An event focused on mental health: Let's Talk About Novembrose

The Montpellier Health Tutoring Association (ATSM) is an organization dedicated to supporting first-year health science students. Its main goal is to provide these students with academic support, while also offering them additional assistance in non-academic areas, such as career guidance and reorientation, as well as well-being and mental health.

Let's Talk About Novembrose is an event organized by the ATSM to raise awareness and encourage open discussion about mental health issues, with the goal of implementing concrete actions.

But what is the “Novembrose” ? It’s a dip in mood and energy typically observed in November, often caused by physical and mental fatigue, the change of seasons, reduced daylight, lack of sleep, or stress. This condition can be particularly exacerbated by exam pressure, especially during the first year of health sciences studies, where the stress associated with upcoming graded exams and assessments can amplify the symptoms of “November blues”.

For this second edition, we have once again partnered with professionals from the Maison des Adolescents de l’Hérault. A psychiatrist and a psychiatric nurse will lead two workshops on November 28 at the new Montpellier School of Medicine. The first workshop will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and the second from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The goal of these sessions is to present practical strategies for taking care of one’s mental health on a daily basis. They will also provide a space for dialogue between students and professionals, allowing participants to access useful resources to help them approach the end of the semester with peace of mind. It will also be an opportunity to take a moment to focus on your own well-being in a friendly atmosphere, with a light buffet and hot drinks.

“Last year, as a PASS, I took part in the event Parlons Novembrose. I went there first and foremost because the event looked fun and laid-back, and I thought it would be interesting to talk about mental health.

As you all know, November can be a tough month for most of us, with winter and the cold setting in and classes starting to pile up and get more intense. I wanted to talk about how I was feeling, see how others were handling their first year of the PASS program, and, above all, get some advice.

I was already expecting an interesting event that could be helpful to us, but I was truly and pleasantly surprised by the activities and the conversations we had.

In fact, I was able to talk with many other students, as well as with qualified mental health professionals, and by chatting with them during various activities, we were able to discuss many important issues related to mental health—issues that made me reflect on how I was feeling and what I needed to do to take care of myself during this difficult year.

But most of all, I was able to talk with many other students—some of whom were very different from me, and others who were actually very much like me. That really, really reassured me.

We were able to talk about the different ways we organized our lives, how to manage our stress, and how we felt in various situations, and I realized that many of us were in the same boat, which “validated” how we felt. Seeing that others were stressed about the same things as me reassured me, and I told myself, “This is normal—it’s not just happening to me.” It helps to realize that we can all get through this, that we all experience the same stress, and that just because I’m stressed doesn’t mean I’m not cut out for this or that I won’t succeed this year.

In fact, it allowed us to acknowledge all those concerns, telling ourselves that this is a phase we’re going through this year, but that it doesn’t mean we’re bound to fail.

And this applies to any kind of worry related to all sorts of things (it can range from stressing out about being late for a specific class to stressing out about not stressing out enough compared to others—it covers EVERYTHING).

"So there you have it—I really recommend you go if you're interested. It's not a waste of time. I know we're all in a hurry and just want to get to work, but it'll really take a weight off your shoulders and help you work better going forward. It's a long-term investment 😉"