The Power of Small Actions for Mental Health as a UCL Student

At university, I used to think “taking action” for my mental health meant doing everything properly: keeping a perfect routine, staying on top of every deadline, going to every lecture, and always appearing as though I had things under control. When I arrived at UCL, I assumed that if I was struggling, it meant I simply wasn’t doing enough.

Over time, I’ve realised that this idea of “action” is not only unrealistic but also unhelpful. For me, and I think for many students, action often looks much smaller and far less visible than we expect. It is not always about productivity or major change. More often, it is about getting through the day in whatever way you can.

In fact, most of the actions that have genuinely helped my mental health at university have been surprisingly simple. They are not dramatic changes but small decisions that help me stay grounded when things feel overwhelming.

For me, these have included:
1. Getting out of bed and leaving my room, even if I don’t feel ready for the day. Not because it fixes everything, but because it creates a small break in the cycle of staying stuck.
2. Attending a single lecture or seminar even when I feel behind. I’ve learned that showing up imperfectly is still more helpful than disengaging completely.
3. Allowing myself to rest without turning it into guilt. On some days, not pushing through has been more important than trying to catch up.
4. Reaching out to someone, whether that is a friend or just sending a message I’ve been putting off. These small moments of connection often shift how isolating things feel.
5. Using small pockets of structure, like eating properly or going for a short walk, even when everything else feels unbalanced. These routines don’t solve everything, but they help create stability.

None of these actions feel significant on their own. In fact, they are easy to dismiss in the moment but over time, I’ve realised that they are often what allows me to keep going. Previously, I used to struggle to recognise these as “action” at all: if I wasn’t keeping up in the way I thought I should be, I would see it as failure. Now, I’ve slowly come to understand that these smaller, less visible choices are still meaningful responses to how I am feeling.

One of the most important shifts for me has been learning to notice what I am doing, rather than focusing only on what I am not. Replying to a message I’ve been avoiding. Eating something when I don’t feel like it. Going for a short walk instead of staying stuck in my room. These things can feel minor but they are often what keep things moving when everything feels heavy.

I’ve also realised how easy it is to overlook these moments, especially in a university environment that often feels fast-paced and achievement-focused. It is easy to compare yourself to others who seem more organised, more social or more in control. However, what we don’t see is the smaller, quieter effort happening underneath that surface; the effort it takes just to keep going.

Looking back, I can see that I’ve been “taking action” far more often than I gave myself credit for: It just didn’t always look like what I expected it to. Sometimes it was requesting an extension for an assignment. Sometimes it was speaking to a friend when I felt low. Sometimes it was simply deciding that today was not the day to push myself further.

None of these things felt dramatic in the moment, but together they made a difference.

It is also important to recognise that not all students experience “action” in the same way. For some, accessing support services, joining societies, or building routines can be really helpful. But for others, especially during difficult periods, even those steps can feel out of reach. That doesn’t mean nothing is happening; it just means action looks different.

For me, Mental Health Awareness Week’s theme of “Action” is a reminder that looking after yourself is not always about doing more. Sometimes it is about doing what is manageable, even if it feels small or imperfect. And sometimes, it is about acknowledging that simply continuing is an action in itself.

I have learned that I don’t need to wait until I am doing everything “properly” to say I am coping. Often, it is the small, unglamorous decisions that matter most and over time, those small actions add up more than I ever realised.