Sarah, from the Mental Health & Wellbeing Team, provides a guide to how to make your own wellbeing first aid kit for university life.

What is a Student Wellbeing First Aid Kit?

It’s a kit you can put things in that you know helps you to feel calmer and more relaxed, give you a sense of comfort and reassurance or even invigorate you. The things that go in your kit are sensory as they appeal to the five senses: touch, taste, sight, sound and smell.

Does it have to be called a Student Wellbeing First Aid kit?

You can call it what you like. Some people prefer the term a survival kit, a wellbeing kit or a comfort kit. You can decide for yourself.

Why have one?

Starting a new chapter in life and becoming a student at university is exciting and deserves to be celebrated in terms of the achievement of being here. As a student it’s important to know how to look after your wellbeing as this will allow you to thrive while at university.

It’s time to start caring for yourself, and putting together a Student Wellbeing First Aid Kit is a way of being proactive by preparing to cope with a bad day, when things feel a bit much, if you feel unsettled, unsure, stressed, anxious or you’re just feeling ‘off’ and not at your best. Every student will face days like these, and you need to be ready to help yourself to get through, to stop to pause, take a step back and to consider what is best for you to do to deal with things. Of course, some things you can’t always control and, rather than feeling pressure to react to things we know we can’t change, it can help to just pause and to focus on the knowledge that whatever you’re feeling, however uncomfortable it might be, know that it will pass.  

Where do I start?

Looking after yourself doesn’t have to be time-consuming or expensive. You will probably already have things to put in your kit. It doesn’t have to be perfect either and you can add to and adjust your kit as you learn more about what you need as you go along your university journey.

To begin, you can use a box, bag or any container to make a Student Wellbeing First Aid kit. You can have a bigger one in your room or at home and make a mini kit that you might want to take to lectures or to take with you to work or to work placements. You may already have something you can use, and you can often find something preloved and cheap in the local charity shops. TK Maxx, Primark, Home Bargains and Poundland also have a good selection of boxes or baskets that can be used for this.

What do I put in it?

Your Student Wellbeing First Aid kit is as individual as you are, and you decide what works for you and that’s what goes in it.

Here are some ideas for each sense to get you started…

Touch– fidget toys, sensory objects, pebbles, play dough, material you like the feel of or stress balls. At home or in your room this could be your favourite hoody, snoodie, dressing gown or a blanket or cushion that makes you feel warm and cosy.

Taste– can be strong, sour flavours like lemon, sour cherry, peppermint or even a Fisherman’s Friend to invigorate you and bring you back to the moment. Taste can be comforting too if you feel emotional comfort when you taste a familiar or favourite flavour.

Sight– this can be photographs of those you care about, maybe of your pet back home or of places where you have fond memories. You might want to put in some words of comfort, reassurance or support that you have found or created for yourself or that other people have written to you. This could be a ‘comfort read’ book or a card someone gave to you that made you feel good. Visual reminders can be helpful too. It could be you checking in with yourself to see what you need- have you eaten? How are you sleeping? Are you poorly? Have you done anything active recently? Are you out of routine? Have you had some social contact recently? Do you need some quiet time? Do you need to spend less time on your phone? Visual reminders of things that you know usually help you can also go in your kit. These could be reminders to read or listen to a Podcast, go for a run or to the gym, play some music, go for a walk, do some crafting or drawing or play your favourite computer game. Think about what has helped you before you started university.

Sound– Music can certainly touch our emotions and give us what we need, whether that’s the ability to feel more relaxed or calm, to feel our emotions or to help us feel invigorating and energised. Could you put together some playlist ideas for your kit so in the moment you can think of just the track that you want to listen to? Could it be a reminder to call a friend to have a laugh or a catch up or to call a loved one to hear their voice to help you feel better? Playing music can be relaxing if you have an instrument at home or that you can bring to university.  For sleep and/or study you might want to explore what type of sounds help you. BBC Sounds or You Tube is a good place to start. Sounds can evoke memories and so consider your mood and how you’d like to feel when using this sense.

Smell- Aromatherapy has long been used to enhance health and wellbeing. You might choose a lavender scent for relaxation and to promote sleep or a citrus one to feel more energised and alert. We can find comfort through everyday familiar smells too like vanilla, cinnamon or coffee or even our favourite scent, body wash or washing powder.  Again, smells can evoke memories and so select what works best for you in terms of how you want to feel when you notice the smell.

What are the benefits of using a Student Wellbeing First Aid Kit?

-Being able to focus on what you need to and avoiding distraction can help you remain alert and be better focused on the things that need your attention. This can help you hand in your assignments on time reducing academic stress.

-Finding ways to stay calm can help you cope with the challenges of being a student such as exams, presentations and other assessments.

-Reminding yourself to eat regularly can help you develop a meal routine and prevent you from ordering too much junk food. This is okay sometimes, of course, but not all the time due to the expense and the fact that your body and brain need good nutrition for you to work to your full potential.

-Doing things that might improve or enhance your sleep can help you have more energy to meet the demands of student life. To function well as a student, you need regular and adequate rest. Try to get up and go to bed at about the same time most days. A good sleep routine is crucial for you to function well as a student.

-Looking after your wellbeing can help build emotional energy too. This can help with meeting the challenges that can arise with communal living or when you’re juggling responsibilities. Having more emotional energy can help with mood stability, and you may find that you can cope better with the challenges of student life. When you use the things in your kit you are giving yourself the opportunity to build up your energy levels again.

-Prioritising any time of self-care is not an indulgent luxury that can go to the bottom of your to-do list, it’s essential as a student and when working professionally. Try to plan ahead to include the necessary demands on your time like lectures and study time but be sure to plan in pleasurable tasks too.

-Knowing that you have planned and prepared to take care of yourself is empowering and can help you build trust in yourself that you can handle whatever challenges that you are faced with as a student. Remember, you never have to face these challenges alone as you have your Academic Department and Student Services to offer you support and advice when you need it.

You can find more health and wellbeing advice for students and information as to how to access support on the webpage for the Mental Health and Wellbeing Team.