It's a new decade, but we're still bringing the same stigma and shame around talking about mental health and wellbeing.  

There's a constant worry that we're burdening others when we open up about our problems, or worse, that people will see us as attention-seeking if we talk about it openly and plainly. This is the fundamental problem surrounding getting help for most people. We feel as if maybe we're overreacting to our feelings, and maybe they're not as bad as we are making them out to be.

I see people everyday struggling with their degree, with the pressure of assignments, dissertations, deadlines, finding groups to work with, even just sharing your work with a lecturer can be very daunting for students. I want more awareness on all of our degrees for students who struggle, so that they can be put in less anxiety inducing situations, and work to their strengths without the stress of the degree clouding that. About 1/5 students drop out in their first year due to the pressure university can put on us. 

I want to create an environment that will help break down the walls of stigma that is created by these ideas of 'attention-seeking' or 'overdramatising a situation'.

I would like to focus on areas such as;

• Mental health advice 
• Therapy options
• FInancial concerns
• Returning to Home life after university
• Struggling with your degree

I propose ideas such as anonymous advice online centres for students an faculty who want to be able to talk about their problems, but may struggle talking to people they know, something that could be accessed through the Solent Portal. 

I also would like to introuce the idea of wellbeing talks which students can drop in on, similar to lectures, where they can listen to advice on handling situations and anxieties, open to anyone who wants to listen. For example, dealing with workload strategies, anxiety dealing strategies, asking for help strategies, why do we experience anxiety and depression talks, funding and expenses strategies. 

I would like better communication from the Mental Health Team with our lecturers, if a student is happy for this to happen, then lecturers and key faculty should know when a student is struggling with mental health, and prepare a plan for how to ease the pressure that the course can create. 

I hope you'll consider me as your Head of Student Wellbeing ambassador, i've been through the