Support for your mental well-being

Good mental health provides a strong foundation for study and work. It is important to seek help if you are not doing well. There are a range of ways in which you can work on your mental well-being. You can also turn to others for help and guidance. Take a look at the various options available.

Feeling worried, lonely or stressed?

Sometimes it’s nice to talk to someone. There are a range of options available within the university. You can contact Student Support Services via studentsupport@leidenuniv.nl or by calling: 071 527 8025. Or why not join one of the many workshops or training courses. Take a look on the workshops and training courses page and find the workshop that’s right for you.

Loneliness

Students can get just as lonely as anyone else. You can get support from a number of organisations:

Rapenburg100 offers meeting and guidance for those experiencing loneliness.
AntiLoneliness offers counselling, therapy and other services. Students receive discount.
You can also contact the student psychologists.
Podcast- Studenticast: Loneliness

Listening ear

Chat anonymously via @Ease

If you are you dealing with stress, loneliness, depression or something else, you can chat online for free via @Ease. On Mondays from 15.30 till 18.30 you can also drop by for a chat in person at Hooigracht 12 in Leiden. No appointment is required.

Handy apps and websites:

Meditation

Take a moment to relax and find some peace and quiet. Rapenburg 100 offers free online meditation sessions for students:

In English, Sundays at 18:00: Send a mail to join
In Dutch,Tuesdays at 09:00: Send a mail to join

Take a moment to relax in the Mindfulnest

On the ground floor of Wijnhaven in The Hague, you’ll find the Mindfulnest - a place where you can unwind by listening to a guided meditation, nature sounds, or simply enjoying the silence.

The Mindfulnest at Home

You can also enjoy the Mindfulnest’s guided meditations from the comfort of your own home – for free. Just download the Mindfulnest app and sign in with your ULCN account. The app is available for Android and iOS.

Alcohol, drugs, gambling, gaming, smoking & social media

Do you have questions about alcohol, drugs, gambling, gaming, smoking or social media? Are you worried about your own behaviour or that of someone else? There are a number of ways you can take action - free and anonymously.

Take action yourself

Listen to the podcast Studenticast: Substance use.
Follow the online self-help programme 'Too much social media' on Gezondeboel.
Visit the Trimbos Institute website for reliable information about addiction and prevention.

Talk to an expert - free and anonymous

Would you like to discuss your questions and concerns with an expert? The prevention specialist from Brijder would be happy to offer you advice without judgement. Make an appointment for an anonymous consultation, free of charge.

Location

Plexus Student Centre, the Brijder office, online or any location you prefer.

Making an appointment

Send an email to plexus@brijder.nl stating the following:

your given name
your telephone number
your preferred location

Protect your mental health - with Erik Scherder

Due to the selected cookie settings, we cannot show this video here.

Watch the video on the original website or

Humanities Well-being Team

The Faculty of Humanities is committed to creating an inclusive learning environment where every student feels welcome, supported, and able to thrive.

We are a team of two Well-being Officers and two student assistants, supporting students across both the Leiden and The Hague campuses. We translate university-wide policies into concrete initiatives that respond to the needs of our students. By actively gathering student input and feedback, we help ensure that well-being initiatives are relevant and effective.

Year Plan

We present our Humanities Year Plan 2026-2027 based on the five principles from the Vision on Student Well-Being:

Awareness starts in the learning environment
Prevention and early detection in a culture in which student well-being can be discussed openly
The University and its faculties provide an appropriate range of student support services
Advancing the expertise of student advisers to achieve an optimal chain of student support
Promoting the well-being of students by creating a sense of belonging and a safe study environment

For each principle, we highlight which topics are relevant to our students and what actions we (plan to) take.

The measures in our Year Plan are developed through an interactive process between academic staff, support staff, students, the Advisory Groups D&I, and the central Well-being Office.

Contact

Do you have any questions or would you like to share any ideas? You can contact us at studentwellbeing@hum.leidenuniv.nl