This week in the UK is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme chosen by the Mental Health Foundation for 2023 is anxiety. Whilst feelings of anxiety are a natural human response to stress or danger, your anxiety can become a problem if it persists for long periods of time, or if it stops you doing things you need to, or things you enjoy. The Mental Health Foundation feels it is particularly important to address the topic of anxiety now because of the effects of the pandemic, and subsequent lockdowns, on the UK populations anxiety levels, which rose during the pandemic and have not fallen back to pre-pandemic levels since. On top of the aftereffects of the pandemic, a March 2023 survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation found that the cost-of-living crisis was a leading cause of anxiety. The survey also found that 86% of 18 to-24-year-olds had experienced anxiety in the two weeks prior to the survey taking place, demonstrating how prevalent anxiety is amongst young people.
In light of the Mental Health Foundations choice to explore anxiety this week and the results of the March 2023 survey, we would like to take the time to remind our users of some of the resources the library has to offer which could help reduce anxiety.
We can imagine that, for many of our students, the thought of reading anymore than they already have to for their studies does not sound particularly appealing, or in fact anxiety reducing. However, there is is plenty of research to suggest that reading, particularly reading fiction, has the power to significantly reduce stress and anxiety. If you are interested in taking up reading for pleasure as a means of reducing your anxiety, you can check out this blog we posted last week all about our new 'Reading for pleasure' themed collection, or you can head straight over the the collection here.
If you're not convinced that reading for pleasure will reduce your anxiety, or you just simply don't fancy it, that's okay! None of these solutions are one size fits all and luckily our collection does not stop at books. If you'd rather watch Pride and Prejudice than read it, or you'd prefer to get lost in the screen adaptations of The Lord of the Rings rather than Tolkein's words, you should have a browse of our Multimedia Film & TV collection.
Our tranquillity space opening in 2021 and is designed to cater to the needs of our neurodiverse users as well as any students or staff members that need a quiet, relaxing space to decompress. The tranquillity space is intended to be single occupancy; however, you may bring a friend or support worker in the room with you if needed. Inside you'll find beanbags, a white noise machine, sensory lighting and blinds. We have also recently added jigsaw puzzles and some short self-help books to help you take your mind of off any anxiety you might be facing.
If you're feeling anxious or overwhelmed in the Library, it may be a good idea to take a break from your studies. You could visit the aforementioned tranquillity space or, as the weather improves, you could have a wander around campus or sit outside in the fresh air. Or you could visit the Costa cafe area on the ground floor of the AKLC for a slice of cake or a hot beverage. After all, there's very little that can't be made better by something sweet.
A great way to alleviate and stress or worries you have is to share it with others, and our Library staff are here to make your life easier. If you're worried about a piece of work or trouble with referencing is causing you anxiety, you can contact your Liaison Librarian for help. If you can't find an item on our shelves or you need help with borrowing/returning items you can visit the Library Helpdesk for some friendly help or advice. We'll do whatever we can to make your day just that little bit stressful.
If you need support with your mental health, including anxiety, please visit the Mental health and wellbeing webpage of the LTU website to find out how the University can help you.
If you would like to learn more about Mental Health Week 2023 click here to view the Mental Health Foundation's website, or if you would like to access some further resources surrounding mental health and wellbeing, have a browse of our 'Mental Health' themed collection here.
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