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Mental Health Awareness: A Holistic Approach to Improving your Well-being

05 July 2021 | Story UFS Department of Student Counselling and Development | Photo Pixabay

mental health 1_web read more — UFS Department of Student Counselling and Development motto: clear mind, clear path!

As humans, we tend to neglect making our mental health a priority. Mental health affects us all, but what is mental health?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines 'mental health' as a state of well-being, in which every individual –

• realises their own potential;

• can cope with the normal stresses of life;

• can work productively and fruitfully; and

• is able to make a contribution to their community.

The positive dimension of mental health is stressed in the WHO's definition of health, as contained in its constitution: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

For many people, it seems simple and straightforward to take care of their physical well-being, but they forget to spend time on mental health. You are used to brushing your teeth on a daily basis – but do you actually make a daily effort to take care of your mental health? Unfortunately, people are also more comfortable to see a doctor or pharmacist for medical concerns than admitting that they are struggling emotionally.

If we extend the same level of effort to keep ourselves mentally healthy, we will reap amazing rewards, such as being able to cope with external pressures, reaching our goals, and an increase in overall well-being.

Therefore, it is vital to pay attention to your thoughts, emotions, and behaviour on a daily basis. You must acknowledge and express your emotions, as this will contribute to maintaining good mental health and a positive impact on other aspects of your well-being.

You must take a holistic approach to improving your well-being; you are a holistic being. There are many dimensions to well-being, such as the following:

1. Intellectual: Time management and effective planning

2. Emotional: Acceptance; assertiveness; self-care and self-love

3. Physical: Eat, sleep, and exercise enough – drink plenty of water!

4. Social: Be aware of the support systems and structures available to you – within your family, friendship circles, and on campus

5. Spiritual: Make time for what gives you meaning in life

6. Financial: Effective financial planning and budgeting

We hope that students feel encouraged and empowered to take the necessary steps to improve their mental health.

To learn more about UFS Student Counselling and Development online resources which cover a variety of topics ranging from academic support to psychological wellbeing click here.

Remember that you can also make use of the 24/7 toll-free dedicated SADAG UFS Student Careline by dialing +27 0 800 00 6363.

For alternative mental health resources, click here.

News Archive

Community engagement must be a core function of universities

2009-05-21

Members of the NatCEMF Steering Committee are, from the left: Mr Jerome Slamat, Senior Director: Community Interaction, Stellenbosch University, Ms Beatrix Bouwman, Manager: Community Engagement, North-West University, Rev Kiepie Jaftha, Chief Director: Community Service, UFS and chairperson of the committee, Prof. Allan Femi Lana, Director: Institute for Rural Development and Community Engagement, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Prof. Seth Pollack, Fulbright Scholar, University of Western Cape (guest speaker at the meeting), Prof. Denver Hendricks, Director: Community Engagement, University of Pretoria, and Prof. Priscilla Daniels, Chairperson: Human Ecology and Research and CHESP Research Coordinator, University of the Western Cape.
Photo: Lacea Loader

It is important that all tertiary institutions in South Africa should work together and commit themselves to advance the cause of community engagement in the country.

This was one of the main outcomes of the second meeting held by the National Community Engagement Manager’s Forum (NatCEMF) at the South Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) in Bloemfontein recently. The meeting was attended by 34 representatives of 16 higher education institutions in the country.

“I am astounded at the interest in this matter. The representatives are committed to make community engagement a core function of their institutions and we all agreed that we should get more involved in expanding this across all institutions. A need for a formal structure for us all to work together and have a more collective voice was also identified,” said Rev Kiepie Jaftha, Chief Director: Community Service at the UFS and Chairperson of the NatCEMF Steering Committee.

“There is a growing need to expand and develop our engagement with communities – to share our experiences and best practices and to learn from each other. There are universities that are doing excellent work in this field and, by having a formal structure, we can do a lot more towards advancing community engagement,” said Rev Jaftha.

The meeting identified matters such as the coordination of higher education institutions’ involvement in community engagement, the facilitation of research about community engagement, promoting service learning as transformation, the establishment of a community engagement resource centre and the organisation of a national community engagement conference as some of its aims. A national steering committee was also elected.

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