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Whilst at university, it is important to look after your mind and body, and taking small steps can have a big impact in helping you find balance between your studies and wellbeing.
Specific wellbeing issues
The resources here can be used by you or anyone you know that has been affected by one or more of the situations below.
- Bereavement
Bereavement sometimes also referred to as grief, is a term used to describe the sense of loss felt when someone close to us or who we care about dies. It can be difficult and stressful and nearly everybody goes through it at some point in their lives.
You may feel depressed, angry, empty, or you may be concerned because you don’t seem to be feeling anything at all. Everyone experiences grief differently and there is no 'normal' or 'right' way to grieve. How we react will be influenced by many different things, including our age and personality, our cultural background and religious beliefs, our previous experiences of bereavement, our circumstances and how we cope with loss.
Sources of support and advice
If you think you need help, UCL is here to support you. Our counsellors can support students who have experienced bereavement and work closely with bereavement organisations in the area. We encourage you to get in touch with us and access our services.
Explore other online resources and apps for bereavement support, including short courses.
Find further reading material about support for bereavement in the online self-help library.
- Guide for students affected by the sudden death of a peer
If you experience the sudden loss of a friend or other peer at UCL, this guide provides information on the steps that need to be taken by UCL and the authorities, and outlines the support services available to you here and elsewhere.
Read our guide for students affected by the sudden death of a peer.- UCL Chaplain and Interfaith Adviser
The Rev'd Reid Humble, the UCL Chaplain and Interfaith Adviser, is available to provide pastoral support to all students affected by bereavement, whether you identify with a faith group or not.
Email Reid to arrange a support session on chaplaincy@ucl.ac.uk.- Sexual misconduct, domestic violence, bullying, harassment and hate crime
In an emergency, if you witness or experience a crime on campus, call UCL Security available 24/7 on +44 (0)20 7679 2222 or 222 from any UCL phone.
If you are off campus, call police immediately on 999 (or local equivalent if overseas).
In non-urgent cases, you can contact UCL’s Crime Prevention and Personal Safety Advisor, Sophie Bimson
If you’ve experienced harassment, violence or abuse, remember that it’s never your fault, and UCL is here to support you. We have a wide range of comprehensive support services available, should you need it, including support from external organisations. If you think you need help, our team of mental health and wellbeing advisers are here to listen, and we encourage you to get in touch with us and book a same-day appointment.
Discover apps and further online resources, including Report + Support.
Advice, information and support
Report + Support
If you’ve witnessed or experienced harassment, discrimination or sexual misconduct, you can report this anonymously on Report + Support. You can also find information and resources about support available here.
If you are comfortable with providing more details about the incident and your contact details, you will receive a follow-up and will be guided to access further support from advisers, who can:
- talk through UCL's procedures
- inform you on how to make a complaint
- let you know what support is available
For advice and support on filling out these reports, you can contact Students’ Union UCL’s Advice Service.
You can also get in touch with the Students’ Union UCL Women’s Officer, who leads campaigns to support women students across the university, and can also advocate on your behalf.
Report a hate crime or hate incident
If you or another UCL student is a victim of a hate crime or hate incident, please report it through Students' Union UCL. Whether or not you want to give your details is completely up to you, and if you leave your contact details, they will remain confidential within the confines of the Advice Service.
- Self-harm
If you or someone else is experiencing a mental crisis and are at immediate risk of harming yourself (or someone else), call 999 in an emergency. An ambulance will be able to bring you directly to the Accident & Emergency (A&E) department of your local hospital to get urgent help.
UCLH has the nearest A&E department to UCL’s main campus..
Find your nearest A&E department.
If you are in need of urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 to be put through to your local crisis team.
Self-harm is intentionally hurting yourself and is often done in private. Self-harm may include scratching, cutting, overdosing on medication, biting or burning oneself. Self-harm isn’t a mental illness, but it is often linked to mental distress, including suicidal thoughts.
Self-harm is sometimes used as a short-term way to manage overwhelming feelings and emotions; it is not a long-term solution and often treatment is required. You might feel that you are the only one who self-harms. You might feel like people close to you won’t understand. But there are ways to reach out to people to ask for help.
