Let's Talk: Life in Lockdown episode 14- Holly, returning home to profoundly deaf parents, and sharing BSL signs

Overcoming Mental Health Stigma, 10bigideas Scotland: Ailie Ross-Oliver, 3rd year Politics undergraduate, joins Harriet Harris, to talk about her policy research into mental health stigmatisation, as part of the student-led think-tank, the Buchanan Institute, which has just launched its ‘10 Big Ideas for Scotland’. When our mental health deteriorates we can be most concerned to come across as seeming ok, because we fear or experience being stigmatised. Ailie and colleagues propose legislative and educational changes to prevent stigmatisation. For more information on their work, see here:

• 10 Big Ideas for Scotland website (full report and pledges found here): https://www.10bigideasscotland.com/?fbclid=IwAR1NG3e19aR85cn_yvvHSixZX-cXoSi1a-qsus0apcM4dygmZaQ36qgoorM
• Buchanan Institute website: https://www.buchananinst.org/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/10bigideas2025
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/10ideasscotland/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/10bigideas2025/

In this podcast, recorded especially in hybrid times when many students are self-isolating in their halls and flats, and doing their learning digitally, I am joined by international fitness trainer Ricky Long. Ricky and his partner Lyndsey Morrison have put together a team of fitness experts who are providing streamed workouts especially for those who are stuck indoors. On most days there are 3 exercise work-outs a day – amazing and all free of charge to members of the University. Ricky talks about the benefits of exercise for physical and mental health. He gives us some great tips for building healthy habits into our lives, structuring our living spaces so that the chair for studying is different from the place for watching Netflix, and owning our morning (whatever time the morning starts for us) so that we can own our day.

The link for the fitness workouts is here

https://www.ed.ac.uk/students/health-wellbeing/live-streaming-exercise-classes

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rickylong42/ 

Holly McConnell is a 2nd year PE undergraduate, who began university at the age of 16, and in lockdown is combining university work with supporting her parents, who are both profoundly deaf. Holly tells us about the Youtube videos that she is making with her Mum, sharing signs so that others can learn more about British Sign Language. She also talks about growing up with sign language as her first language, and learning English at nursery age. She talks about moving into halls and starting university so young, and having been used to a quiet household. She loves her sport and her friends, and is also aware of an impact on her mental health, and she shares with us ways she develops to stay mentally well.

For Coronavirus updates and advice,and FAQs please see the University webpages here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/covid-19

The Chaplaincy blogs ‘For Times Like These’ https://www.ed.ac.uk/chaplaincy/for-times-like-these are written specifically for mental health and wellbeing support during lockdown, as are these mindfulness virtual drop-ins: https://www.ed.ac.uk/chaplaincy/mindfulness-and-wellbeing/mindfulness-virtual-drop-ins

For University support 

The University Listening Service (for students and staff) is continuing throughout the lockdown, listening.service@ed.ac.uk

Student Counselling Service, https://www.ed.ac.uk/student-counselling

Staff Counselling Service, https://www.ed.ac.uk/counselling-services/staff

If any of the issues in this broadcast have affected you and you’d like support, here are some helplines.

If you feel that you or someone you are with is in danger right now, please call 999

A 24/ hour emergency mental health service, Mental health assessment service on 0131 537 6000.

·       Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87

·       The Samaritans 08457 90 90 90

·       Edinburgh Crisis Centre 0808 801 0414

Heather, student mental health and influencing public policy

Heather McAdam, a third year undergraduate intercalating with Global Health, and soon to return to the Medical School, is also the Student Association Rep for the Medical School and founder of the mental health support community, WellMed. Heather spoke in the previous Let’s Talk podcast series, on suicidality. Now she is back to tell us about her work during lockdown with the Scottish Government Mental Health Directorate, engaging young people in policy making. She describes some of the key challenges of lockdown for students, who are caught in a middle ground between governmental and societal focus on school education on the one hand, and business and employment on the other. Can governments and organisations reach out more to students, and now that the old social influencers have stepped back, can young people step forward?

For Coronavirus updates and advice,and FAQs please see the University webpages here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/covid-19

The Chaplaincy blogs ‘For Times Like These’ https://www.ed.ac.uk/chaplaincy/for-times-like-these are written specifically for mental health and wellbeing support during lockdown, as are these mindfulness virtual drop-ins: https://www.ed.ac.uk/chaplaincy/mindfulness-and-wellbeing/mindfulness-virtual-drop-ins

For University support 

The University Listening Service (for students and staff) is continuing throughout the lockdown, listening.service@ed.ac.uk

Student Counselling Service, https://www.ed.ac.uk/student-counselling

Staff Counselling Service, https://www.ed.ac.uk/counselling-services/staff

If any of the issues in this broadcast have affected you and you’d like support, here are some helplines.

