Be Kinder to Yourself: Mental Health While Studying

The diverse role of HR can be a hectic and demanding job. With the responsibility of employees, its no wonder HR professionals can often become very stressed. Did you know that last year alone stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 44% of all work-related ill health cases? AND 57% of all working days lost due to ill health!

So how does this relate to keeping good mental health….

Mental health is how we think, feel and behave. It is often a reaction to a difficult life event, such as bereavement. But can also be caused by work-related issues. The most common mental illness is depression and anxiety.

There’s absolutely no shame in suffering from mental illness. Here at Acacia Learning we find the most popular reason for students not completing a course or missing deadlines is due to their poor mental health.

We’ve composed a list of top tips to assist students studying whilst coping with mental health-related issues: 

1. DON’T SUFFER IN SILENCE
   Never be ashamed to ask for help, the clue is in the name student support. We’re always happy to assist rather than suffering silently or worse ghosting completely. The sooner we know, the more likely we’ll be able to help!
   
   
2. ONE BY ONE
   Do your modules one at a time as having multiple deadlines within close proximity can add unnecessary pressure.
   
   
3. SLOW AND STEADY
   If you are juggling too much, make your schedule more manageable by re-booking modules. This avoids retake costs or battling to complete assignments for a module you attended a long while ago.
   
   
4. EXTENSIONS PLEASE
   Do not be afraid to ask for an extension, more details can be found under the policies tab on the Acacia Student Hub.
   
   
5. TAKE A BREAK
   If it’s simply all too much, it may be best to take a break from studying all together but do discuss with our student support team.
   
   

Finally, even if you don’t suffer from mental illness it’s good to be kind to yourself. Apply these steps when needed. As a HR professional you can be on the look out for signs of mental health within your organisation as shown below.