Feel Good February returned to the University of Liverpool this year offering a month-long free programme of events and activities and a challenge to ‘do one thing’ and to set a realistic, achievable goal to help you feel good without piling on the pressure.
The School’s Wellbeing Team fully embraced the challenge, offering a wide range of wellbeing sessions throughout the month with everything from board games and a ‘crafternoon’ to a guided mediation session with Mindfulnes Coach Phillipa Bellis and a trip out to the Walker Art Gallery and World Museum.
Students enjoy some (giant!) board games
Director of MBChB Wellbeing Service Alison Threlfall says, “No matter how busy we get all of us need to take time to do things we enjoy. We are always happy to hear any suggestions for upcoming wellbeing events you would like to see.”
We caught up with Wellbeing Academic Dr Jayne Garner to learn more about the services provided by the Wellbeing Team. In this video interview, Jayne highlights how the Wellbeing Team has expanded and adapted to meet the needs of student doctors, the wide range of reasons a student may book a wellbeing appointment and the self-service resources available to you to help manage your wellbeing.
“Students contact for all kinds of reasons. Certainly, around different points of the year, there are different pressures. Maybe students are starting placement for the first time or they’re going on a rotation, something like Psychiatry or mental health related that they’re a little nervous about or unsure.
We can talk that through with them, how they’re going to cope and manage when on placement, and the support that might be available. It’s very individual, up to you, and we will tailor the support we offer.
We work flexibly and offer Zoom appointments, telephone appointments, often from 8.00 in the morning through to early evening so we are still available to you, wherever you may be on placement.
We have put together a range of resources around study skills, learning, organising yourself, those kind of revision techniques that might be helpful if you’ve not tried before. There are also sessions that we’ve had, Soothe Your Mind, mindfulness, so there’s recording that you can access in your own time, different techniques for breathing, for grounding yourself, which can be really stressful if you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
Students may worry and struggle with approaching us initially, and think maybe it’s a sign of weakness, but not at all – it’s a sign of personal insight, strength and development and I think in a career like Medicine, you’re going to need that!
Watch Jayne's full video interview:
Discover more
- Head over to the Wellbeing Support section of the student intranet (link) to access the full range of services and resources available to you as student doctors.
- Book a wellbeing appointment using the School Booking System (link). Remember, appointments are available in person, on the phone or over Zoom.
- Further support is available via University Student Services. Visit the Mental Wellbeing webpage (link) to learn more.
- Check out a new Med School Survival Guide (link) by charity MindHealth, designed to empower, engage and equip students to manage their mental health and wellbeing when studying medicine and beyond.