During Covid, I was lucky enough to study on the brand new Global Mental Health and Society MSc. I was curious about how it was going to work as an online learning experience, but it turned out to be pretty amazing. Something about the course being delivered in such a way made us students take extra care of each other. We connected with one another through technology and made firm friendships despite the distance between us. Many of us were in different parts of the world, on different time zones, wondering if life would ever go back to ‘normal’, whatever that was. The pandemic now feels like a distant memory, but the impact of learning about the field of Global Mental Health has remained an important aspect of my current life and research.
Overwhelmed
At first when I began studying on the programme, I felt really overwhelmed by the amount of reading required. I felt as though I had to read and absorb every essential and recommended reading and would feel as though I hadn’t worked hard enough if I didn’t make copious notes. I felt as though I had to know and understand everything I was encountering, which felt like a lot of pressure. I remember sitting with my timetable in front of me thinking, ‘how am I ever going to get through this?’.
One day I realised that I was turning my studies into an ordeal. I stopped and thought about why I had taken the course in the first place. I remembered that when I had come across information about the new MSc on the university website, I had been so excited about the range of topics covered. Every module seemed to have something interesting within it. I had never studied anything anthropological before. I barely knew what the word meant. I came from a Psychology background, and I found the perspectives of each discipline really inspiring. I reminded myself that I had chosen to learn new things, I didn’t already have to have mastered those things. I started to embrace the unknown topics with curiosity rather than trying to be a perfect student.
The advantages of a curious lens
Being curious feels to me like the heart of creativity. When I shifted into a curious mode, I was able to shift from thinking ‘I have to understand every bit of this paper’ to, ‘I wonder how much I can learn about this subject just from reading this paper’. It sounds so straightforward, but it took feeling quite stressed before I was able to shift my mind into a more helpful state.
Realising I didn’t have to join all the dots straight away
At first it felt as though a lot of the modules I had chosen were very different to one another. They felt a bit unrelated and disconnected. As I worked through the first semester however, I began to see the interrelatedness of all of the subjects and disciplines. Learning about Anthropology, Critical Approaches, International Development, Health, all helped me to form a broad overall picture about how we, as a human species, try to understand and respond to our lives in complex ways. The political aspects of some of the modules really put into context many of the feelings I’d had as a mental health practitioner over the years, making me feel less alone with my perspective that many interventions didn’t always offer the solutions to the problems that people were experiencing in their day to day lives.
Getting out in nature
Edinburgh has loads of natural places to explore. It doesn’t have to be a full-on commitment like a hike up Arthur’s Seat – there are so many other options. Here is one of my recent discoveries at the age of 54. When nobody is looking, I have a swing at the local park. It makes me feel happy, which gives me more energy.
Staying Connected
The one thing I’ve really noticed since graduating from the GMH programme is that it brings people together. Some of us from the first cohort have made friends with people from each subsequent cohort, and those friendships really help to ground us, especially when things feel a bit intense. We’ve all been through various trials and tribulations while and since studying but have found ways to support one another. Sometimes it’s a trip to the pub, sometimes it’s taking a day to do a ‘writing retreat’ with nice snacks. There’s something about writing together that feels energising. Taking the opportunity to join in with get togethers really helped me to feel part of something special, even when sometimes I didn’t feel like I had the energy to socialise, I always came away feeling glad I did.
Above all, the course challenged me to open my mind and think about everything afresh. It wasn’t always easy, but it was still the best programme I’ve ever studied. In the end – I got there and enjoyed a nice rainy Edinburgh graduation day.
This is a snapshot of some of the things that helped me to thrive during the GMH MSc. Here at the EdGMH Student and Alumni Network we would love to hear about the ways you thrive during your studies. If you would like to write a blog about the things that you find help you to thrive, please feel free to get in touch.
Blog author: Gillian Batty
