Thursday 07-04-2022 - 14:41

I’ve tried all the self-care tips in the world. The ones that flood our Instagram newsfeed pages: put a face mask on, have a bath, go for a walk etc. The majority of the time I find myself lying on my bed still in a state of stress but with a Garnier sheet mask on. Higher Education providers emailing us stress relief tips can be seen as unhelpful. Students’ Union campaign for change to reduce problems students’ could potentially be facing because problems like period poverty and rising inflation costs cause student anxiety.

 

There is one conversation from my time at university that I’ve always remembered. I was talking to a course mate, and we were both questioning why it feels like we have to be stressed to carry out our studies and how it feels like stress is embedded into the education system.

 

Personally, I can remember being stressed from the beginning of my GCSEs when I was 16, continuing through to my A levels ands then to university. For something I have experienced since being a teenager. I still don’t understand fully why I associate stress with education. Is it down to work overload? Not having correct coping mechanisms put in place for myself. Is it simply not being able to identify the feeling of stress because I can’t ever explain why I’m feeling overwhelmed, when it comes to exams or assessments?

 

These tips are patches, not solutions.

 

It’s difficult to hear "just take a break" if you simply don’t have time to take break because you have two exams to revise for, five essays to submit and a deadline to read the chapter of that textbook you told yourself you would read two weeks ago. Trust me I have been there, and some of you might be thinking you’re a disorganised mess (I probably was at university) there are wider concerns around student mental health and these concerns are valid.

 

What can Edge Hill SU do to help? 

 

Stress Awareness Month got me thinking about my experience of being a student but also some of the things that underpin my work as a student officer. I wanted to take some time to explain why I wanted to carry out the real costs and menstruation station campaigns because at the heart of a lot of work I’ve done this year is my belief in tangible change in education, the belief that putting change in place that will reduce the stress levels of students.

For example, putting menstruation stations in place around campus -- or, what we actually mean when we say we want to end period poverty- it’s about helping those students that are menstruating not to worry about running out of products. If a student forgets to bring tampons or pads with them to campus, knowing that period products are available free of charge is a much better mechanism for tackling stress than an email telling them to go on a walk.

 

The same goes for real costs: I believe university students shouldn’t be paying for extra expenses outside of their course tuition fees, and I believe we shouldn’t have to pay for our education. Full stop.

 

Putting tuition fees in place became a reality for future students in the United Kingdom in 1998, meaning students could no longer gain a degree without the weight of student debt. From attending the recent NUS (National Union of Students) conference, I heard speakers like Asad Rehman, Zarah Sultana and Amelia Horgan speak passionately on this topic.

 

There was one sentence Asad Rehman, an activist to put an end to poverty and injustice said during his speech that stayed with me: "My biggest defeat I have faced throughout my fight for justice [was] when tuition fees were put in place for students."

 

Tuition fees are also part of the reason why Zarah Sultana became a British Labour MP. She stated she studied during the transition period from free education to a market driven model, and that anger fuelled her journey into making education more accessible for all.

 

Why your Students’ Union is campaigning for real costs

 

As a collective, students are facing anxiety due to the Government putting forward unfair proposals around student and graduate costs, and I’m sure you’re more than aware we have a cost crisis heading towards us, compounded by the decision not to raise maintenance grants in line with inflation. The consequence of the hypocrisy here, to expect students to pay for support packages but not give them the support they need, is that students are going to massively feel rising costs over the coming months.

 

Three quarters of students actively worry about finance, and more than half state it negatively impacts their mental and physical health. That’s the reality of what causes stress for students.

 

Therefore, for this Stress Awareness Month, I am actively campaigning for universities to be transparent about costs that students pay outside of their course. My continued goal is to see the university tuition fees. Students deserve the mechanism, whether it’s a finance tab on the University’s course webpages or regular sessions with students to ask about financial impacts of studying, to report what they have spent outside of their course. This helps us keep track of what students are paying for but also helps us decide what the university can and should provide.

In the wake of a cost-of-living crisis, we need support from our university: that means trust; it means robust wellbeing services; it means knowing what we’re paying for, and it means we need our maintenance loans to increase at the same rate as food, energy, and other essential living expenses, because ultimately this is going to decrease the level of stress students face.

During this month remember that your Students’ Union is here: our independent Advice Centre can represent you on accommodation, finance and academic matters; our engagement and communications teams can support you, work with you and signpost you to where to fund the information you need; and if there is cause for a campaign within your course that would achieve tangible, positive change, you can let your elected student  officers know.

 

It is important for students to continue to be resilient, especially when most of us have carried out our degree during a worldwide pandemic. But resilience also requires support. As your Students’ Union, we will actively continue campaigning and work alongside Edge Hill University to make your experience the best it possibly can be. If that means working to and reduce your stress by making tangible change on campus, that’s what we’re here for.

Amongst all this change, it is important to make sure you are taking care of yourself. Check in on your friends and try and find the best way to tackle your work it takes time but just know you’re not alone. I live by the quote "we may not always be in the same boat, but we’re in the same storm together."

 

The Students’ Union Advice Centre can give you friendly, independent, confidential advice if you are struggling with issues on your course.

The University’s Wellbeing Team can help you if you feel like stress is impacting your University Experience.

 

Rhiannon (She/Her) Student Engagement Officer for Faculty of Arts & Sciences