February: Eating disorder awareness month

Imagine you’re doing your weekly shop at your local supermarket, you have your mental shopping list and go through each section in the shop. You remember you mainly need potatoes, milk, cereal, pasta, cheese and toothpaste.
You know that every shop is a new chance for you to get better, to get where you want to be. But thinking about all the carbohydrates that are resembled by the potatoes and pasta, or the sugar that one finds in the Coco Pops you normally really like, the fat in cheese… it makes you feel unwell.  ‘’You’re not worth it, you don’t deserve to eat that’’. A cold sweat shivers down your back, your head spins and you feel sick. You suddenly become aware of your own body again, you think of all the parts of your body that you don’t like: the belly that isn’t flat enough, your legs and arms that you don’t like and your cheeks, you hate how fat they make you look. But worse, you think of the control you will lose if you eat. So much is pinned on your body. You truly believe that if you gain weight, everyone will hate you, and you will fail your exams. You remember last time you ate high calorie food. You only did it to prove to people you were fine. You remember the horror, the shame, the furious anger, and the vomiting until there was nothing left but blood. You are so frightened.
You remember your friends and family saying you’re beautiful and don’t need to watch out for calories that much that you need to start eating proper food again.  You remember your doctor telling you that if you don’t start to gain weight again, you won’t be able to function normally anymore and may have to face a clinic.  If you carry on like this, you will die…
You can’t do this, not today. You go to pick the toothpaste up, already having made the decision that this is the only thing you’ll be buying today. You go to the check outs and pay, you  leave the shop and walk back to your flat.
You’ve decided you won’t get better today, that there’s always another chance tomorrow or the day after tomorrow or…

This month is eating disorder awareness month, do you know someone who suffers an eating disorder?
It’s time to talk about it.

1.6 million people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder, 11% of the sufferers are male.
It’s time to change, it’s time to talk.

Think maybe, just maybe, people do it to be ‘fashionable’ or for attention? Trust me, there’s nothing fashionable about hiding sick bags in your hand bag. Not great confidence boost, trust me; been there, done that, got the T-shirt.

Eating disorders are a living Hell.

Are you worried about someone, your friend, your brother, your flat mate? Talk to them. Break the silence!

 

Blue Monday

A Note on “Blue Monday”

Many of you may well have read various news stories relating to the idea of “Blue Monday”. Simply put: today is the day we, as a nation, get terribly depressed. Such a fact came from the rigorous scientific prowess of Sky Travel, who had no other motivation to perpetrate the fact than general helpfulness, so that was nice of them. Now that we all knew when we were gonna get depressed, we could book a holiday to avoid it, perhaps fly out to somewhere hot, courtesy of...oh, I dunno....Sky Travel? 

Of course Blue Monday is codswallop, folly or straight up nonsense, depending on your favourite colloquialism. For those who want to devour the tasty tasty science, Ben Goldacre has written a brilliant piece on the issue.

The main issue is that depression, whichever form it takes, is not something that just shows up, steals all your tea and biscuits (which is British for “happiness”) and then vanishes the next day, leaving you glad you won't have to go through that for a year. Sure, people have bad days, where every conceivable thing goes wrong, and these can be difficult, but they do not occur to everybody on the same day.

Such thinking can be dangerous. Those with serious conditions can be brushed off with “it's just Blue Monday”, or “it's January, everyone gets a bit sad in January”.

The truth is, the “everybody goes through that, you'll get over it”attitude is not conductive to a person's health. Often the winter can be times of great mental distress, with the lack of natural light and an increase in cold temperatures resulting in an overall downward trend of social interaction.

Those experiencing a decrease in mood should not just wait it out. There are options available to everyone, especially to students who can take advantage of free counselling and services such as Nightline.

The important thing here is to know that you do not have to blame depression on "just that time of year", regardless of what the patronising "Blue Monday" brigade would have you believe.

Returning After the Winter Break

Returning After the Winter Break

First of all we at Hallam Head Space hope you’ve had a merry Christmas and wish you a happy New Year.

As the emphatic ingestion of food turns into padding for winter, conversations change from “how is Uni” to “how was home”, and the alcohol turns less festive and more into “what’s cheapest at Tesco”, it’s time to look forward to 2013.

At this point we could easily just open a can of clichés supplemented with quotes from anyone other than the inspirational figures they are accredited to, but that’s what Tumblr is for.

Instead we’ll just offer some sound advice.

Now that the excitement of the festive period is over, post-holiday blues are not uncommon. The best way of dealing with these is to socialise. It may seem like the last thing you want to do, but just a short conversation with one of your flatmates can do the world of good, even just lounging in the living room with a few mates watching dodgy telly can do the trick.

Remember Student Wellbeing are also there for you. Last semester they saw 413 students, helping to disparage individual worries and fears which naturally occur during the University experience.

If you don’t feel like going anywhere, you can call the brilliant Nightline for help with pretty much anything.

As for us, we’ll be here, regularly updating the blog and various social media with more tips and advice to help you make the most out of your university experience.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

…for most people, but for some, Christmas can be rather less than glittery.

I just wanted to bring to attention how Christmas is a danger zone for some people in terms of mental health.

