Mental health tips during COVID-19: dealing with uncertainty around my education
This is the first in a series of threads asking for your tips on managing your mental health during COVID-19
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, closure of schools and cancellations of exams, we'd noticed a significant increase in people on TSR reaching out for mental health support. In response, we ran a poll which asked you about what were the top factors impacting your mental health right now? The response was pretty huge, with over 4,400 votes (and counting).
Over the next couple of weeks we'd like to get your tips about how you're dealing with the six most common concerns impacting mental health right now. We'll then be working on producing some further advice pieces to support lots more young people with their mental health during this difficult time.
It's not surprising that one of the top contributors to mental health concerns right now is uncertainty around education. There's an awful lot changing and lots we don't know yet.
Have you found that this uncertainty around your education has impacted your mental health?
What tips do you have for other students who might be struggling with the same thing?
Post your tips in this thread and we'll include the best ones in our advice content soon. Take care, everyone.
Although I'm no longer a student, I think the main thing to think is: everyone is in the same boat and it will be worked out! E.g. if everyone has a delayed start to next school/uni year, they will alter it all accordingly
Please make sure you reach out to others, both for checking on them but so you have someone to talk to! 
Uni just ended oddly and there's more uncertainty for me since I applied for a Master's degree but I'm not sure if I should accept it or not if the pandemic hasn't cleared up by September (no way am I paying that much money for online lectures/seminars). And even if things are back to normal by then or if I decide to do postgraduate study a few years later, different universities have got different policies regarding no detriment (and mine isn't a very generous one) so it's making me wonder if I'll be put a disadvantage when being compared to other students.
There's just so much uncertainty and my university has been zero help so far with taking students mental health into consideration (more like it's just my department, since other departments have been extremely considerate).
I'm studying clinical psychology and not only am doing "telepsychology" online/telephone service but also am taking online lectures that require research and oral presentations. I can't print readings, my internet sometimes crashes and physically and emotionally I feel so tired. I try to "push" myself remembering this wont be eternal and that my courses will finish around May 22, yet this whole "we're in the same boat" it isn't real. THERE ARE LEVELS OF WORK OVERLOAD" Not everyone can "take the chance of explore a hobby or take a lockdown glow up, Netflix and chill marathon" no its not equal. I feel very sad and am "faking it a lot" to "make it".
I'm studying clinical psychology and not only am doing "telepsychology" online/telephone service but also am taking online lectures that require research and oral presentations. I can't print readings, my internet sometimes crashes and physically and emotionally I feel so tired. I try to "push" myself remembering this wont be eternal and that my courses will finish around May 22, yet this whole "we're in the same boat" it isn't real. THERE ARE LEVELS OF WORK OVERLOAD" Not everyone can "take the chance of explore a hobby or take a lockdown glow up, Netflix and chill marathon" no its not equal. I feel very sad and am "faking it a lot" to "make it".
agreed
I'm studying clinical psychology and not only am doing "telepsychology" online/telephone service but also am taking online lectures that require research and oral presentations. I can't print readings, my internet sometimes crashes and physically and emotionally I feel so tired. I try to "push" myself remembering this wont be eternal and that my courses will finish around May 22, yet this whole "we're in the same boat" it isn't real. THERE ARE LEVELS OF WORK OVERLOAD" Not everyone can "take the chance of explore a hobby or take a lockdown glow up, Netflix and chill marathon" no its not equal. I feel very sad and am "faking it a lot" to "make it".
Agreed.
There's not just one boat, there are all kinds of boats.
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We've got final year students that haven't got a clue how their grades are going to be affected by all this.
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We've got students just moving up a year that have literally nothing to worry about other than having enough games to play while they're stuck at home
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Students moving up to Uni at the end of the year.
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Students looking to go into the world of work with what could possibly be the least amount of opportunities in decades.
And it's not just students.
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You've got people who've been laid off who now no longer have a job with future job opportunities slowly shrinking as time under lockdown goes on and businesses go under.
•
People who are furloughed who may or may not have a job to go back to with the company they work for that may or may not exist once things blow over. Assuming they even remain furloughed for the duration of their employer's closure.
•
We've got key workers who are being worked off their feet because of the huge demand in their industry
•
We've got other key workers who've seen a large drop in their workload at work as businesses are forced to close
•
Business owners who have no idea when, or even if they can open their doors again
It definitely isn't a case of everyone being in the same boat unless that boat is a cauldron of waste
There's not just one boat, there are all kinds of boats.
•
We've got final year students that haven't got a clue how their grades are going to be affected by all this.
•
We've got students just moving up a year that have literally nothing to worry about other than having enough games to play while they're stuck at home
•
Students moving up to Uni at the end of the year.
•
Students looking to go into the world of work with what could possibly be the least amount of opportunities in decades.
And it's not just students.
•
You've got people who've been laid off who now no longer have a job with future job opportunities slowly shrinking as time under lockdown goes on and businesses go under.
•
People who are furloughed who may or may not have a job to go back to with the company they work for that may or may not exist once things blow over. Assuming they even remain furloughed for the duration of their employer's closure.
•
We've got key workers who are being worked off their feet because of the huge demand in their industry
•
We've got other key workers who've seen a large drop in their workload at work as businesses are forced to close
•
Business owners who have no idea when, or even if they can open their doors again
It definitely isn't a case of everyone being in the same boat unless that boat is a cauldron of waste
Pretty sure that boat is the Titanic
