UC CANTA MAG ISSUE ONE: Settling in to University Life

Whether you are coming to UC as a fresher, returning undergrad, or post-grad student – welcome to 2019 at UC, and to the first edition of the Rawing Meg CANTA column; where mere a fellow student sheds some light on all things mental health and wellness.

You will all be rather well-informed on the academic and study side of University life; sussing the best libraries, getting required textbooks we’ll open only once, and making small-talk with fellow peers before lectures. What gets pushed under the rug and forgotten about is the other components of Uni life beyond your uni studies, including your physical health, establishing academic and social connections, and onsite subsidized or free uni student support services.

Let’s set one thing straight:

Just because you are living and at Uni does not mean that Uni is your life!

• We are right in the middle of Orientation week – take time in between your classes to go to Clubs Day sign-ups and grab a free bite to eat or token UC pen. Joining in on club action gives you the opportunity to meet like-minded peers and attend some rad social events and gain exclusive access to peer-tutoring and mentoring. Its mostly free, or at a small cost – so jump in on the action!

• Take some time to check out the Rec Centre we have, get that free student membership, and make some time during the semester to get a good sweaty session on. They offer free group classes, both weights and cardio equipment, as well as personal training – there is legit something for everyone

• Sign-up to the UC Health Centre, and send away a Community Services Card application to ensure your visits are free (without the card, you will encounter a cost but is far less than an ordinary community GP). Here you have access to not only doctors, but nursing services, sexual health, physiotherapy, nutrition advice, counselling, and healing touch therapy

• There are other UC-provided services that can really help out with acclimatising to Uni study and making sure you are supported appropriately – both academically and personally. We have a great Advocacy and Welfare Support Team for dealing with any complaints or issues or difficult events that you encounter or experience during your studies. They also have access to granting emergency financial aide to students, as well as subsidised access to dental and optometry services. The Disability Resource Service can also provide additional supplementary support to ensure that students have access to the right resources and help to make sure students are not held back by any disability they have – short or long-term, physical or mental

• Don’t make the fatal mistake of taking to study in one of two extremes: the first being the person that does nothing but look at a textbook, and the second being someone who has never opened such book or seen a lecture theatre in your life. Remember that you have to make time in your days and weeks for activities that give you some sense of happiness and fulfilment while taking your mind away from any books and recordings you have. Whether it be a social game of b-ball with the bros while sipping a beer, a bit of retail therapy with the flatties, or buying some grossly over-priced avo & toast at the local café; these are the things that are so very needed in life. The books can wait for an hour or two, your life will not be ruined, and you will thank yourself for it later

Mental Illness Myth-buster: “You are not ‘sick’ enough”

For anyone with mental illness or struggling with their mental health, one of the first things that your head will tell you is that your hardship is not “serious” enough, or that you are not “sick” enough to seek professional help. Here’s a fun fact: your head will convince you that you are never sick enough to get help, that there will always be someone worse than you, more deserving than you. This is far from the truth; whatever your experiencing and feeling is valid and is worthy of seeking and accessing help – there is no shame in this either; just as we see a doctor or nurse for our physical health, we can see a doctor or therapist for our mental health.

- Rawing Meg xx