Love Island’s Dr Alex George joins a new Instagram campaign to help students cope with exam stress

Mental health charities have teamed up with social media influencers to create a digital magazine for Instagram designed to help students handle exam result stress.

The Instazine, known as #Gramfam, will see the social network host a range of video messages, life advice and tips for students ahead of their exams results this month.

Celebrities like Reggie Yates and James McVey from band The Vamps will share their own thoughts and experiences around exams.

Love Island star Dr Alex George will also host a life advice section of the digital publication where he will discuss anxiety and how he coped with exam stress.

 

Mental health charities and social media influencers have created a digital magazine for Instagram designed to help students handle exam result stress 

Mental health charities the Campaign Against Living Miserably (Calm) and The Mix are also supporting the scheme, and are encouraging young people to share their own experiences using the hashtag #Gramfam.

Calm chief executive Simon Gunning said hearing from familiar faces on their own experiences of exam results would help students during results season.

‘We’re delighted to be collaborating with The Mix on #GramFam,’ he said.

‘We know that there are many pressures on students and young people so we hope that, with the help of some familiar Instagram faces, we can create a positive experience that entertains while also offering support to those who may be facing tough moments such as exams and results stress.

Celebrities like Reggie Yates (pictured) and James McVey from band The Vamps will share their thoughts on their own experiences around exams

Celebrities like Reggie Yates (pictured) and James McVey from band The Vamps will share their thoughts on their own experiences around exams

The Instazine, called #Gramfam, will see the social media site host a range of video messages, life advice and tips. Love Island star Dr Alex George (pictured) is among the contributors to the project

The Instazine, called #Gramfam, will see the social media site host a range of video messages, life advice and tips. Love Island star Dr Alex George (pictured) is among the contributors to the project

Love Island star Dr Alex George is also among the contributors to the project.

The Mix chief executive Chris Martin said the aim of the scheme was to create a positive community for students to turn to.

‘For many young people, being a student is an exciting experience, but they can also face lots of challenges especially around exam results period,’ he said.

‘Sadly, we have seen a shocking rise among students reporting poor mental health where such challenges become an overwhelming source of anxiety and sometimes even suicidal thoughts.

‘The Mix is excited to be working with Calm to create #GramFam on Instagram. We want to bring together students, influencers and experts to create a positive community that works together to promote good mental health, whatever a young person is facing.’

Instagram said the #Gramfam zine is the first of five it will release, each focused around key moments in the academic calendar.

Instagram said the next #Gramfam zine will be published to coincide with freshers' week – the start of the university year – in the autumn. Mental health charity 'Studygrammer' Ruby Granger (pictured) will also be involved in the inaugural event

Instagram said the next #Gramfam zine will be published to coincide with freshers’ week – the start of the university year – in the autumn. Mental health charity ‘Studygrammer’ Ruby Granger (pictured) will also be involved in the inaugua

The social network said the next one will be published to coincide with freshers’ week – the start of the university year – in the autumn.

‘Studygrammer’ Ruby Granger will also be involved.

Writing on the site, she said: ‘Students today are feeling the pressure of succeeding academically, whether that be in securing university places, winning prizes at school or achieving high grades in GCSE and A Level examinations.

‘As the 2018 Results Days approach, however, it is so important for us to remember that it is NOT THE END OF THE WORLD if we do not do as well as we might hope. 

‘A lot of the time, it can feel as though the people around us — the people that we love, are inspired by and care about — are a source of this academic pressure. After all, we do not want to let them and their expectations down.’

‘However, I can promise you that they will continue to care about you regardless of whether or not you get that A… they care about you because of more than just your academic achievements. 

‘If I can give you one piece of advice for this Results’ Day, it is to remember this. 

‘Remember that the people around you will continue to support you and will help you to find and follow the alternate pathways which open up if you do not get the grades you were expecting. Good luck — I will be rooting for you.’

HOW DO YOU CHECK HOW MUCH TIME YOU SPEND ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM?

Facebook and Instagram users can now monitor how much time you spend within the app, thanks to new tools designed to improve your digital health.

The new feature is found in the settings menu of each app.

For Facebook users on iOS, tap on the three line symbol in the bottom-right corner of the app to launch the settings menu.

Android users need to tap the same symbol, but will find it at the top-right.

Scroll down the settings menu and tap on the ‘Your Time on Facebook’ option.

For Instagram, users will need to load the settings page, and then scroll down to the option marked ‘Your Activity’.

Both apps include a breakdown of the exact number of minutes you’ve spent on Facebook and Instagram using a particular device.

This data is presented in the style of a bar chat, with users able to tap any bar to see the total time spent for that particular day.

Scrolling further down the page, Facebook and Instagram include the option to set a daily reminder that sends an alert after you’ve reached the amount of time you want to spend on the app for that day.

You can change or cancel the reminder at any time by heading back to the same settings menu.

In the same settings menu on Instagram and Facebook, you can tap on ‘Notification Settings’ to access an updated ‘Mute Push Notifications’ tool.

This lets you mute all notifications from the social network app for a predetermined period of time.



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk