On University Mental Health Day Sam Webb, a postgraduate ambassador, shares his experience of studying psychology and dealing with mental health problems.
I'm Sam, I'm a postgraduate student at the University of South Wales studying for a master's degree in Clinical Psychology. I originally chose to study psychology because of my family's mental health history, and I wanted to learn more so I could help people in need. I'm also very interested in human biology and the two work together.
I applied to be a postgraduate ambassador because I was looking for more opportunities to get involved in things in the Welsh community. This can be hard to find, especially as an adult and I think other students think the same. It can be difficult if you're a new Welsh speaker to gain the confidence but there's help available. Personally, I'm a big fan of research and science, so I'm looking forward to talking to other students and meeting new people.
Overall, I'd say that studying psychology can help someone with their mental health or understanding the mechanism of the brain. I would also say that it depends on which department of psychology you study or want to practice in the future. For example, in psychotherapy, students have to learn how to be a reflective practitioner. This helps you understand yourself better and help others.
Mental health caused some problems during my time studying at university, especially because of the pandemic. There was a lot of depression and loneliness around this time for me and I think this is a common experience for students.
It took me a lot of time to feel better after this and at times, it felt hard to get help because everything felt out of place in society. However, my university and lecturers were very good at helping with these problems and how they affected my studies, and I am very grateful for this.
On a day-to-day basis, I feel like it's important to have some sort of routine or control to the day and then your week. This makes sure you know when you'll have time to relax and time you know you'll be working on coursework. This will also give you plenty of time to complete what is needed. This translates well into the second thing that helps me so much, and that is organizing. By organized, it makes sure there are no worries that are going to surprise you and it gives back a feeling of control that is difficult these days.
Listen to your body! A lot of the time, you can find the answer by listening more carefully to your body. I know sometimes when I don't have energy or I'm feeling low or anxious, the reason for this is because I'm thirsty or need to eat. Things like this happen more than we realise.
In my opinion, it looks like mental health is a topic that's being discussed more these days. Some of the reasons for this may be due to an improvement in society but also due to the quality of mental health team at universities. However, peer pressure is still a problem for some, especially for young people who are just starting out at university.
The other advice I'd say is to talk to someone about how you're feeling because there's people out there to listen to you, even if it doesn't feel like that. Another important thing is to develop coping skills that are healthy instead of negative ones where you can. When things are tough, it's much easier to focus on the things you can't change instead of the things you can.