The Library Blog

Edinburgh Napier University Library blog. Filled with useful and fun blog articles on using the Library, the University, Edinburgh and many other fun topics.

Tag: #Awareness #LonelinessAwarenessWeek #MentalHealth #WellBeing #Support #EdinburghNapier #WellbeingCollection #StudentSupport

University mental health Day

University Mental Health Day

13/03/2026 / / 0 Comments

University Mental Health Day

University Mental Health DayThe twelfth of March 2026 marked the 18th annual University Mental Health Day, a day dedicated to raising visibility of mental health issues among student communities, and to combat stigma associated with discussions of mental health.

Originally started by members of the University Mental Health Advisers Network (UMHAN). University Mental Health Day has been held every March since 2008 and has grown to cover campuses across the UK, with mental health activist group Student Minds officially becoming involved since 2012.

So, to mark this year’s University Mental Health Day, we’re going to talk a little about this year’s UMHD theme and tell you about all the ways that Edinburgh Napier can support your mental health during your time studying with us.

This Year’s Theme

Every year, a new theme is selected to focus that year’s University Mental Health Day events. For example, 2024 was centred around the theme of anxiety, with an emphasis on the scenarios students encounter that can cause them to feel anxious, and discussing the techniques students can learn to manage their anxiety.

This year’s theme is human connection, focusing on the issue of university students reporting increased feelings of isolation, and the role of student communities in combatting these feelings of isolation. Despite how large the student population is, government reporting indicates that many students have experienced increased feelings of loneliness over the past few years, along with a fear that they would be judged by others if they express these feelings. This is despite the same government studies indicating that the vast majority of students wouldn’t want to judge others for feeling lonely, highlighting how important it is to reassure students of the support they can get in their own community.

University Mental Health Day at Edinburgh Napier

SMHA

Here at Napier, we have our Student Mental Health Agreement (SMHA) created in collaboration between our Counselling and Wellbeing staff and the members of the Edinburgh Napier Student Association (ENSA) to lay out the goals and activities for both teams and to guarantee the mental health services the university provides to the student population.

You can learn about the SMHA (and read it for yourself!) on the NapierStudents website.

The current edition of the SMHA has been in place since 2024, ensuring that the university offers a range of services through our Counselling & Wellbeing team to support students during their studies. These include counselling services, single session therapy services where students can discuss a specific issue they are having, as well as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy aimed at helping you tackle unhelpful thought patterns.

You can learn all about these services on the MyNapier Wellbeing, Support & Inclusion page, where you’ll also find contact details for our Wellbeing support teams and links to pages that will explain our wellbeing resources in greater depth.

Togetherall

Also, as part of the SMHA, the university provides all our students with access to Togetherall. A 24/7 online community where you’ll have access to free online support, allowing you to talk with others and receive advice in a safe and anonymous environment.

Fittingly for this year’s theme, one of the main goals of the 2024-2026 SMHA is to help nurture a sense of community and belonging in the student population through increasing participation in student-run events and student clubs/societies.

Clubs & Societies

Speaking from experience, becoming involved in a university club or society can be a great way to connect with students who have similar hobbies and interests to you. Some of the greatest friendships I have come from my own participation in different university clubs during my undergraduate studies. I’ve no doubt that many of you who aren’t currently involved in any clubs would benefit from doing so.

You can see what clubs and societies are on offer at Napier at the ENSA website. I’d also recommend the ENSA Events Calendar to see if there are any upcoming student events that might catch your interest.

The Library

Additionally, we have our Wellbeing Collection at each of our campus libraries, with books advising you on how to look after your mental, emotional, and physical health. Furthermore, several members of our library team are trained mental health first aiders, prepared to offer you support whenever you need it.

So please, if you’re ever feeling lonely during your time at Napier, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

By Matthew Ferrie

Read more about wellbeing on the blog with our article: Wellbeing in the library

wellbeing study skills inclusion

Loneliness awareness week 

09/06/2025 / / 0 Comments

Loneliness awareness week

This week marks Loneliness Awareness Week, so we here at the library blog would like to discuss what Loneliness Awareness Week is, why it is important, and the support the university can provide for you if you are feeling lonely.

There has been much talk in recent years about a heightened feeling of loneliness experienced by many people in the UK, with nearly half of of adults in the UK reporting that they experience feelings of loneliness, and around 7% saying they feel lonely most of the time. This trend has only intensified following the COVID-19 pandemic, with the pandemic resulting in many feeling isolated and disconnected from others. Studies have shown that levels of social engagement have yet to return to their pre-pandemic levels.
Loneliness can have a terrible impact on a person’s emotional and mental state, with studies showing it results in poorer sleep quality, a general lack of self-confidence, and potentially results in issues such as depression and anxiety.
Additionally, in recent years, people aged 16 to 34 years old are one of the groups most at-risk for experiencing feelings of loneliness. With the experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic making it clear how important social interaction is for many people, there have been efforts to raise awareness about what has been referred to as the “Loneliness Epidemic”, with Loneliness Awareness Week being one such way of raising awareness.

Loneliness awareness

Loneliness Awareness Week was started by Marmalade Trust, an award-winning charity dedicated to combating social loneliness by helping lonely people to make new connections, as well as aiming to reduce the social stigma associated with loneliness. This is done through the organisation of social events at local venues, as well as making doorstep visits to people who are unable to leave their homes. Further support is provided through online webinars that instruct people in how to manage loneliness.
The trust itself has its origins with Amy Perrin, the founder of the trust, who, through her work as a health professional,l met several older people in her local area who were experiencing Christmas alone. Amy was inspired to organise a Christmas event for local people in Bristol spending Christmas alone, and this event rapidly grew in size. Seeing the positive impact it had on others, Amy decided to expand her efforts and recruit volunteers to organise further events, taking the Marmalade name as a tribute to Paddington Bear. From there, the charity has only grown and grown, with Amy being awarded an OBE last year for her charity work.
Anyone is free to take part in promoting the week and combating loneliness by organising local events for people to meet each other and build. You can check here to find handy resources to help you set up a local event. These include resources tailored for use with businesses, local community groups, or even just some local people setting up an event themselves.

Support at Napier

Furthermore, we here at the Napier library have some resources that any of our students are free to use if they feel they are experiencing loneliness. All of our libraries have a Wellbeing Collection, with books dedicated to providing support and advice to those in need. These books cover a variety of topics, and one of these topics is to provide support for those experiencing loneliness. These include self-help books such as The Cure for Loneliness by Bill Howatt (available in the Craiglockhart wellbeing collection) which contains advice from counsellor Bill Howatts on how to handle feeling lonely, as well as novels which feature social loneliness as a major theme, such as Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (a book that I’d highly recommend personally)
Additionally, Napier Student Support is there to provide any students with advice and counselling for any issues you may have, including if you are feeling isolated at university.

If anybody reading this finds themselves feeling lonely and socially isolated, then we hope any of these resources can provide you with any of the help you need.

By Matthew Ferrie

You can access the wellbeing collection from the top tab on the blog

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