Wellbeing Resources

The SU’S advice service offers support for health and wellbeing matters along with useful information about how you can get connected through a meaningful activity with like-minded people. 

SU Advice Service

We all have an individual responsibility in ensuring dignity and respect for all is maintained – If you feel yourself or others are not being treated with dignity and respect then you may want to report the issue through our online reporting tool.

Report and Support

Planning our daily routine can be really helpful for many reasons. It can help us achieve the things we want to do and the things we have to do! Often when our routine is changed, it may be hard to get our daily routine back on track. For example, with blended teaching where remote learning structures are required, or if an emergency arises and our daily routine is affected.

The links below offer information on what to consider when you are starting to plan your days and the various different types of activities that support us as humans, such as activities that bring us a sense of Achievement, Connection to others and/or Enjoyment. 

Many activities can bring all 3 of these areas, some activities just one. We have also included a planner to help you with your plans.

• Achieve, Connect, Enjoy (PDF)
• Activity Diary (PDF)

The Wellbeing Service have developed a range of Panopto Presentations that offer skills and strategies in managing a number of common university-related challenges.

• Managing Transitions
  Learn about the Model of Change and how to effectively manage personal change through any transition, along with where to access the most appropriate support.
• Procrastination and Avoidance
  A short presentation on managing procrastination and avoidance habits to enable you to reach your academic potential and manage your wellbeing.
• Managing Academic Workload
  A short presentation on how you can manage your academic workload through improving skills in time management, prioritising tasks and managing your wellbeing.
• Sleep
  Sleep is essential if we want to function at our best. Learn 11 strategies to support your sleep.  
• Managing Presentation Anxiety
  Learn about anxiety and how to manage presentation anxiety.
• Lifestyle
  Understand the different lifestyle categories and how your lifestyle choices impact upon your Wellbeing.

Diet and Body Mass Index
Learn skills in managing your diet and regulating blood sugar levels to help with increasing your productivity, health and happiness.

Students at Aberystwyth University can access free confidential wellbeing and counselling support for a range of issues through our external provider Care First.

Care First provides confidential, impartial advice and support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The service is free for you to access whenever you need.

Care First can provide information booklets, articles, resource information on support services in your local area and even short-term counselling to help get you back on track.

Care First Leaflet

Some resources from them:

• Spring Clean your Wellbeing
• Managing Pressure
• Lifting of Lockdown Anxiety
• Sleep Anxiety - World Sleep Day
• Back to school anxiety
• Tips for Nutrition and Hydration
• Switching off after work
• Keeping connected & maintaining relationships during the pandemic
• Tips on improving your posture
• Change, loss & bereavement
• Advice for getting support during the pandemic
• Vaccine Anxiety & Protocol
• Routines for Back to School
• Time to Talk - The benefits of counselling
• Covid-19 - Resilience during the pandemic
• Covid-19 - What you should do if you live with someone with coronavirus
• CareFirst - Burnout & Tiredness
• CareFirst - Keep motivated whilst working from home
• Seeking Support & Talking Therapy
• The Benefits of Exercise
• Nutrition, Hydration & Salt Awareness
• Sugar Awareness
• Sleep - Tips to getting a good nights sleep
• Reasons to be Happy
• Self-esteem & Kindness
• Healthy Outside Inside
• How Financially Well Are You?
• Food and Wellbeing

To access Care First you will need the login details.  

NB: when you click on the link above, you will be prompted to enter your AU username and password to obtain the login details for the service.

Please note an assessment of your needs will be undertaken when you first engage with Care First, so they can get you to the right help.

What is myf.cymru?

The aim of myf.cymru is to improve access to mental health and well-being resources and support for students through the medium of Welsh.

What is available?

Information about self-care, mental health conditions, you can learn from other students about their experiences and much more, that can be accessed in several ways:

• Website - myf.cymru – the website has original content from Welsh-speaking students and resources about mental health that have been reviewed by Welsh-speaking therapists. The A-Z Mental Health section provides information on mental health conditions; and within the Hwb Myf section there is original content from students on a wide range of issues that affect their mental health and well-being.
• App - myf.cymru has worked in partnership with the Moving On In My Recovery© programme to translate their app into Welsh. Full of useful and practical resources to support you on your recovery journey and will help anyone navigate the day-to-day challenges of life. Available on Google Play: https://bit.ly/3GRMxVt and Apple App Store: https://apple.co/3wl6dvT
• Sgwrs? Podcast - several students discuss the important issues relating to their mental health and well-being in the company of radio and television presenter Trystan Ellis-Morris and counsellor Endaf Evans. All episodes are available on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3wjHTKQ and the main streaming platforms.
• Social Media - for the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok @myf.cymru

Is it possible for me to contribute or participate?

Want to contribute to the discussion? We are always looking for brand new content from students whether it be for our social media channels, the website, participating in videos and podcasts. You can also write articles and blogs, create poetry or original art. To find out more, email myf.cymru@bangor.ac.uk

Big White Wall have recently changed their name to Togetherall but are still offering the same service to Aberystwyth University Students. If you previously set up an account with Big White Wall, you can still log on using the same details.

Whether you're struggling to sleep, or concerned about friendships, anxiety, low mood and depression, Togetherall can help.

Free to AU students, Togetherall offers an anonymised, 24/7, clinically managed, peer-supported community where a range of help and advice is available.

• Chat anonymously with peers
• Complete assessments for a range of issues like anxiety, depression
• Gain new knowledge and skills through the range of self-help courses available:
• Improve Your Sleep
• Stop smoking
• Assertiveness training
• Stop Procrastinating
• Balance your thinking
• Managing Anger
• Managing stress and worry

Managing depression and low mood.

