Physical health

What are physical health difficulties?

Physical health difficulties are any types of health difficulties that can be physically evident or felt. Physical health difficulties come in multiple forms and types, yet can be divided into several categories:

Seasonal diseases can occur once in a season and affect large groups of people, such as winter flu or spring blooming allergies. Important: acknowledge which kinds of seasonal diseases you are often affected by and learn how to be prepared when the season begins so you will be able to manage the illness better. It would be helpful for you to seek advice from your GP to understand potential threats of seasonal diseases.
Respiratory Tract Infection/Light poisoning are diseases that usually can be cured at home without a need to seek professional help, such as a sore throat or a light food poisoning.
Trauma are one-off situations in which human health is undermined by a mechanical influence or accidents, such as broken bones, burns or muscle stretches.

Helpful reading, websites & videos

Read this article on physical diseases and how they interlink with chronic illnesses
The Mind charity have helpful information on physical activity, sport and mental health
Please seek support from the Counselling and Psychological Services or Disability Services in case your experience of a chronic illness is also causing mental discomfort. In the meantime, watching motivational videos can be helpful. The videos below are stories of people who manage to live a full life with some serious health condition:

Perseverance: The story of Nick Vujicic
Love Me, Love My Face – Documentary

Self-help tips for managing physical health difficulties at university

Keep your GP and appropriate university support services informed of your health conditions and difficulties so that you can manage your conditions and difficulties better
Know your energy cycles and be mindful of when you are pushing your body over the limit
If you have a pre-existing health condition, learn how to manage life WITH the health condition or difficulty rather than trying to deny it
Remember, acceptance is the first step to cure. So if you are suffering, make sure you seek support for your difficulties so that it can be managed better
Avoid making a distinction between your physical health and mental health. The two are interconnected. Poor physical health can lead to increased risk of developing mental health difficulties. Similarly, poor mental health can negatively affect your physical health, leading to an increased risk of developing chronic conditions.

Contact information

Barclay Medical Practice University Branch

Fraser Building

65 Hillhead St.

Glasgow G12 8QF

Tel: +44 141 342 3600

Ambulance phone number Tel: 999

Ambulance services help many people with serious or life-threatening conditions

NHS Tel: 111

If you're worried about an urgent medical concern, you can call NHS111 to speak to a fully trained adviser. Depending on the situation, the NHS111 team can connect you to a nurse, emergency dentist or even a GP, and can arrange face-to-face appointments if they think you need one. NHS111 service provide urgent health advice out of hours, when your GP Practice or Dentist is closed.