“Top of Mind” event, dedicated to mental health among the academic community was organized on 29th of May, by students of the Strategic Communication master’s program at the University of Beira Interior (UBI) .
The initiative arose at the request of the Faculty of Letters, due to concerns about the mental health, after a student committed suicide in September. The incident affected the entire academic community, highlighting the urgent need to take action and bring topics such as mental health into discussion.
“We had a deadline until the end of May to organize the event,” said Lucia, one of the organizers. “We thought that during that period, all students would be under pressure and stressed about finishing the academic year, working on their final projects, and preparing for upcoming exams. In such moments, we wanted to send a message to students: Mental health is your priority!”
The activities included a psychological first aid workshop, jiu-jitsu lessons, dance therapy, guided relaxation sessions and social breaks, all aimed at helping students find their emotional balance, especially in the context of exam stress.
The organizers wanted to include a laughter therapy session, but the guests who were supposed to coordinate the activity were unable to attend.
The program began with a psychological first aid workshop, where Dr Carla Sofia Nascimento was teaching the students how to react in moments of crisis, when an accident happens and the victim suffers physical and mental damage.
The participants also learned how to act when someone is suffering an anxiety attack, panic attack or any kind of crisis.
The Jiu-Jitsu lessons were coordinated by three instructors, who guided the students to get out of their comfort zone and learn self-defense and body mobility techniques.
After the necessary warm-up, the basic techniques were presented, namely control positions, throws and unbalances and escapes. At the end, the participants were able to fight in a controlled and fast manner in pairs, applying the learned techniques. This activity was carried out without pressure, in a friendly environment, under the attentive guidance of the instructors.
Ju, a participant at the event, said: “It felt very refreshing and also new, because it was my first time trying it. It was very nice to do it with other people, who are also beginners, like me, so it was very comfortable. I didn’t feel any kind of pressure. The instructors were guiding us, encouraging us to move so we could get out of our comfort zone easily and to understand that it’s okay to learn, to try”
After the Jiu-Jitsu class, the participants had the opportunity to try dance therapy. They had to express themselves through movements, to explore how their bodies react to certain thoughts activated by music.
Izabel, the dance teacher, says that “dance can contribute to mental health in so many ways. Beside being a sport that can improve your health , dance is a way of expressing. Sometimes we can’t express what we are feeling through words, so our body is telling us”
Dance therapy offered participants a safe space where they could express themselves freely. The atmosphere created was appreciated by the students:
“Peaceful is the perfect definition of what it feels like” said one of the participants
During the breaks, participants enjoyed socializing moments accompanied by drinks and cookies. They also had the opportunity to express their worries and stress, writing them on notes that they then placed in a special box, symbolically “letting them go” and thus releasing the accumulated tension.
The event ended with a relaxation session led by Dr. Marta Duarte, from UbiMedical, where she talked about all the activities that took place during the day and guided the participants to reflect on the effects these activities had on them and on their mental health.
For the students, this event was more than just a set of recreational activities, it was a response to a real need, as they were looking for a way to escape negative energy.
Sam, a student at the University of Beira Interior, says he attended this event because it dealt with topics such as mental health and emotional imbalance, feeling like she needed a break from stress and anxiety.
In addition to discussing the importance of mental health and providing a safe space, the organizers also aimed to inform students about the emotional support resources available and that they could find help all around them.
