School Leaver Blog: How to employ self-care while studying

Stephanie Phillips
18 Mar 2020

Our latest school leaver blog has some much-needed tips on how to look after your mental health in these particularly stressful times, plus the usual weird and wonderful apprenticeships and recommended reading!

Career insight of the week:

The last few weeks have been stressful for many of us and have tested our capacity for bad news. We know it’s hard to focus on anything other than the news but being able to check in with yourself, focus, and look after your mental health is key in this current era. This is doubly important when you are studying.

Before you can start your mindfulness journey you need to be able to recognise when you’re feeling stressed and what has triggered it. This might sound like a simple task but we often neglect to acknowledge negative feelings that we have so it can take a bit of introspection to recognise when we’re stressed. Try to slow down and focus on how you’re feeling throughout the day and note what happened beforehand to trigger your stress.

If the news is stressing you out, limit the number of times you check your social media and only check news sites once a day. If you’re finding it hard to stop checking your phone leave it in another room. Practice deep breathing techniques and take a break from studying to do something relaxing for you—that could be exercise, art, or calling your friends.

To make sure you don’t overwhelm yourself, list the tasks you need to get through and break them down for each day. Slowly work your way through the list and tick off each task once you’ve completed it. This will help you get a sense of your workload and stop you feeling overwhelmed. Remember to stay active, drink enough water and take breaks from your computer.

While it may feel neverending, it’s important to remember it won’t last forever, but taking care of yourself and your health is a necessity to get through this period. Stay strong.

For more information on self-care and mental health visit Every Mind Matters.

“We’re inventing new stuff all the time. We’re changing the world of how it works.”

Weird and wonderful apprenticeships: Art Therapy

It is often said that art can help people in their darkest times. Nowhere is this seen more than at art therapy classes. Art therapy uses creativity to improve an individual’s mental and physical health and wellbeing. The classes usually involve art, music or drama and are a vital part of the health, education, and social care sector.

The Arts Therapist (degree) lasts 2 years and is regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council. The course will give participants a chance to support the mental and physical rehabilitation of their clients.

Apprentice of the week:

From an early age K-Jo O’Flynn loved watching the stars. She took that early inspiration and let it lead her to her dream job as an aerospace engineer apprentice at Oxford Space Systems. Originally from Ireland, K-Jo moved to the UK to pursue a career in aerospace engineering.

As part of her job, K-Jo assembles and tests parts for aircraft and spacecraft that are sent into space. She said: “The apprenticeship gives you the opportunity to be in the workplace. The most exciting part is just learning something new. I know I'm going to every day.” She adds: “We’re inventing new stuff all the time. We’re changing the world of how it works.”

Career insight of the week:

Weird and wonderful apprenticeships: Art Therapy

Apprentice of the week:

Recommended reading: