University can be hard. Coping with the stress and pressure can be overwhelming, and many students struggle with their mental wellbeing at some point during their university journey.

Mental health issues can affect anyone at different points in life, and it’s not something to be embarrassed about. 

There are tons of resources online that you can use to strengthen your mental wellbeing. The more time you spend using resources like these, the more likely it is you’ll be able to deal with any adversity or hardship that comes your way.

So, here’s a roundup of some of the best apps and resources to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing.

   

Student Minds

A good place to start is Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity.

They help students talk about mental health and seek support for themselves or others. The charity is focused on prevention, ensuring students have the skills and resources they need to deal with adversity when it does come their way. 

You can find a range of free resources and support here.

   

MoodKit

MoodKit uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), one of the most effective forms of therapy, techniques to help you not only improve your mood, but also develop self-awareness and change negative thinking.

It does this with the use of four tools within the app:

• Mood-enhancing activities

• Thought Checker

• Mood Tracker

• Journal

However, MoodKit is only available on the App Store (£4.49). 

   

Nightline

Run by students, for students. Nightline is a confidential, anonymous student listening service that's open at night. 

Trained student volunteers answer calls, emails, messages and texts and talk in person to their fellow university students about anything that’s troubling them. 

Each university will have its own Nightline service. Use their helpline if you need to talk to someone.

Happify

Happiness is a skill that can be strengthened. To that end, Happify gives you effective science-based tools, games and programmes to take control of your mental wellbeing - in a fun and interactive way.

Happify also uses CBT techniques to help you overcome negative thoughts, break old habits and form new, positive ones. 

Free on the Play Store and the App Store.

Meditation apps to support your mental wellbeing

Meditation continues to grow in popularity. As well as calming effects, it allows people to deal with and control feelings of depression, anxiety or overwhelm they might have. 

It also has many benefits for sleep and concentration - two fundamentals, especially for university life. 

Don’t worry if you’ve got no idea where (or how) to start. Two of the best apps you can use are:

   

Calm

Known as the “number one app for sleep, meditation and relaxation”. Calm gives you access to guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing programs, and relaxing music - particularly their nature sound-based meditations.

Whether you’ve never done meditation before or regularly practice it, there’ll be something there for you. 

The app offers a free one-week trial with full access. It then costs £28.99/year on the App Store or Google Play Store.

   

Headspace

Probably the most spoken-about and widely-recognised meditation app. Headspace is a great starting point for anybody looking to start meditating. 

The focus is mostly on shorter meditations but there’s a huge range of content on the app. It covers sleep sounds and Focus music to help you get in the zone for study, as well as mood-boosting workouts and more.

After a free trial, a subscription costs £9.99/month. Or £49.99/year if you pay for the annual subscription (App Store or Google Play Store). 

   

There are also many free resources to help you learn to meditate effectively. Especially on YouTube, such as this ‘20 Days of Meditation’ playlist from Jay Shetty:

   

Taking care of your mental health and wellbeing is essential. Your mind and how you see the world will impact everything that happens to you and how you respond to it. 

A strong mindset will make everything else - from your studies, to making money, to the quality of your relationships - a lot easier and a lot better.

Remember also that your wellbeing is a tripod that's made up of three elements. Mental wellbeing is just one of them! 

Read this blog to learn about the other two and discover ways you can take care of them to achieve better wellbeing in all areas of your life. 

    

More mental wellbeing (and other wellbeing) support

If you’re experiencing symptoms of mental health issues, whether feelings of distress, isolation, anxiety, depression or anything else, don’t be reluctant to seek help.

There are services at your university and students’ union to support you. You can also speak to your GP, who will be able to point you in the direction of relevant medical professionals.

Finally, there are plenty of places you can find help if you’re struggling financially, both in terms of guidance as well as sources of additional money. Check out this blog to learn more: