Dara Nikolova

Hey! Did you know that 78% of students experience a mental health problem during their studies? Let’s talk about that.

My name is Dara and I’m a second-year Psychology student. As someone who has suffered from anxiety and depression, I understand well (oh so well!) the negative impact that balancing a degree, extra-curricular activities, and life in general can have on your wellbeing, especially due to the current times. 

If elected as your Welfare Officer, I would aim to:

• Organize various workshops and socials throughout the year to allow students to have a break from university stress. Ideas I have include mindfulness meditations and walks, art classes, yoga classes, self-care discussions, picnic socials:)
• Run events in collaboration with other UCL societies and London universities, with representatives from mental health charities coming in to give talks about coping with mental health issues during university 
• Create an online 'confession box' platform where students can anonymously share the challenges they are facing and give each other advice
• After more than two years of online teaching, going back to in-person lectures and exams can be more stressful than ever. Thus, I think it is vital to host events and talks addressing how to avoid burnout, manage academic stress and develop self-care strategies for targeting low mood and anxiety 

Let's work together to make things better! 

Thank you x