6 Ways to Wellbeing
As a student, you'll have a busy life but a little time spent on your own wellbeing is likely to make you feel happier, more positive and able to get the most from life.
There’s lots of evidence that these activities help us to flourish but why not try for yourself and make the most of the things on offer at ARU.
1. Be active
Getting active doesn’t mean that you have to spend hours in the gym, it’s important to find activities that you enjoy and that you can integrate into your daily life for optimum results.
Research shows that keeping active can not only benefit our physical wellbeing, but also our mental wellbeing. Due to a variety of factors, including; increased self-esteem, a sense of self-control and the ability to rise to the challenge, keeping active comes highly recommended when considering how to maintain and improve your mental wellbeing.
According to Mind UK, regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety across all age groups, and exercise is essential for slowing age-related cognitive decline and for promoting wellbeing.
There are plenty of ways to introduce increased activity into your busy schedule, and we'd recommend some of the following:
- Take the stairs not the lift, where possible
- Go for a walk at lunchtime
- Maybe try living room yoga, you can follow videos online for instruction
Team ARU
The Team ARU website provides a wide range of opportunities for you to be active. We deliver a programme of social sports and there are many sport clubs to join which compete against other universities. On campus we have gyms to provide you with the opportunity to do a workout. The equipment at the gym provides options for everybody, no matter the goal. Visit Team ARU.
NHS and Public Health England Guidance
Follow the NHS 'Live Well' Exercise guidelines on physical activity.
Visit the NHS Fitness Studio and take your pick from 24 instructor-led videos in our aerobics, strength and resistance, pilates and yoga categories.
Download the 'Couch to 5k' app for an easy to follow programme to get you up to running 5K. Download on the App Store or Google Play
2. Be healthy
The food you eat will obviously affect your physical health but there’s also a strong association between your food and your mood.
We have a self-help information booklet available that explains the links between:
- The foods we eat
- How we feel emotionally and physically
- Tips on maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle
How does food affect our mood?
NHS and Public Health England Tips and Guidance
The NHS has tips and guidance to help you eat healthily. Check out the 8 tips for healthy eating and the advice on eating a balanced diet.
Eat foods that are healthier for you and check out the 'One You Easy Meals' app. Download on the Apple App Store
Sleep
Healthy sleep habits can make a big difference to your quality of life. Having healthy sleep habits is often referred to as having good sleep hygiene. The below links provide some helpful tips, tricks and resources for your own sleep hygiene.
You can now access a new Space for Sleep program on SilverCloud, please email [email protected] for more information.
3. Connect
Feeling close to, and valued by, other people is a fundamental human need. Social relationships are critical for promoting wellbeing and can help reduce the risk of mental ill health for people of all ages.
With this in mind, try to do something different today – and make a connection.
- Try video calling instead of texting today
- Speak to someone new today
- Ask how someone’s weekend was and really listen when they tell you
- Phone or meet someone you care about for a proper catch up
- Try to make sure you share good news and happy moments with those around you
Students' Union
With the ARU Students' Union you can connect with others whilst trying out new activities and experiences. Take a look at the Students' Union 'Give it a go' calendar. Some activities are still available for students to participate in remotely!
Wellbeing Workshops
Please keep an eye on our Wellbeing Workshops booking page for information on remote sessions. If you have previously attended a workshop and would like to request copies of presentations used, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]
4. Give
Even the smallest act can count, whether it's a smile, a thank you or a kind word. Larger acts, such as volunteering can improve your mental wellbeing and help you build new social networks.
Volunteering
Benefits of volunteering:
- Volunteering connects you with others – make new friends and contacts and develop key social and relationship skills.
- Volunteering benefits both your body and mind – it is well known for counteracting the negative effects of stress and anxiety, it helps to build and maintain a sense of purpose and increased confidence.
- Volunteering often provides people with the opportunity to stay active when they may not otherwise.
- Volunteering can advance your career prospects – by learning valuable skills and building experience in a relevant or transferable field, you could put yourself ahead of the game in future job applications.
Volunteering with the ARU Students' Union
Visit the Students' Union Volunteering website for opportunities.
Be a Welcome Buddy
As a current ARU student, you are the expert on studying here and you can use your knowledge to answer the questions you would have found helpful when starting and therefore make new students’ experiences a little less daunting.
You’ll be allocated a small number of new students and will be a friendly face for them. You’ll introduce yourself before they arrive, then meet over coffee in Welcome or Teaching Week 1 to help with questions about starting university, settling in, making friends and getting to know the support that’s available at ARU.
This is a voluntary scheme which will only take place in your first semester so it’s not a huge time commitment.
5. Learn
Research shows that if we keep learning throughout adulthood and into later life, this can have a positive impact on maintaining and improving our mental health and wellbeing. As a student you are here to learn, but informal learning for your personal interest is likely to feel quite different and very positive.
What do we mean by continued learning?
Learning is about gaining new knowledge, developing skills and having new experiences that enrich our lives. Learning is about challenging ourselves to do something different or improve upon what we’ve done before. Learning can take many shapes and forms – it could mean taking a new educational or vocational course, refining existing skills, challenging ourselves to develop new ones or approaching new tasks and events that we’ve not tried before. Broadening our minds helps us gain insight into life, ourselves, and the world around us, which are all good things for our mental wellbeing.
What are the benefits?
- Increases our self-esteem
- Encourages social interaction
- Gives us a sense of hope and purpose
- Better ability to cope with stress
Ideas to try
- Reading books – if you read already, why not try a change of genre? Joining a book club is good incentive to expand your reading or why not browse a new section of the library?
- Browse the local continued professional development (CPD) opportunities in your local area?
- Volunteer via the Students' Union for a role that will involve training in a new skill.
- Take an evening course at your local community college / centre. Anything from photography to learning a new language.
- Keep up to date with local and national news stories.
- Learn a new computer skill – these are highly valuable skills and great for future employability.
Study Skills Plus
Our Study Skills Plus website provides a wide range of resources available for your home learning. You can enhance your chances of success by creating your own Study Skills Plus programme from these activities and resources.
Visit Study Skills Plus6. Take notice
Reminding yourself to ‘take notice’ can strengthen and broaden awareness. Studies have shown that being aware of what is taking place in the present directly enhances your well-being and savouring ‘the moment’ can help to reaffirm your life priorities. Heightened awareness also enhances your self-understanding and allows you to make positive choices based on your own values and motivations.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist practice. Mindfulness is a very simple concept that means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. This increases awareness, clarity and acceptance of our present-moment reality.
By selecting the links below, you can begin to explore mindfulness in your own time and in your preferred environment. You can then learn to incorporate into your daily routine for increased positive wellbeing.
These techniques can help you to clear your mind and feel calmer during this unprecedented time.
