How do I stay mentally healthy?

• 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 up to date on what's on: online, via social media, by phone, video calls (Facetime, skype) or in real life. On our special Facebook page of the  Student Life & Well-being Community you will find online events, activities and tips. By students, but also for students. 
• Other usefull app is the Uni-Life app.
• Check the community events of the International Center Tilburg.
• 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. Exercise and fresh air can prevent you from getting depressed. There are plenty opportunities to play sports (cheaply): alone, in a group or competitively.
• 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.
• 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.
• Meditation is also a good method to gain peace, energy and insight. Join the silence meditation twice a week in the Zwijsen building.
• 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. See other tips on study skills.

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

Some students may feel down or stressed.  For (new and foreign) students who are (far) from home and unfortunately have few contacts here (yet), maybe don't have definite accommodation yet, the threat of new COVID-19 infections and the depressing news about the ongoing war in Ukrain, can be frightening.

Doing What Matters in Times of Stress (a WHO free download) is a stress management guide for coping with adversity.  In many different languages (also in Ukrainian and Russian). The guide aims to equip people with practical skills to help cope with stress. A few minutes each day are enough to practice the self-help techniques.

The International Center Tilburg has a Well-being task force which offers a range of activities, such as a listening ear, workshops, tools and professional help.

Our student psychologist Margreet van Laarhoven and Gerine Lodder of TSB give tips  against loneliness in this video. Also read  an inteview with them about Social life after Corona: "Picking up the thread  will take some getting used to". 

Mrs. Lodder had students conduct a project. Read the information they gathered on this topic and tips on what to do when you feel lonely : 

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.
• In any case, don't stay alone with your worries. If you are struggling mentally or physically, seek contact or ask for help. Also offer your help to others and keep in touch with each other. Visit activities together, for example, of Studium Generale or one of the many study and student associations.
• 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.
• Be critical of the messages you read in social media, not all of them are necessarily true.
• You can discuss anything with Everything okay? Support line . No subject is too strange or weird and no problem is too small or too big. They are there especially for young people aged 18 to 25; every day from 14:00 - 22:00. Chatting and calling (0800-0450) is free and anonymous. Also in the evening and in the weekend, when you have fewer distractions and start worrying. 
• 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.
• Gezondeboel  ("healthy business") has developed custom e-Health programs to support you with the challenges you face during your studies. For example, how to find balance between your study and private life, how to deal with exam stress, living in a different culture, loneliness, or how to feel more relaxed and mindful during your studies. These accessible e-health modules are available to all students free of charge via their university account, empowering students to be proactive about their own well-being.  See: overview of the available courses and select and start a course.
• 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 e-mail to studentenpsycholoog@tilburguniversity.edu. 
• In the case of long-term (longer than a few months) or serious complaints; contact your GP/family doctor directly for a good indication and possibly referral to a psychologist or otherwise.