Want to learn about your mind and the skills that can help you gain control of difficult thoughts and feelings? Then Neil Frude, professor in psychology's, free online ‘Activate Your Life’ course, available through Public Health Wales, can help.

The course is delivered through 4 videos that are around 40 minutes long.

• Act 1: You are not your mind
• Act 2: Facing up to life
• Act 3: Being mindful
• Act 4: Living wisely Living well

Advoacy West Wales offer Mental Health Advocacy in Ceredigion. An advocate can:

• Respect and listen to you
• Help you understand information given to you
• Help you understand your rights
• Help you think through your choices
• Support you in finding information
• Help you have a say in decisions made about you
• Support you at meetings by helping you put your view across
• Help you to make complaints

See more about their service and how to access it: Advocacy West Wales

Comprehensive information about eating disorders.

https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/

Helpline: Helplines - Beat (beateatingdisorders.org.uk)

The Online Doctor service for students is a quick and easy way for students to access advice, prescription-only medicines and home test kits without having to see a GP.

Information on how to fast track your enquiry

C.A.L.L offer a confidential listening and support service if you want to talk about how you are feeling.

Web: www.callhelpline.org.uk

Phone: 0800 132 737

Text: help to 81066 (24hours a day, 7 days a week-support for those in Wales)

CRUSE are a local organisation specialising in bereavement support.

Web: https://www.cruse.org.uk/get-support/contact-local-branch/

West Wales helpline: 0800 288 4700

Email: westwales@cruse.org.uk

Dr Russ Harris offers a range of helpful videos on understanding human nature and what works well:

The Struggle Switch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE8VLAgWt20

The Happiness Trap – Evolution of the human mind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBaOBJ8zOLE

The Drug and Alcohol Service is local to Aberystwyth and provides advice and support for those with substance problems and also support to those concerned about another person’s substance use. Web: http://barod.cymru/where-to-get-help/west-wales-services/ddas-dyfed-drug-and-alcohol-service/

Address: 25 North Parade
Aberystwyth
SY23 2JN
Tel: 03303 639 997

Disabled Access: Yes

Email: confidential@d-das.co.uk

Get Self Help provides a range of useful worksheets to help manage conditions.

https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/

IAWN Wales provides helpful information on mental health, how to access services from NHS Wales, and online self-help.

https://hduhb.nhs.wales/healthcare/services-and-teams/iawn/

Stress Control is a four-session course. It is for people who want to learn better ways to get on top of their problems such as depression, anxiety, panic, poor sleep and low self-confidence. Stress Control is now available online and provides a range of tools such as relaxation techniques and mindfulness to help manage stress, along with course modules.

Marie Curie offer practical information and emotional support in bereavement due to a terminal illness.

https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/

Mind Aberystwyth are a mental health charity, working across Ceredigion area. They provide support and promote wellbeing through a range of activity groups, drop-in services and one-to-one tenancy support.

Mind provide information, support and develop local services for people affected by mental distress, including their carers, family, friends and supporters. Through the wide range of brilliant services they provide, they seek to make it possible for people affected by mental distress to play their full part in society and live full lives.

They have a range of Activities and Wellbeing events that run throughout the week which you are able to self-refer to.

Mind also offer a number of additional services:

• Active Monitoring Service:  https://mindaberystwyth.org/active-monitoring/
• Student Scoping Project:  https://mindaberystwyth.org/student-scoping-project/, survey at:  https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ZRQ1K1/

They have a team that are available to speak to during 9.30am and 4.30pm on weekdays.

Call: 01970 626225

Address: The Cambria, Marine Terrace, Aberystwyth SY23 2AZ Phone: 01970 626225

They also have a dedicated student support page at:

Mind Student Zone Facebook Group

Mind are offering free online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy along with information about CBT and the various ways to engage with CBT. 

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/cognitive-behavioural-therapy-cbt/cbt-sessions/

World lead in CBT Christine Padesky offers online information about managing your mood.

https://www.mindovermood.com/

Talk to Frank gives honest information about drugs.

https://www.talktofrank.com/

Free 24/7 talk or email line.

Talk to someone about your difficulties - Available to talk 24/7 by phone, email, or web chat.  

Web: https://www.samaritans.org/wales/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/

Call: 116 123

Email: jo@samaritans.org

SilverCloud Wales is an Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) service designed to support your mental health and wellbeing.

SilverCloud Wales NHS Website

Student Minds empower students and members of the university community to look after their own mental health, support others and create change. Their aim is to transform the state of student mental health so that all in higher education can thrive. 

https://www.studentminds.org.uk/

Free text, phone, webchat or email service.

Available to students 4pm – 11pm daily.

• To start a conversation, text SHOUT to 85258
• Call us FREE on 0808 808 4994
• Start a webchat now
• Email us at students@themix.org.uk 

Details on what you can expect and other helpful information is available on the Student Space website.

They also offer an online support group for students with eating difficulties and disorders

Support for students with eating difficulties | Student Space

A range of short videos useful for understanding and managing depression.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiCrniLQGYc

The Women’s Aid can offer information about domestic abuse towards men and women and how to best manage this. 

https://welshwomensaid.org.uk/

We all have apart to play in managing dignity and respect issues and the Bystander Intervention Initiative, developed by UWE Bristol, empowers communities to intervene proactively to stop violence and abuse. The programme is based on Social Norms Theory and is intended to help students identify problematic situations, assume responsibility, and intervene safely.

https://training.welshwomensaid.org.uk/courses/the-bystander-intervention/

West Wales Action for Mental Health have put together a directory of local services and useful mental health apps.

https://wwamh.org.uk/online-directory-search/