‘’Mostly I'm OK. It's Christmas time that it hits me worst, as that's when he died. Then I stare at his empty chair and feel swamped by an awful, aching loneliness’’ (Mind.org.uk)

Some people might find it harder to deal with the added pressure:

·         More pressure to engage in social activities, which may be difficult for individuals with a range of anxiety disorders who really do not want to dance the night away in a sequin mini
·         Change of routine, again may be hard for those with anxiety problems
·         Fear of being lonely (mind.org.uk), or feeling lonely whilst watching others be together
·         Sad and sentimental at times, maybe missing people you no longer see. This may be particularly a problem for individuals who are depressed
·         Lots of social eating and drinking may be hard if you have an eating disorder- Christmas dinner isn’t the same if you’re sat there calculating how many calories are in a sprout.
·         Seeing other people being happy and feeling bad because you’re just not feeling that way
·         Guilt for not being as happy as you feel you should be- guess this is a viscous circle which may just dampen your party spirits a little!
Also, it’s important to realise that the over-indulgence of Christmas in terms of late nights and cocktails can also take its toll on Psychological wellbeing.

Maybe we should just bear this in mind x 

We hope you have a very merry Christmas, the Hallam Head Space team 

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Exam Stress?

The free time throughout the semester is a wonderful thing. Drunken nights out, whole days to waste on hangover cures and more social contact than you can swing a cat at (or something).

However as the days get colder, the nights get longer and the dreaded deadlines dauntingly hover overhead, you may be forgiven for forgetting what you enjoy about University life.

It's like having a full time job, except one in which for 80% of the time you can get away with a few hours work a day, but in return you must spend the other 20% of your days slaving away, occasionally overnight, in an attempt to transfer a smorgasbord of lectures, seminars, books and journals into one coherent document.

Alternatively there is the examinee's attempt to shovel as much information into their brain as possible, in the hope that they won't be thrown a curve-ball that relies on the one peripheral case or study they just didn't have time for.

Of course there is then the delightful chance that both forms of assessment will be due within a few days of each other. In which case it's a hell-for-leather, all guns blazing, see-you-in-a-week-once-I-crawl-out-of-the-library-whilst-the-sun-burns-my-retinas-which-have-become-so-accustomed-to-indoor-lighting, mentality.

You may think I'm exaggerating, but I know people who have done this. The record amount of time I've known someone to stay in the library is 48 hours, continuously.

This doesn't have to be the case.

There are many ways to survive the deadline/exam roller-coaster, here is the method suggested by the good people at Mental Wealth UK:

• Split the day up into manageable chunks (e.g. Morning, Afternoon, Evening)
• Organise the exact time you are going to spend on each task
• Ensure a 10 minute break after every 40 minute work-period
• Always have a supply of drinks and food
• If you're lacking motivation, do something related, but lighter for 5 minutes first
• Engage in some social time (even if it's just watching TV with house-mates at the end of the day)

Some stress is natural, after all it's what keeps us alert to the task at hand, however too much can do more harm than good. With these tips you will be able to keep on top of things, whilst keeping those grey hairs at bay.

Hallam Head Space presents...

'Break the Silence'

"I type in "Mental Health" into our universities on-line portal and get 55 results.  Good start - I can do this. 

First link takes me to an explanation - "What is mental health support?"  This is useful stuff…..but it doesn't tell me where to go…..so I click back and the next link tells me how I can see a mental health advisor.  Excellent!  A phone number and email address……

But I daren't call anyone…. I'm not used to talking on the phone and I feel embarrassed and silly. 

So I'll email then….Yes.  I'll email.  That’s a better idea. 

But what do I say?

"Excuse me, I am really stressed out.  I'm not sleeping or eating properly and I just generally feel rubbish." - They'll think it's because I'm out partying every night….

But I'm not.

And what will I do if they reply asking me to go and see them?  Where would I have to go?  What if my friends see me going and think I'm crazy? What if I get laughed at? 

No…I won't email.  I'll keep looking; maybe there is something else that will help me.  I definitely need some help.

The next link takes me to a big list of other links and this stuff is really great - there are workshops on here, drop-in details, self-help resources….those are good.  I'll have a look at those soon. 

I probably won't go to the workshops.  

I don't think I'll go to the drop-in sessions either. 

I might use the self-help resources, they look really good, but I'm not sure I really need them.

The workshops and drop-ins all seem a bit open and not in the least bit anonymous.  Uncertainty and new things make me nervous. 

I'm nervous enough as it is.

I wonder what happens to your information once they take it from you.  I wonder if it is linked to your academic record.

I'll have to look into that.

I do need to do something though. 

All these resources for depression and other illnesses.  Do I have one of those?

I don't know.  I think I'm being silly.

There are other people much worse off than me and I should be grateful for what I have.

I don't need these resources…..I'm just being stupid….I just have too much to do that’s all.

It will get better after exams.

But then I have semester 2 exams…what will I do then?"

An NUS Survey - Silently Stressed, 2011, highlighted that 80% of students would not seek help for a mental health issue due to the embarrassment and stigma associated with it.

Less than 20% of students would access university services.

The extract above is from a Level 5 Student.

Hallam Head Space is aiming to Break the Silence on Mental Health and encourage people to get talking about it - in order to smash that 80% figure down to one that is much more acceptable.

Hallam Head Space 'Wishes SHU well' 


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