Welcome to the MULS Wellbeing Hub! This is an online space where you can find monthly posts on wellbeing related topics. This includes wellbeing in the legal profession, dealing with exam stress and more! This month’s post is focused on Student Wellbeing. This post will share wellbeing resources at Macquarie University and will also feature Q&A’s with the MULS JD and Postgraduate Director, and also with our MULS Student Representatives.

Macquarie Student Wellbeing

Macquarie Student Wellbeing is equipped with a number of tools and resources to help students with their emotional, physical, financial and academic wellbeing.

Wellbeing WISE is an online portal which you can access via iLearn. The portal has been curated by Student Wellbeing to provide a comprehensive resource on wellbeing. You will find resources to help you manage your university assessments, your mental or physical health, or financial health.

Counselling services are provided to currently enrolled Macquarie students online or over the phone by qualified psychologists. Their services include:

short term, solution focused counselling,
cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT),
mindfulness,
referral to external specialist services, and
on the day brief phone appointments for urgent support.

Welfare services are available for social, financial and academic help.

Areas the Welfare Service can assist with include:

academic concerns,
adjustment to university life,
accommodation, tenancy and renting concerns,
financial concerns,
family concerns,
general health concerns (referrals only),
legal concerns (referrals only),
relationships including domestic and family violence, and
other social concerns.

Q&A with Aryana Khaja, MULS Director (JD & Postgraduate)

Why is mental wellbeing important to you?
Mental wellbeing is incredibly important to me as a law student! It helps me function well, maintains my self-esteem and helps me cope with university life. It is something that I always invest in to ensure I am always positive and coping well with stressful times.
How do you balance your studies with all your other commitments?
The best way for me to balance my studies with my other commitments is to plan! I love making to-do lists at the start of each week to spread out all my responsibilities and tasks evenly so I can stay on top of everything and make sure I do not fall behind. I also find using a calendar incredibly helpful so you can never plan too much on one day.
How do you personally manage your mental wellbeing?
I think it is very important to find something you like to do outside of university to ensure you invest in yourself! Something that I love to do is to spend weekends with friends and set aside some time to go on walks out in nature.
What are common challenges that JD & postgrad students may face in regards to their wellbeing?
With JD & Postgrad students, most of us have careers that are in the background of our university life. Some of us also have families to care for. With all these responsibilities, it can become incredibly stressful for our wellbeing to stay on top of everything!
What are your tips or strategies for dealing with these challenges?
I think it is best to always talk to someone. Having a support network, whether it be a few friends or family, is great to rely on and speak to and sometimes it's okay to relax and do something for yourself! I also think the amount of time you invest in your studies should be replicated for yourself. Find something you like and make sure you do it at least once a week!

MULS Student Representatives

MULS Student Representatives aim to help improve the campus experience for students by acting on behalf of all MULS members, regardless of their background, mode of study, or year of law. We spoke with our Student Representatives to discuss their perspectives on wellbeing.

Olivia Holland - First Year Representative

Why is mental wellbeing important to you?
Mental wellbeing is important to me because mental health is involved in every aspect of our lives. Without good mental wellbeing, you’re not able to physically, mentally, or emotionally function to your full potential.
How do you balance your studies with all your other commitments?
Scheduling and planning is a lifesaver. Having all my assessment dates organised in a calendar and scheduling when to do uni work is super helpful. I plan my studies in order of priority so I know what must be done first and when I can be more flexible with my scheduling.
How do you personally manage your mental wellbeing?
I make sure I prioritise taking time for myself when I can. This can be exercising, catching up with friends, or any other form of self-care. During this time, I switch off from uni and can focus on the experience at hand rather than anything else I have to do.
What are common challenges that first-year students may face in regards to their wellbeing?
University is a big change so adjusting to the new independence is a challenging experience. It can feel lonely at times, finding your footing in a new place whilst trying to prioritise your grades in units that might be brand new content.
What are your tips or strategies for dealing with these challenges?
Having a good support system can be super helpful. Talking to friends and family about how you’re feeling can be comforting because you never know who might also be experiencing the same challenges. Creating a routine can help you stay organised and relieve some of the stress that comes from unfamiliar experiences.

