---

During November, the Equality and Diversity Group is exploring how the mental health of IT Services staff has been affected by the challenges posed by Covid-19.

Since March 2020, the way we experience the world has changed drastically. None of us could have imagined, this time last year, that we’d be living through a deadly global pandemic. There have been huge changes to our lives – work, family life, social life, childcare; it’s all been affected.

Share your experiences

We want to hear about your mental health experiences during the pandemic – and any tips that you can share with colleagues, to help manage your mental health during this time. This could be positive or negative experiences, including how you coped during the initial lockdown phase; the return to campus; how things are now that we’re in a further lockdown; or looking to the future.

Fill in our anonymous form

Fill in our form anonymously. You can add your name if you want your story to be attributed to you, but this is optional. The form will close at 5.00pm on Friday 13 November, so we can collate responses for the next newsletter.

Remember: it’s OK to not be OK. By sharing your experiences, you could help someone else who’s going through something similar.

Festival of Social Science event

The Festival of Social Science runs from 7-15 November. One of the events on offer from Sheffield Hallam University is Understanding behaviour and maintaining wellbeing during Covid-19: Lessons from Psychology. This takes place on Wednesday 11 November from 6.30-8.00pm; if you’re interested, get tickets through Eventbrite.

• See all UoB events here
• See all event listings here

Further support

If you’re experiencing poor mental health at the moment, don’t struggle alone. There are several options for support here at the University and more widely.

• Talk to your line manager, if you feel comfortable doing so
• University Wellbeing services – Advice, listening and support
• Speak to your GP
• If you are at crisis point:
  • Find your local NHS crisis number here
  • Contact Samaritans
  • Contact the Shout crisis text line
  • Visit the Mind website for information on how to cope with a mental health crisis

You can also approach Rai Furniss-Greasley or Stella Poole in confidence, for signposting to the appropriate services.