Your recovery
Sharing your experiences can help your recovery. Whatever you may be going through, the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team is here to support you and we encourage you to get in touch with us to book a same-day appointment with our dedicated team of Mental Health and Wellbeing advisers.
We recommend that you go to see your doctor as soon as possible. If you’re anxious about telling your doctor, your friends and family may be able to support you.
If you'd like to speak to someone about how you're feeling, you can contact an adviser via the UCL 24/7 Student Support Line on +44 (0) 808 238 0077. The UCL Student Support Line is a free, confidential wellbeing support services, offered in 35+ languages including sign, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Find out what specialist support services are available to you to help you in your recovery.
- Suicidal thoughts
If you or someone else is experiencing a mental crisis and are at immediate risk of harming yourself (or someone else), call 999 in an emergency. An ambulance will be able to bring you directly to the Accident & Emergency (A&E) department of your local hospital to get urgent help.
Call 999 to request an ambulance if you are unable to reach the hospital yourself.
Find your nearest A&E department.
If you are in need of urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 to be put through to your local crisis team.
Download a safety plan template (PDF 250KB)
Thoughts of suicide are common. Many adults will experience suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives. The feelings that drive suicide are often temporary and situation-specific, for instance, a stressful event associated with feelings of loss can trigger suicidal thoughts.
If you are going through a difficult period, you may feel isolated and disconnected from your personal support networks. You may also worry about the reaction and impact on those close to you if you share thoughts of suicide. It may feel awkward to start a conversation and there isn’t a right or wrong way to talk about suicidal feelings.
Talk to someone
Starting the conversation is what’s important. You may want to talk to a trusted family member, a friend, a colleague, a staff member in your department or hall of residence, UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, your GP, or an external organisation dedicated to supporting people experiencing suicidal feelings.
Our Mental Health and Wellbeing advisers have a wealth of experience and skills including Mental Health First Aid and suicide prevention training. They will listen to you and seek to understand how you are feeling. We encourage you to book an appointment with us.
Our team can help you identify and access therapeutic and/or medical support, suggest adjustments to study and agree a safety plan with you. A safety plan is a personalised plan to support you step by step during periods when you're feeling suicidal (link above).
It is important to remember that people care and will want to help. Professional support is available and it is easy to access.
Access further support from external organisations who specialise in suicide prevention.
Look after yourself
There are a number of ways you can look after yourself if you are feeling suicidal.
- Firstly, you can save emergency phone numbers and what to do when you are feeling suicidal in a safety plan (link above). It can be helpful to complete the safety plan together with one of our Mental Health and Wellbeing Advisers at a drop-in session or appointment.
- Try to be around friends or family if you can. If this is not possible, aim to get to a safe place and call them.
- You may also choose to call a helpline, such as one of those listed above, for support. Most of these are available out of hours.
- Try to not consume drugs or alcohol - these can have a substantial negative effect on mental health and wellbeing.
- Do things you enjoy, such as listening to music, exercising, or watching a favourite TV show in order to distract yourself and take your mind off your thoughts.
More resources that may help if you're feeling suicidal, including awareness training.
Looking after yourself
These health and wellbeing resources are here to help you make the most of your time during university and beyond.
Check out our online self-help library for resources on self-care and positive mindset.
- Exercise
Finding a physical activity that you enjoy can improve your mood, boost energy and reduce stress. There are lots of great ways to keep active at UCL, in London and at home.
Project Active
Run by the Students' Union UCL, Project Active is about feeling empowered and having fun, but most of all enjoying being active in whatever way works for you! While sport isn’t for everyone, embracing an active lifestyle can not only help you feel physically stronger and fitter, it can also improve your mental wellbeing and resilience. You don’t have to be competitive to be active. Offers weekly exercise classes open to all UCL students and staff. All our online classes are free for Term 2.
All our classes are beginner friendly and open to all fitness levels, so it doesn’t matter if you’ve never done one before! All you need is a good internet connection and somewhere to move/stretch out. Includes yoga, pilates, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), dance and more.
Visit Project Active and book a class today.