If you feel that you or someone you are with is in danger right now, please call 999

A 24/ hour emergency mental health service, Mental health assessment service on 0131 537 6000.

·       Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87

·       The Samaritans 08457 90 90 90

·       Edinburgh Crisis Centre 0808 801 0414

Dr Anthony Newton,  Senior Tutor in the School of GeoSciences, talks about the changes that lockdown is bringing within his School, from missing the chats by the kettle that bond a team and also often lead to important information or discoveries, through redesigning activities and assignments when all the field trips are cancelled, to rethinking multiple possible scenarios for how next year might look. We get insights from Anthony into how students and staff are staying connected, and we hear about the ‘Café at the end of the Universe’, a new meeting point for researchers in the Northern climes.

For Coronavirus updates and advice,and FAQs please see the University webpages here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/covid-19

The Chaplaincy blogs ‘For Times Like These’ https://www.ed.ac.uk/chaplaincy/for-times-like-these are written specifically for mental health and wellbeing support during lockdown, as are these mindfulness virtual drop-ins: https://www.ed.ac.uk/chaplaincy/mindfulness-and-wellbeing/mindfulness-virtual-drop-ins

For University support 

The University Listening Service (for students and staff) is continuing throughout the lockdown, listening.service@ed.ac.uk

Student Counselling Service, https://www.ed.ac.uk/student-counselling

Staff Counselling Service, https://www.ed.ac.uk/counselling-services/staff

If any of the issues in this broadcast have affected you and you’d like support, here are some helplines.

If you feel that you or someone you are with is in danger right now, please call 999

A 24/ hour emergency mental health service, Mental health assessment service 0131 537 6000.

·       Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87

·       The Samaritans 08457 90 90 90

·       Edinburgh Crisis Centre 0808 801 0414

Professor Liz Grant, Director of the Global Health Academy and Co-Director of the University of Edinburgh Global Compassion Initiative, gives us a global perspective on the pandemic, and its effects on lower income countries. Liz is a palliative care specialist, and describes the need for doctors, families and carers to be quickly trained in end-of-life care, because there usually isn’t time to bring in specialised palliative care teams. Liz also talks about her work with the World Health Organisation in making compassion the bedrock of our response to Covid19, and the prospect of changing our language from ‘isolating’ to ‘cocooning’ the vulnerable. Liz is also working with Religions for Peace, and envisions with faith leaders a society that will emerge more united from this pandemic, more aware of the power of faith and of nature in making us globally well.

For Coronavirus updates and advice,and FAQs please see the University webpages here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/covid-19

The Chaplaincy blogs ‘For Times Like These’ https://www.ed.ac.uk/chaplaincy/for-times-like-these are written specifically for mental health and wellbeing support during lockdown, as are these mindfulness virtual drop-ins: https://www.ed.ac.uk/chaplaincy/mindfulness-and-wellbeing/mindfulness-virtual-drop-ins

 For University support 

The University Listening Service (for students and staff) is continuing throughout the lockdown, listening.service@ed.ac.uk

Student Counselling Service, https://www.ed.ac.uk/student-counselling

Staff Counselling Service, https://www.ed.ac.uk/counselling-services/staff

 If any of the issues in this broadcast have affected you and you’d like support, here are some helplines.

If you feel that you or someone you are with is in danger right now, please call 999

·       Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87

·       The Samaritans 08457 90 90 90

·       Edinburgh Crisis Centre 0808 801 0414

For Coronavirus updates and advice,and FAQs please see the University webpages here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/covid-19

The Chaplaincy blogs ‘For Times Like These’ https://www.ed.ac.uk/chaplaincy/for-times-like-these are written specifically for mental health and wellbeing support during lockdown, as are these mindfulness virtual drop-ins: https://www.ed.ac.uk/chaplaincy/mindfulness-and-wellbeing/mindfulness-virtual-drop-ins

For University support 

The University Listening Service (for students and staff) is continuing throughout the lockdown, listening.service@ed.ac.uk

Student Counselling Service, https://www.ed.ac.uk/student-counselling

Staff Counselling Service, https://www.ed.ac.uk/counselling-services/staff

If any of the issues in this broadcast have affected you and you’d like support, here are some helplines.

If you feel that you or someone you are with is in danger right now, please call 999

 A 24/ hour emergency mental health service, Mental health assessment service on 0131 537 6000.

Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87

The Samaritans 08457 90 90 90

Edinburgh Crisis Centre 0808 801 0414