This article focuses on the importance of healthy habits for wellbeing. The article provides useful tips and information regarding physical wellbeing, diet, responsible alcohol use, exercise and sleep.

When you start university, you will encounter many new experiences. Some you will enjoy, others you may not. Adapting to a new environment can be challenging. This article focuses on building the foundations of emotional balance and mental wellbeing. It will guide you through planning to make small changes to help increase your emotional resilience (ability to adapt to stressful situations) and mental wellbeing.

You may be looking forward to living away from home and building your independence or it may feel very daunting, or a mix of both. All the above are normal and understandable. It may be that you are looking forward to learning in depth about your chosen subject and hoping that you may find some like-minded people at University.

Whatever it is that has brought you to University, those early weeks are likely to bring up many different emotions, both positive and negative. Common challenges can include:

Social aspects

• Uncertainty about what will happen or what is expected of you
• Feeling under pressure to socialise
• Not knowing what to say to people or how to start a conversation
• Anxiety around forming new friendships
• Learning to live with other people

Sensory considerations

• Other people’s noise, tidiness, hygiene
• Possible environmental triggers to sensory overload – halls of residence, lecture theatres, cafeteria

Cognitive overload

• Feeling overwhelmed by reading lists or workload
• All the new experiences and information that you are taking in can be exhausting

Practical considerations

• Learning to look after yourself including your physical and mental health
• Making appointments
• Being responsible for your finances
• Using public transport
• Disruption of previous daily routines and the development of new university routines
• Learning your way around a new city or campus
• Uncertainty about timetabling and where you are meant to be
• Managing deadlines
• Working in groups

To meet the challenges we face in life, we need to keep our bodies and minds healthy. A simple model for this, based on Marsha Linehan’s research, is the PlEASE model: treat Physical illness, balance Eating, use Alcohol responsibly, balance Sleep, and get Exercise.

Physical Illness

When we are ill, it becomes harder for us to think clearly and we may find ourselves getting upset or angry. It is important that you seek support straight away if you feel ill. You can do this in various ways, such as visiting a pharmacy or contacting your GP. In Wales, NHS Wales 111 provides health information and advice

Visiting the pharmacy or phoning the GP surgery can feel intimidating. Here are some things you can do to help prepare:

• You could visit the GP surgery or local pharmacy before you are ill so that you are familiar with the layout. If you feel you could do with some extra support, take a family member or friend with you.
• Find out if you can book appointments, and how to do this. The pharmacy may only offer a drop-in service, but you will need to book to see a GP.
• Write down what you need to say before you go.
• Complete a hospital passport, which explains your communication needs and preferences, how you express pain and what people can do to reduce your distress. This can be useful in a range of situations including at the pharmacy, GP and hospital.

It may be possible to ask for the following reasonable adjustments:

• Early/late or longer appointments.
• Somewhere quiet to wait, or waiting outside and being called in from there.
• Seeing the same clinician each time, if at all possible (while acknowledging that this is often very difficult to arrange).
• Accessible information in a format you understand, about how and when appointments are available and how to get prescriptions or access services like cancer-screening tests.

Balanced eating

Our energy levels and emotions are directly affected by what we eat and drink. For many students starting University will be the first time they have looked after themselves and many turn to fast food, chocolate and crisps, as these foods are often cheap and easy to get hold of. These types of food can also initially provide some comfort of their own. However, if they are our main food source, they can lead to us feel run down and exhausted.

It is a good idea to plan ahead for how you will ensure you have a balanced diet while you are at university. Learn about what nutrients you need to keep your energy levels up, so that you can make the most of your learning and university experience, and practise cooking meals you enjoy. Below, we provide some useful links to easy recipes.

Responsible alcohol use

Many people use alcohol to try and reduce feelings of anxiety, especially when socialising. In the short term, this can appear to reduce the anxiety/distress. However, in the longer term it creates increased distress and anxiety, so does the opposite of what is intended.

Before you start university, plan how you are going to manage uncomfortable situations where you may feel tempted or pressured to drink. Think about what you are comfortable drinking and learn the signs that you need to stop drinking on that evening. It can also help to think about what you enjoy and other things that help you to feel calm and relaxed.

Balanced sleep

Autism can make getting a good night’s sleep more difficult. Research has shown that many different factors contribute to this, including irregular sleep-wake cycles (circadian rhythms), physical health issues such as gastrointestinal problems and epilepsy, or anxiety and depression (which affect sleep because the brain is constantly trying to sort through the day’s events or other worries).

