4 Mental wellbeing

Studying can, at times, be challenging or you may face other difficulties in your life that impact on your studies. It’s important to take care of your mental health and the OU is committed to supporting you in doing this.

If you have a mental health difficulty, or are concerned about how studying could impact on your mental wellbeing take a look at support if you have a mental health difficulty [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .

You might also be interested in exploring some of the free support services we offer to students:

• OUWellbeing: an app which makes looking after your wellbeing fun, interactive and stimulating by providing you with the tools to start building healthy, positive habits into your everyday life. Download it from iOS or Google Play or use this QR code to access it:
  
• TalkCampus: an app where you can talk anonymously with other students from around the world if you’re struggling and worried about your mental health.
• Shout 85258: a text service which offers help if you’re struggling to cope, feeling anxious, stressed or overwhelmed and need to talk with someone, whether that's during the day or at night.
• OU Student Wellbeing Handbook: a resource developed by students and staff from the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport (ECYS). It has been designed to help you focus on the five ways of wellbeing: connect, give, take notice, keep learning and be active. Download it in English or Welsh.

The Help Centre also has an overview of all the mental health support we offer. Perhaps bookmark this page so you can refer back if you find you need some support.

Remember, if things do get too much during your studies, you can always talk to your tutor or SST.

Now let’s look again at the OU Students Association and other ways that you can be involved in the OU community.