University can be a stressful time. With so much to navigate like cost-of-living, exams and building a career, it’s important to keep your mental health a priority.
By April Baniqued. Published 11 December 2020. Last updated 23 April 2024.
The number of undergraduate students across UK universities reporting mental health difficulties has grown from 6% to 16%*. That’s one in every six students.
To support our students, we launched our free Wellbeing app in 2020, which aimed to put self-help and access to support in the palm of our students’ hands. The app includes many resources to help monitor and improve your wellbeing, from podcasts to guided meditations, and our latest feature, Charley – our AI backed chat bot.
There are five sections within the app:
1. Feed
Includes up-to-date educational and entertaining content like podcasts, daily articles, news items, tips and interactive challenges.
2. Habits
Focused on helping you build healthy habits. You’ll find suggestions for positive habits you can add to your lifestyle, all of which are based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing. These are: connect, get active, take notice, learn and give. There are podcasts to inspire you and questions to reflect on your current habits. A tracker also helps to show your progress.
3. Explore
Offers a range of engaging tools/activities, helpful resources personalised to your campus, and links to national and local support services. There is access to ongoing support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
4. Charley
Charley is an AI chatbot that acts as your personal, digital Wellbeing Coach. You can have instant 1-1 private support, and Charley can help you build your resilience and develop healthy coping strategies. Charley will ask you six questions to get to know you better and will then create a tailored wellbeing plan for you to follow. This could include recommendations like daily intentions and breathing exercises. Charley can even check on you every day if selected.
5. Journal
Journaling is a great way to practice mindfulness; jot down the emotion you’re feeling and any notes relating to it. Any activities you’ve done within the app will also be recorded here. You can look back at these entries and see your growth.
We want to ensure our students have a fulfilling and rewarding experience and feel fully supported whilst studying with us. Our Wellbeing app provides a unique opportunity to make wellbeing and mindfulness a key part of our students’ lives.
If you are one of our students you can download our Wellbeing app for free today, via the Apple Store and Google Play Store.
*Student mental health in 2023: who is struggling and how the situation is changing.