Bloomsbury Fitness
Bloomsbury Fitness is UCL's on-campus gym open to all UCL students and staff. Members benefit from: free classes, a 90 piece fitness suite, a free-weight section, disabled access and accessible gym equipment, massage therapists, personal trainers, Life Fitness cardio-vascular equipment, internet enabled smart machines, Netflix, squash courts, and free inductions tailored to your specific needs.
Keep moving with UCLsupport
Read our blog to get top tips on fun and easy ways to get active and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
- Mindfulness and meditation
Mindfulness is a technique that helps with preventing and alleviating many common mental health problems. It can be hard to keep up with the demands of study, work and the fast pace of living in London. Mindfulness has been scientifically proven to reduce stress, increase focus and overall feelings of happiness and wellbeing. Practising mindfulness can be as simple as taking a few minutes a day to take notice of your senses, feelings and thoughts. It can easily be incorporated into daily life.
Explore the online self-help library for further reading material about mindfulness.
Find out about external support available to you to practise mindfulness.
Discover digital and app resources to help you on your mindfulness journey.- Sleep problems
Sleep problems are very common and are often referred to as insomnia. There is no “right” amount of sleep as this varies between people depending on their age. It can be distressing when you feeling you’re not getting enough sleep at night, which in turn can make it harder to fall asleep in the first place. The most common sleep problems include: getting to sleep; staying asleep; waking too early; poor quality sleep; sleeping too much but still feeling tired.
Sleep problems can occur for several reasons: emotional reasons, such as bereavement or a break-up; unhelpful surroundings, such as being too hot or cold; disrupted sleep routines, such as doing shift-work.
Not getting enough sleep can seriously impact your ability to study. Getting stressed about it makes the situation worse. Find out how to break that vicious circle with support available below.
Check out further information and advice from external organisations to help you with sleep.
Explore the online self-help library for reading material on insomnia and sleep problems.
- Stress and resilience
Stress is what we feel when we are under pressure. It’s a completely normal response which we all experience from time to time and is our body’s reaction to feeling under threat; the fight or flight response. It is not dangerous. In fact, a certain amount of pressure can be quite helpful and motivating. If we have too much pressure for too long, we run the risk of a more severe stress reaction. This can be quite unpleasant in the short term, but also if stress continues and is not managed, can be really bad for our health. Common signs and symptoms of stress:
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Feelings of guilt and low self-esteem
- Poor concentration and memory
- Blurred vision, tired eyes
- Feeling sick, dizzy and faint
During your time at university, you might be snappy with your flat mates or peers, drinking or smoking more than usual, over or undereating, withdrawing from activities you normally enjoy, and forgetting things easily such as assessment deadlines. If you’re struggling, we are here for you. We encourage you to access our support services and check out sources of advice and guidance below.
Find out what external support is available to you to help manage stress and overwhelm.
Explore the online self-help library for further reading material about stress.
Discover online programmes and app resources to help manage stress.
- Assessment success guide
At UCL, it's normal to have lots of coursework, in-class tests and exams, which can be a nerve-wracking and stressful experience.
The exam success guide is here to help you plan and prepare to the best of your ability for exam day. The examination period is an understandably challenging time, and few of us can honestly say that we don't get at least a little nervous before sitting an exam. As much as we might sometimes dislike them, exams are in most cases an essential means of assessment, and there is plenty we can do to tackle our stress and achieve our best.
- Volunteering
Looking to improve your wellbeing? Want to be better connected with other people? Volunteering may just be the answer.
You can discover all our opportunities in the Students' Union UCL's volunteering directory – use the search tools to find something perfect for you.
They have an enormous range of options for you, including in-person volunteering, Student-Led Volunteering Projects (including setting up your own project!), and virtual volunteering such as Social Hackathons - there is something for everyone. Doing a master's? You can do a great socially-conscious dissertation. Check out our Community Research Initiative for Students – where they help you skill up for networking, meet local non-profit organisations and collaborate during the development of your dissertation project. Make your research count!
If you want to receive the latest volunteering roles, simply sign up to the weekly newsletter bulletin.
Find out more about volunteering on the Students' Union UCL website here.