’s easier to pass on responsibility if you know where to signpost. GP (for diagnosis, medication, support and medical evidence; University Student Support Services (for counselling, Mental Health support); Students Union for independent support and advocacy; Helplines e.g. Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87, Samaritans 116 123, SANE 0300 304 7000; Self-help websites (reputable and reliable ones) e.g. NUS Think Positive, ‘Healthy Body, Healthy Mind’, Moodjuice, SANE, SAMH. Mention the GP because it might also be necessary to get medical evidence for e.g. appeals, extenuating circumstances - even if there is no treatment required. Also the GP is the gateway to many other services that can’t be accessed otherwise.

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

Maintain appropriate boundaries... Your loyalties may be torn – club committee roles and responsibilities might conflict with friendships. Keep them separate. Some examples…from the floor… Let students offer some examples of when they may have experienced some of these issues. Remind them to keep it anonymous.

Further training… Stress Control SafeTALK Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) …and don’t forget that the staff in the Students Union are here to help. If in doubt, come and ask us. Push Stress Control. Six sessions, 90 minutes each and delivered ‘lecture’ style so no need for sharing personal experiences. Great life skills learned that can help us all manage stress since none of us can avoid it. Safe Talk is a short half-day course that helps people learn how to talk about suicide. SMHFA – 12 hours that can be delivered over 2 or more sessions and is interactive. ASIST – 2 day intensive course where you learn more about suicide and learn skills to intervene and help to prevent suicide when someone is actively suicidal or having suicidal thoughts. All courses are FREE.

Current Training Opportunities Dates: 16th & 18th April, 9-5pm sessions. 21st & 23rd May, 9-5pm sessions. Email: Elaine.Shepherd@stir.ac.uk

All About Acronyms! https://twitter.com/iron_madin/status/1112687493189636096?s=21&fbclid=IwAR3e85F2JvW71u1pzOjtOZX5znk3rpXChGGbEz0Z848e1ibD7JlG2bl8WoE onlinequizcreator.com/clubs-academy-2019-acronym-quiz/quiz-416220