New group providing much needed support for students facing ‘huge challenges’

Georgia Longmoor, Group Coordinator for ‘Support in Mind Scotland for Students’

All of these students are facing huge changes to their lives. Though these changes might be exciting and anticipated, they can inevitably cause stress, anxiety and worry. For students who are managing a mental health problem, they may have even more impact. Alongside the pandemic and the effect it has had on how universities have been operating, it is clear that students are facing huge challenges. Despite the rapidly rising need for support, it is not always clear for many students where to turn.

I was one of these students last March, working to finish my PhD thesis after a tumultuous 4 years. I was struggling with my mental and physical health after being diagnosed with Endometriosis, and my relationship with my supervisor had completely broken down. Then the lockdown hit, and it pushed me over the edge. I was having panic attacks and very low moments, and I knew I couldn’t do it anymore.

I decided to take a year off to recover, and reached out to Support in Mind Scotland (SiMS), the mental health charity, to enquire about volunteer opportunities. I had a chat with Alexis, the Volunteer Coordinator, about the charity, my background, and my thoughts around student mental health support. Through my own experience, I am passionate about improving the support available for students within and outwith universities.

I began offering yoga classes in support of SiMS, and soon after, the early stages of our project began. I created a mapping exercise to visualise the support currently on offer at my university, and started reaching out to promote the services SiMS offers. This includes the National Information Service, a helpline which anyone can call to find support options in their local area.

We had this vision of gathering volunteers from every University around Scotland, to raise awareness of the charity and student mental health support nationally. Support in Mind Scotland for Students was born, and it has been an amazing journey ever since.

We now have a group of 11 volunteers from universities in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Fife. We work together to reach out to universities, promoting the support SiMS can offer students. We write blogs and articles for the SiMS website and social media, linking in with campaigns like #NoWrongPath on this year’s exam results day. We are normalising speaking about mental health - we have even started a podcast, with our volunteer Caroline recording the first one on the topic of career paths and the challenges these can bring.

As the year passed, I started to find my way back to myself, and coordinating SiMS for Students was one of the reasons. I realised how unhappy, stressed and emotionally drained I was before taking that year off. I made the decision to quit my PhD, and I have never been happier. I get to meet with a group of inspiring, passionate students every fortnight who are as dedicated as me to raising awareness of student mental health support. I have found a job I truly love, where I support people with their mental health in the NHS as a Trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner.

For SiMS for Students, the new academic year brings new opportunities for our project. We are currently working on a campaign for Freshers’ week, which can be a challenging time for many students. We are still actively recruiting for volunteers, you can find out more here: https://www.supportinmindscotland.org.uk/volunteering-opportunities. And if you need support, please call Support in Mind Scotland’s National Information Service on 0300 323 1545, or you can email [email protected], or message them on social media: @suppinmindscot

Georgia Longmoor, Group Coordinator for ‘Support in Mind Scotland for Students’

New group providing much needed support for students facing ‘huge challenges’ - Georgia Longmoor

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