In Conversation with Jonny Benjamin

Good morning everyone! This is our final day of Nightline Awareness Week, and can I say, what an amazing week it has been. Particularly last night, when we were in conversation with mental health campaigners Jonny Benjamin and Neil Laybourn.

The event was an amazing night full of laughter and not a few tears. Jonny and Neil told their story - of how Neil stopped Jonny from killing himself by simply going up to him and beginning to chat, and how, 6 years later, Jonny reached out to social media to try and find this man once again. They mentioned that it was two simple things that stopped Jonny: Neil saying that there was nothing to be embarrassed about, and that he thought Jonny would be alright. It is an incredible story, and one that I think resonated with a lot of people in the audience.

There were also an amazing number of questions from the audience, including questions about how Nightline can ensure the mental wellbeing of their volunteers, and what we can do to help the people around us every day. Jonny and Neil chatted a lot about mental health education in schools, and how powerful self care tools such as mindfulness can be. They also emphasised the need for spaces for men, as suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45 today.

If you're interested in learning more about Jonny and Neil's story, you can check out their documentary The Stranger on the Bridge. I'm definitely going to be watching it to learn more about their mental health campaigning, and their personal journeys.

This week we've really focused on the amazing things that self care can do - now it is up to you to ensure you're taking care of yourself to the best of your abilities, whether that be having a cheeky catnap of an afternoon, or re-connecting with an old friend.

As ever yours,

-Wendy

How Can Self Care Be Part of Student Life?

Hello once again!

It's sometimes difficult to make self care a habit, particularly whilst studying at college or university. However, here at Nightline we've asked students what they do to make self care a part of student life. Here's what they had to say about what to do if they've had a bad day:

"Talk it through with my friends and then give myself time out, have a nice bath with a bath bomb and sit in bed watching some youtube/"trashy" tv."

"Give myself some time to think it over, but then make myself a nice dinner, read a book and do some meditation!"

"I'd cook myself something really nice, and then lounge about watching movies."

These are all wonderful suggestions, and ones that can definitely fit into the busy schedule of a university student. Other students have suggested going to the gym, taking some time for meditation, or simply surrounding yourself with friends who support you no matter what. 

Remember, Nightline is here for you, every night of term. 

Yours,

-Wendy 

Self Care Isn't Selfish

Hello everyone! Today we are continuing the 2017 Nightline Awareness Week by talking more about self care.

We are constantly surrounded by other people - friends, family, classmates, and so many others. In this sort of environment it is very easy to forget about yourself and that sometimes putting yourself first is in fact what you need, both physically and mentally. Sometimes, even when you want to practice self care and put yourself first, you are encouraged not to, but rather to keep on going, without taking important breaks.

Don't let anyone - including yourself! - make you feel guilty about taking time for self care. Taking time to look after yourself isn't a selfish thing to do. Rather, it is an extremely important part of your mental health. Studies have shown that people who take breaks are more likely to be productive and creative. So by taking care of yourself, you'll become a better student, colleague, or friend!

We asked our volunteers what they thought about self care, and one volunteer answered:

“I think for me it’s a really helpful way of legitimising the things we do which are not necessarily very productive, but keep us well – like acknowledging that reading a book not on your reading list, or having a lie-in, or going to the pub with your friends doesn’t make you lazy or indulgent, it’s actually part of taking responsibility for your mental health, and trusting yourself to know what’s best for you.”

What ways do you put you and your health first? Let us know!

Yours,

-Wendy

Self Care with Mental Illness

Hello everyone! Welcome to the second day of Nightline Awareness Week, and our next post about the importance of self care.

Taking care of yourself when mentally ill can sometimes be a challenge. It is easy to want to stay in bed all day and not look after yourself properly. However, taking a few moments for yourself every single day can do wonders for your healthiness and happiness. I try to do one nice thing for myself every day - especially when I'm feeling low.

Here are some of my suggestions for self care:

- Take a walk through green spaces like parks

- Send a message to a friend you haven't talked to in a long time

- Take a long, luxurious bath or shower

- Do something creative, like journalling or colouring

We asked our volunteers for some suggestions for self care, and here's what they came up with:

- Comfort food

- Getting enough sleep

- Staying hydrated

- Meditation

- Going for a run

- Watching a film

- Listening to music

Could you see yourself taking on some of these self care tips? Let us know!

Yours,

-Wendy

We're Back!

Hello everyone! We are very pleased to announce that the Nightline blog is back! We've got new posts every day this week, as well as new bloggers, and we are extremely excited about everything that they're going to discuss here.

To kick the blog off once again is Nightline Awareness Week. This year's theme is self care, which is an extremely important aspect of mental wellbeing. You will probably have heard the term before, but what does it mean? The Self Care Forum defines self care as:

The actions that individuals take for themselves, on behalf of and with others in order to develop, protect, maintain and improve their health, wellbeing or wellness.

This can range from simple things like perfect cups of tea to taking a long walk to playing a game with family or friends. Sometimes it is difficult to take care of yourself when feeling mentally unwell, but these little things can add up to make a bad day a good one, and a good one a great one.

To some of our volunteers, self care means:

"...just looking after myself. I think it's important to take breaks to see friends, do some things that make you happy, and sometimes even just do nothing!"

"...balancing your goals with your needs. It is going slightly beyond your comfort zone but understanding your mental and physical limits."

"...being as honest with myself as possible, trying to never be too sure of anything and trying to always see the best in people."

What do you do for self care? Coming up in the next few days will be a list of suggestions of what to do, as well as a discussion tackling the idea that self care is selfish. (A hint: it isn't!)

Don't forget, if times get tough, Nightline is always here to listen.

Yours,

-Wendy