How do I stay mentally healthy in these COVID-19 times?

• How do I take good care of myself and keep track of my studies? Also check out our special topic page.
• Even if you don't have any physical classes, structure your days. Maintain the structure of getting up, getting dressed, breakfast, studying, lunch, dinner and going to bed at set times as you used to.
• Provide enough sleep and relaxation (maximum 9 hours in bed).
• Make sure you are sufficiently active (walk, cycle, sports). Or go on a walk with a fellow student! Healthy and social via TiU Walks.
• Stay in touch with others: online, via social media, by phone, video calls (Facetime, skype) or in real life, as long as you make sure to keep distance (1,5 meter). On our special Facebook page you will find online events, activities and tips. By students, but also for students. Be welcome, stay in contact and post.
• Make sure you eat a healthy and varied diet; plenty of fruit and vegetables, don't eat too much or too little.
• Try to get out every day. You are  allowed to be outside, zo you can walk, run, cycle - as long as you are not sick and keep at least 1,5 meter distance from each other.  Exercise and fresh air can prevent you from getting depressed.
• Keep studying, get a study routine so you can keep up with the work. If you don't have physical classes, it doesn't mean you don't have to do anything. Education and exams just go on, don't let it surprise you. If you find it hard to stay focused and motivated, take a look at these do-it-yourself tips for study success and motivation.
• Enactus students help fellow students stay motivated by studying together in WhatsApp groups of 3 to 5 students. Check in in the morning to say what your study goals for the day are, and at the end of the day, check in again to see if you have reached your goals (and eventually discuss how you can reach them in the future if you have not).  In addition, they provide tips & tricks on concentration, motivation, productivity and planning. Sign up.
• With many activities not going on, you can use your extra time to learn something new that can be done indoors, such as a new language. Or start thinking about your future career. In this way, something positive comes out of this period.
• Fortunately, there are already many initiatives for social activities, online or otherwise. For example, you can have lunch together in front of the camera every day at 12:30pm. If you want to join in, send an email to chaplain@tilburguniversity.edu. On  facebook and Instagram you will find a lot of initiatives. On the Facebook account Tilburg University – Together online you'll find all Tilburg University, non educational news and events. You are invited to join that Facebook page.
• Other usefull apps are the Uni-Life app and the Tilburg Student App .
• For TSB students who want to share their beautiful, but sometimes boring and totally un-busy lives with others, TSB staff have set up www.UPPEPPER.nl.  By sharing music, dreams, quotes, inspirational books and heartwarming movies, you can support each other during this difficult time. 
• If you are looking for reliable information about Corona and all other (Dutch) news, there are several sources: Dutch news  or NL times for Dutch news in English and official publications of the  National Institute for Public Health and the Environment:  the RIVM-site. Dutch students have made a Facebook site with Dutch news for foreign students. Also have a look on the designated Corona-portal by Holland Expat Center South, which has been set up for and with the International community here in Brabant.
• Thoughts and feelings have a strong impact on our bodies.  Do '456' exercises to stay relaxed: 4 x per day 5 beats inhale, 6 beats exhale.
• A certain amount of confusion, anxiety and procrastination are not strange.   Make sure you don't allow yourself to be led by these negative feelings. This can be done by actively directing your thoughts. 
• Accept and pick up: do not allow yourself to be upset or disrupted in your daily functioning. Accept that you cannot always control the situation and accept that you have to take specific measures to deal with the problems in order to maintain the organization and structure of your daily life as well as possible.

Check the video 6 Tips to boost your mental and physical health as a student

Nevertheless, some students will become depressed, especially because this situation lasts longer. For (new and foreign) students who are (far) away from home, and have few contacts here (yet), the obligatory social distance is now even more difficult.

What can you do yourself or for others?

• Dealing with negative thoughts and feelings: accept that you can experience negative thoughts and feelings from time to time. Don't let them play the main role in your daily functioning because you are constantly paying attention to them. Try to shift your attention by focusing on a word, thought or behaviour that actively supports you in relaxing, in letting go of the situation and in maintaining your daily functioning.
• Keep in touch with your friends, especially if they are not from the neighborhood. Call them for a chat. Meet in a safe way once in a while. Talk to each other about your concerns. If someone is sick, make sure they know what to do and that they are okay and do not need further medical care. Ask if they need anything (food, medication). Do groceries for him if necessary and drop them off at the front door.
• Do the same for those who are not your friends, but who are studying with you and who you think may be alone. If you are worried about someone and are unable to contact them, send a message to studentendecaan@tilburguniversity.edu.  
• In any case, you don't have to stay alone with your worries. Get in touch and ask for help when you are having a hard time, both mentally and physically. Offer help.
• Relax: on YouTube you will find various music videos to relax, fall asleep or meditate, or just to concentrate.  Search for 'binaural beats' in combination with (deep) sleep, relaxation, healing, meditation or focus.
• When you notice that it is becoming too much: limit the attention you pay to the news to, for example, once a day the news report, the most important press conferences and one newspaper.  See Dutch news  or NL times for Dutch news in English and official publications of the  National Institute for Public Health and the Environment:  the RIVM-site. Dutch students have made a facebook site with Dutch news for foreign students. Also have a look on the designated Corona-portal by Holland Expat Center South, which has been set up for and with the International community here in Brabant.
• Be critical of the messages you read in social media, not all of them are necessarily true.
• Fresh Ideas: a  free platform where you can contact psychology students or experience experts anonymously, if you find it difficult to study and/or motivate yourself, or you just need someone who listens to you.
• Tilburg University's student psychologists offer targeted help with study and study problems and (short-term) personal problems and guidance with problems that directly affect your studies.

On the internet you will find a number of tools.  Most of them are in Dutch, but just try to find out if you can also use English:

• The Listening Line is for anyone who needs a listening ear, anonymous, day and night: tel. +31 (0)900 - 0767 or chat via the Listening Line (many volunteers also speak English).
• At PratenOnline.nl young people with anxiety and depressive complaints can receive free and anonymous chat therapy.  You can schedule a number of one-on-one chat sessions with a regular professional to discuss your feelings and look for ways to feel better about yourself. You will also be offered a self-test and information. 
• In the case of study-related or short-term personal complaints, you can fill in the online registration form for an interview with the student psychologist. If you have any questions, please send an email to studentenpsycholoog@tilburguniversity.edu. 
• In the case of long-term (longer than a few months) or serious complaints; contact your family doctor directly for a good indication and possibly referral to a psychologist or otherwise.