What it takes to manage your mental health

WHAT IT TAKES TO MANAGE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

What it Takes is the University’s award-winning alumni lecture series, covering the topics which matter most to our students. One of the talks in this year’s series was ‘What it Takes to Manage Your Mental Health and Wellbeing’, where we welcomed a panel of alumni experts to share their experiences and offer advice to students on looking after their own mental health.

Mental health is a very human concept. We all have a mental health, just like we all have a physical health,” explains alumna Anastasia Vinnikova (Human Resources Management BA, 2014). “Even if you never have a diagnosed mental illness, you’re likely to go through periods of stress, low mood, or overwhelm which is a dip in your mental health – mental health is very much a spectrum.”

As Wellbeing Lead at the Bank of England, Co-Chair of Thriving from the Start (an early careers mental health network) and founder of Winning Minds (a mental health website for sportspeople), Anastasia is an expert in wellbeing and a passionate advocate for decreasing the stigma around mental health in the workplace.

Along with a panel of three other speakers, she joined us for one of the ten What it Takes events which took place this academic year. The purpose of this event was to offer practical tips and guidance for students on how to manage their mental health, especially as they embark on their careers. “It may seem cliché, but I wanted to let the students know that it’s OK not be OK,” says Anastasia. “There is a lot of pressure for us all, but especially for young people to feel ‘successful’, in particular with regard to their academic life and subsequently their transition into the workplace.

“The reality of life though, is that there are many disappointments and rejections along the way, and when you look around you and everyone is putting on a brave face, it can be easy to feel you’re the only one going through those very normal bumps in the road. So the more we can reassure ourselves and others that going through low periods and finding those processes difficult is normal, the less alone we start to feel, and the more constructive conversations we can start to have about emotional and psychological wellbeing.”

IN THE PAST TEN YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN A 500 PER CENT INCREASE IN THE PROPORTION OF STUDENTS WHO DISCLOSE A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION TO THEIR UNIVERSITY

As a former competitive figure skater who has sustained some difficult injuries, Anastasia’s experience of juggling academia alongside a sporting career has shaped her appreciation for resilience. She began working in wellbeing following her own personal experiences with mental health.

“I’ve had an anxiety disorder and depression for about a decade now, and the first six or so years of that were very much shrouded in secrecy,” she says. “I didn’t really feel comfortable sharing my experiences or being open about what I was going through, because I really didn’t think it was OK to do so. It took me a long time to seek support and treatment, and even when I did, I was doing therapy in secret and hiding where I was spending my time which was just exhausting.

“When I started working at the Bank I felt a huge change. The organisational culture was so open and welcoming I very quickly started to feel empowered to talk about my mental health and seek help in a very different, more open way. I’ve really wanted to share that with others, and if I can help even one person, then the effort is definitely worthwhile.”

In the past ten years, there has been a 500 per cent increase in the proportion of students who disclose a mental health condition to their university. Conscious of this increase, and concerned by the growing number of stress-related illnesses in the student population, Westminster has a number of dedicated pastoral support and wellbeing services in place – with student wellbeing informing an integral part of our ‘Being Westminster’ strategy. We are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive culture, in which students are encouraged to talk openly about their mental health, which ultimately will help prevent it from becoming a barrier to career progression.

“In the right organisational setting mental health doesn’t have to be a barrier to progression at all,” says Anastasia. “However, stigma of course still exists and stems from a lack of understanding and openness.

“Creating cultures in workplaces and education settings, as well as across society more broadly where we can speak openly about poor mental health is really important. Even little actions like checking in, proactively reaching out to people when you think their behaviour has changed or they are having a tough time, and finding a trusted setting in which to talk about our own experiences and feelings are all ways in which we can do our part to facilitate better openness and awareness.”

Mental health was just one of the topics covered this year in our What it Takes series. Each of the events aims to inspire and inform students about different areas of personal and professional development – from leadership to digital branding. Now in its fourth year, the award-winning series has hosted 41 talks, featuring a total of 92 alumni since 2017. Moving online in 2020 also allowed a record number of students to take part and be inspired by our remarkable alumni.

“I really enjoyed participating in the What it Takes talk!” says Anastasia. “I am always really grateful for a platform to share my experiences in the world of workplace wellbeing, but it is also very fascinating to meet other participants and hear about their journeys. That’s an important message I hope students take away from the What it Takes series; that there isn’t one set way to find your place in the world of work.

“I also had a lot of students reaching out to me after the session. I’m always really grateful for the opportunity to connect with them and share experience, and provide any advice or insight that I can.”

DO YOU HAVE ‘WHAT IT TAKES’?

Could you inspire Westminster students through your professional experiences? If so, we would love to hear from you. If you’re interested in giving a careers talk, get in touch with the Alumni Team: alumni@westminster.ac.uk