Breanna Ivankovic - First Year Representative

Why is mental wellbeing important to you?
Mental wellbeing is important to me as it ensures that I am enjoying life to the best of my ability at any given time. It means that I am not letting the little moments slip by and I am appreciating life for what it is. Maintaining a good mental wellbeing allows me to be on top of all my commitments whilst also allowing myself to have some fun.
How do you balance your studies with all your other commitments?
I balance my studies with other commitments such as work and sport by having a weekly timetable that includes my work hours, uni classes, study time and also free time. It sounds a bit strict and tedious, but having a plan in place is important to make sure that I am not missing anything and allocating hours to study so that I don't fall behind with it. I also take it easy on myself as things always don't go to plan and you may spend less time studying one week but it is important to understand that sometimes you need a break and it is more than okay to take one.
How do you personally manage your mental wellbeing?
I love spending lots of time around friends and family, this is something that helps maintain my mental wellbeing. Whenever I am struggling or even when I am having a good day, I ensure that I always stay close with my family, whether that means watching at least one TV show together each night or having dinner together or having discussions about the most random things. I also ensure that I am consistently exercising each week (whether that even be just a 20 minute walk) and I use this time as a way to maintain my physical health which contributes to good mental wellbeing, whilst also having a much needed break from study and other commitments.
What are common challenges that first-year students may face in regards to their wellbeing?
Something I struggled with and lots of first-year students may encounter is comparing yourself to others. You will feel pressure to keep up with your friends or feel like you aren't doing enough work compared to them. Another thing that first-year students take a while to adjust to is balancing your study life with your personal, work, family and social life (I still struggle with this at times). As you adjust to university life, you realise that different things will take priority at certain times and that is more than okay, you don't need to be studying 24/7.
What are your tips or strategies for dealing with these challenges?
When these challenges arise, it is important that you take a step back and realise that no 2 people are the same, so you need to be kind to yourself and understand that you may study differently to your friends or you may need more study breaks than them. Don't be too hard on yourself and as long as what you are doing is best for you then you will be okay in the long run. It sounds selfish, but prioritise yourself over anyone else - how you are feeling mentally and physically is more important than anyone else.

Jasmine Saluja - External Representative

Why is mental wellbeing important to you?
Mental well-being is fundamental to our health and overall happiness. Personally, having a strong and well-adapted sense of wellbeing helps to overcome various difficulties and achieve goals. Being mentally healthy ensures I remain productive and excel in each of my commitments.
How do you balance your studies with all your other commitments?
Keeping a diary and to-do lists are a must. Diarising all important dates for each of my commitments ensures I remain on track. I also am aware of my limits and try to avoid overcommitting myself to ensure I am able to reach my full potential.
How do you personally manage your mental wellbeing?
Setting aside time to spend with family members and friends. I find that having strong social connections helps to alleviate my stress and boost my morale.
What are common challenges that external students may face in regards to their wellbeing?
With a lack of social interaction, many remote learning students experience a decline in motivation and engagement, increased levels of stress and poor sleeping habits.
What are your tips or strategies for dealing with these challenges?
External students should find a productive workspace within their home. Without any physical differences between study and home, distractions become harder to resist. Finding a productive workspace will ensure you stay motivated and engaged with your coursework. It also may help to create a daily or weekly schedule to keep you in routine and maintain good sleeping habits.

Amy Ridley - Diversity Representative

Why is mental wellbeing important to you?
Staying aware of, and trying to improve, my mental wellbeing has played a key role in my day-to-day life for years. Like most people, I have seen the impacts of poor mental wellbeing on some of the people closest to me and have used these experiences as motivation to promote good headspace.
How do you balance your studies with all your other commitments?
I study full time, work part time, volunteer on a couple of boards and play elite sport. On paper it sounds intense but in practice I don’t feel burdened with business (at least not for most of the semester). I’ve learnt overtime that so long as the commitments you juggle university with are a source of enjoyment, it is easier to keep life balanced. I love my sport and my job and I think this really helps. When things do get overwhelming, I find that waking up really early in the morning to study helps. Instead of feeling the drain of late nights and brain fatigue, early mornings hand you that boost of energy you need to time manage the tough periods.
How do you personally manage your mental wellbeing?
To be quite honest, it can be a bit hit and miss. I think that’s a reality we all face and need to acknowledge. My management techniques sometimes really work and sometimes feel redundant. I generally find that my sport, physical activity, music and oddly just drinking irrational amounts of water are fantastic ways to de-stress and regroup. When things are overwhelming, I tend to have an emotional outpouring with family members or friends.
What are common challenges that diverse groups of students may face in regards to their wellbeing?
I think that generalising the experiences of diverse groups of students is probably impossible. There are so many distinct factors that can push us into a diverse group. Whether it be gender, sexuality, religion, cultural background, ethnic background, disability, etc. We all face different challenges that impact our mental wellbeing. The underlying similarity, though, is that being a member of a diverse group is a recognised risk factor for poor mental health. Personally, living as a legally blind person throws a lot of anxiety into my life. I can’t see oncoming obstacles or people and I’m notoriously good at getting disorientated, lost and being completely ignored by nervous peers. Trying to stay upbeat in the face of these day-to-day challenges - which other diverse students face in their own forms - can be really isolating and challenging.
What are your tips or strategies for dealing with these challenges?
If you can, try and meet as many people as possible. Surround yourself with people who understand you and how you operate - whether they share similar life experiences or not. If that’s too daunting then find the things that keep you going. I think we are all slowly working things out overtime because, let’s be honest, some challenges need more than an irrational amount of water to get through - and that’s okay.

MULS Wellbeing Hub: September Edition