Surviving Stress: Together All
Header photo by Neil Thomas on Unsplash of a statue of a hand that looks like it’s holding up the truck of a tree.
Danielle Fatzinger (@bonniecelt) is the current PGR Office Intern and a third year PhD in Celtic & Gaelic.
Managing mental health can be a struggle, and sometimes we need a little help to do so. UofG offers a few avenues for mental health support, and the blog has addressed mental health in the past, such as these posts on survival strategies and resilience. In this post, I want to talk about just one the resources at the disposal of UofG PGRs: Togetherall (formerly Big White Wall).
Togetherall is a positive online community, where individuals can get support, take control, and feel better, all entirely anonymously.
I’ve heard about this resource on and off from the beginning of my research, but it was only recently that I joined and started exploring what was available. It has helped with learning to manage my mental health and expectations on my own time, avoid getting stuck in negative thought loops, and identify the activities that facilitate my happiness.
(You should still seek other support if you need it, however. Togetherall have a page of resources for those in a crises who need more immediate support. UofG offers other mental health support, such as short term counselling, which can be more appropriate for some individuals, and recommends consulting your medical doctor in cases where long term support is needed.)
Get Support.
There are three different avenues for support on Togetherall: a peer-to-peer community, a private space to talk to a trained counsellor, and self-help courses. I’ve explored the community, which is quite active with individuals sharing ideas on managing various aspects of mental health, or sharing how they’re feeling for advice. Wall Guides are also there to add to posts and offer words of encouragement or understanding.
If you don’t want to share on the community, then the private chat with the Wall Guides is the place to go to get pointed in the right direction.
Personally, I’ve gravitated towards the self-help courses and resources. I’ve been using the ‘Improve Your Sleep’ course to, well, improve my sleep, and also delving into the tips and exercises to help manage stress, worry, and anxiety. There are courses and resources on many other aspects of mental health, too: phobias, social anxiety, health anxiety, depression or low mood, anger, procrastination, assertiveness, drinking, and smoking.
The structure and suggestions can help, either by setting you up for managing your mental health or offering support while you sort out other support systems via counselling services or a medical doctor.
Take Control.
I like the self-help courses because I can access them anytime and decide which exercises I want to spend time on. It gives me a sense of control over my mental health, and means I can access them at times I know I’ll need them, identify a useful exercise, and feel better than I otherwise would have. I’ve revisited the same pages and exercises but skimmed through others.
The courses I’ve done are designed to give you ideas and recommendations, and then you have time to do them over days or weeks, a journal space to keep track, and questions to reflect on. If you need to, then, you have a structure to follow.
Feel Better.
I’ve definitely been feeling better since I started to engage with the content in Togetherall and finding it easier to prioritise things that can reduce stress for me and recognise when I need to step back for a wee while and recharge. I now have go-to exercises to reduce worry.
I would recommend that others find some time to explore the resources, even if you don’t feel like you’re particularly struggling. Togetherall can equip you will tools that you can use when needed, and that can be invaluable during more stressful days and weeks.
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