Mental health and well-being are essential to a happy and healthy student life. Students face stress and pressure on a daily basis, and their mental health can suffer greatly because of it.

Be it academic struggles, social anxiety, homesickness, or just the wear and tear from the daily grind, a lot can take its toll on students’ mental health and well-being.

Looking after your student’s mental health is not something you should just do if they are struggling, or feeling low, anxious, or stressed. It's actually something that should be invested in, and made a high priority.

Staying on top of mental well-being is beneficial for all here and now. But it also helps them deal with and manage difficult times in the future. 

There are many things you can provide to look after your student’s mental health and well-being every day – Here are 5 simple changes that can make a big difference in the lives of your students. 

Allow Students To Connect With Mental Health Support 24/7

In today’s day and age, students expect to receive the same level of help and support from their institution as they would get from anywhere else and online support is the way to go.

24/7 support is available almost everywhere online. Support through chatbots, a knowledge base, live chat, or embedded messaging is commonplace.

Your institution must adopt and utilize similar fixtures to their campus app and online portals to provide around-the-clock help and support in all aspects of student life. 

Online or in-person support sessions, community boards, and directions for further help are just some of the ways you can support your students.

Share Ways Students Can Improve Their Mental Health

Another great way to provide support is to highlight how students can improve their mental health. Simple lifestyle changes can boost anyone’s mental health and well-being. Here are a few tips and advice you can give your students: 

🥅Set goals

Setting small, achievable goals allows people to apply purpose and focus to their week.

👪Connect with others

Surround yourself with good people. A strong support system improves your mental health and well-being. This can be online, by phone, or by seeing someone in person.

✍️Write things down

Getting thoughts, feelings, plans and goals out of your head and onto paper helps to put things into perspective, organise and strategise.

💪Live a healthy life

Being active, getting enough sleep, reducing alcohol intake, and eating a healthy and balanced diet can positively affect students'’ lives and mental health.

Share Benefits Of Improving Mental Health

Mental health affects different people in different ways. Those suffering from anxiety, depression, and stress often don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Showing those facing mental health challenges ways of improving their well-being is beneficial for their overall mental health. 

Even today, many people are reluctant to seek mental health care or are unable to do so. 

Unfortunately, a stigma remains attached to mental health, and some consider mental and emotional issues less legitimate than physical ones. It is viewed as a sign of weakness or somehow as being our own fault.

Mental health problems are still mistakenly misdiagnosed as something that can be “snapped out of” or “got over” leaving people to bottle up their feelings rather than seek help.

Giving students a safe space to share their struggles allows them to improve their situation and enjoy their academic environment and the people within it.

Our new guide, “How to Support Student Mental Health and Well-Being in Higher Ed,”explores more ways you can help students. Download it for more info and advice on how to support your students.