All of these factors can mean that it takes longer to fall asleep, it is harder to stay asleep and the depth and quality of sleep is reduced. Being constantly tired can make your daily activities much more difficult.

Thankfully there are things, such as the items on this list, that can help you to get a good night’s sleep. It also helps to have a clear daily structure, with consistent times for going to sleep and getting up. This can be difficult to establish within a typical student lifestyle, and can be affected by others in shared accommodation.

You can also contact the university’s wellbeing team for advice and support. If necessary, it may also help to talk to your GP about how to get a good night’s sleep.

Exercise

We all know that we should exercise regularly but sometimes it can be hard, especially if you are feeling low or anxious about what others may think. It may help to remind yourself of the many benefits exercise can bring, such as:

• using up adrenaline (produced by anxiety)
• releasing endorphins and other chemicals which are good for the body and mind
• helping the body to repair itself better, with quicker recovery from infection
• reduced anxiety and improved mood
• helping to clear the head and think more clearly

If you are unsure which exercise to do, you could try talking to a trainer at the sports centre and discuss what would best suit you.

Physical illness

Before you get ill you may want to consider the following questions:

• Do you know what services are available in Wales? Check NHS Wales 111 for information about the Common Ailments Service for support via your local pharmacy
• Do you know how to make an appointment with your GP? Not all GPs in Bangor offer online appointment booking.
• Many GP appointments are over the phone. Would this suit you, or do you need to request an in-person appointment?

Balanced eating

A balanced diet requires planning, and you will need to allow time for shopping and cooking in your timetable / routine. Things to consider:

• Would it work better for you to devote one day (e.g. Sunday) to shop and cook for the week, or would cooking at the end of each day suit you better?
• Which vegetables and fruit do you most like? Can you find recipes that include them? In what other ways can you include them in your diet?
• Have you considered sharing cooking with your housemates? It can be cheaper and a good way to share the load.

Responsible alcohol use

Think about the situations in which you may be tempted to drink more than you would like to:

• Do you find it more comfortable to go out in small groups or larger groups ?
• What sort of places you find easier to go to?
• Do you like loud places or quiet places, bright lights or gentle lighting?

Once you know what makes things more comfortable for you, think about how you can explain this to housemates or new friends. It may feel hard to explain this to others, but most people want the people they are with to feel happy and have a good time.

Balanced sleep

Before you start at university, think about your bedtime routine at home and what helps you to sleep well. Once you have a clear idea of what works for you, think how you can replicate this at university. Are there things that you can bring from home that will help with the transition to university?

If you are going to share with others, think about what kind of agreement you could ask for in relation to noise levels and set quiet periods overnight. You may need to compromise to find something that works for everyone.

Exercise

It is sometimes hard to get into a regular exercise routine. Thinking about these things may help you get started:

• Do you like team sports or group classes or do you prefer to exercise on your own?
• Do you enjoy outdoors or prefer a gym?
• If you are not one for active sports, have you considered walking? Try walking to university a longer way, if possible including nature trails, at least three times a week.
• Are there any slots between lectures when you could exercise, even for short periods?

Physical illness

• Making the most of your visit to the GP

• National Autistic Society – Hospital passport and guidance

Balanced eating

• MentalHealth.org provides information on the link between diet and mental health,
• Information from Mind about Food and Mental Health
• BBCGoodFood offers a range of healthy and easy recipes: Brain boosting recipes, recipes for students, healthy recipes for students.
• The NHS website Better Health, offers advice and suggests a range of useful apps.

Responsible alcohol use

• If you are worried about your own, or others’ drinking habits, you can find advice and support via the Drinkaware website.

Sleep

• You can find advice on how to set up a good bedtime routine here.
• Smiling Mind is a free mindfulness meditation app. It includes a Sleep Toolkit and several other sleep related resources. You can find information and links to the iOS and Android apps on their website.
• This app gives relaxing melodies to aid sleep: Relaxing melodies app for iPhone and for Google Play.

Exercise

• How to look after your mental health using exercise, from The Mental Health Foundation includes ideas about how to start.

This article was prepared by Dr Abigail Tolland, a clinical psychologist working in the University of Portsmouth’s Student Wellbeing Service, and adjusted to apply to a Welsh University.