University Mental Health Awareness Day

Reading is proud to be part of University Mental Health Awareness Day on 4 March 2021.

Support for colleagues

Its widely reported that mental ill health will affect one in four people at some point in their working lives. 

Taking the time to work on our wellbeing might be the furthest thing from many people's minds right now, given the challenges that we are all facing, whether in our work lives, personal lives, or both. The good news is that small, practical, and straight forward changes in our day can make a noticeable difference to our mood and general wellbeing.

We want to take the opportunity to promote and raise awareness of mental ill health (and the importance of positive mental wellbeing) and to remind you of the various wellbeing offerings you can access at Reading.

Wellbeing Support available at Reading

Employee Assistance Programme

The University provides an Employee Assistance Programme, which is an independent, free, confidential support and counselling service which is run by CiC and is called Confidential Care.

CiC have a number of useful helpsheets including the following topics:

• Managing stress
• Better sleep
• Mindfulness
• Understanding stress and anxiety
• Nutrition and exercise

You can also view two webinars delivered by Harry Keys, Global Specialist Services (Confidential Care):

• Working from home and resilience - use the password Wellbeing1 (23 mins)
• Coping with change and uncertainty -  use the password MhPMNCK8 (56 mins)

Wellbeing Peer Support

You can contact a member of the Wellbeing Peer Support network by clicking on this link. These trained staff volunteers are a first point of contact if you are experiencing poor wellbeing, a mental health issue or emotional distress. They are trained to recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health issues, and can guide you toward the right support services. They are not there to diagnose or counsel but to provide initial confidential support and information.

People Development are piloting four wellbeing online sessions on Wednesday 10 March - the following themes are covered:

• Managing Stress
• Work-Life Balance
• Wellbeing for Employees
• Positive Thinking

For further information and to register onto these sessions via UoRLearn please click on the above links.

5-day Wellbeing Bootcamp

You are invited to join and register for Confidential Care's complimentary 5-day Wellbeing Bootcamp

Kicking off on Monday 8 March, Confidential Care's Wellbeing Bootcamp will guide you through the following cornerstones of wellbeing:

1. Sleep hygiene - how to optimise our nightly rest
2. Coping with stress - the difference between helpful - vs - unhealthy levels of stress
3. Acts of kindness - the link between acts of selfishness and our mood
4. Gratitude - how to get an immediate wellbeing boost from expressing thanks
5. Maintaining connections - the importance of our social networks and how to maintain them given the current crises

Each day you'll receive a morning email from us giving practical guidance on each of our 5 key topics. We'll set you an easy challenge to complete by the end of the day, and there'll also be links to further reading and resources. The only cost to you is a few minutes of your time each day.

To register for the complimentary 5-day Wellbeing Bootcamp click on the following link.

For further information on the wellbeing offerings available please click on the Wellbeing Pages link.

Activities and support for our students

With so many of our students studying remotely at this difficult and uncertain time, University Mental Health Awareness Day is a great opportunity to encourage them to speak openly about their mental health and wellbeing, and seek support if they need it. Colleagues in Student Services have worked closely with RUSU to prepare a range of activities and content to share.

Our dedicated University Mental Health Day page on Essentials provides details of all of the events taking place and the support available. This includes:

• RUSU's virtual mental health conference
• An eating disorder awareness event, hosted by RUSU, with two guest speakers
• Student Wellbeing Services Instagram takeover
• Sport in Mind free yoga session

Please do share the link with students, as it also provides a useful summary of our comprehensive range of support available.