Monday 18-06-2018 - 09:00

As some of us pack up our rooms and head off for the holidays while others begin to get settled in to a new summer routine in Bristol, the realisation dawns upon many of us students that another year of university is over. While Health Science and PG students continue to study in the once packed but now isolated study centres, students working in Bristol or embarking on internships find themselves walking around a significantly emptier city.

The last term has been a challenging one for our whole University community to say the least. Entering summer presents its own challenges, whether trying to slot into a family setting, experiencing changed circumstances at home or in Bristol, feeling pushed to earn enough money for the term ahead, continuing to study or suddenly being presented with some free time. The different experiences of each university student become even more varied over a summer period: some of us can re-enter the support networks we have established at our homes or stay connected to those around them in Bristol, for others the summer outlook seems isolating, an intimidating collection of weeks away from housemates or halls stretch out ahead.

The Mind Your Head blog on 25 April outlines each of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing, and the premise behind each of them when creating a personalised wellbeing toolkit. By creating a toolkit full of different activities that make us feel more positive and content, we can understand different ways of being that we can turn to when our mental health feels challenged and positive wellbeing feels more difficult to maintain.

Finding ways to flex your wellbeing muscles and test out that wellbeing toolkit can help ensure you are able to reset over summer following the university term. Whether you are also working 9-9 at a local fast food restaurant or are feeling a bit aimless for a few weeks, make sure you take time out of the day, albeit 5 mins every day, to try out the 5 Ways to Wellbeing: Take Notice, Keep Learning, Be Active, Connect and Give.

During Mind Your Head week, the Wellbeing Network created 5 separate videos linked to each of the 5 ways. Watch the videos to find out more:

Take Notice

This video is a small insight into exactly what Take Notice entails, focussing particularly on how technology can prevent us engaging with the world around us

Keep Learning

A snapshot of the Time To Talk event on 1st February with students engaged in conversations about mental health across the student community held a chat show

Be Active

Two students talking openly about their experiences with physical activity as a way to wellbeing, highlighting the importance of approaching ‘Be Active’ in a healthy way

Connect

A fun social experiment style testing how friends respond to being told to hold eye contact

Give

A heart-warming video of friends telling each other what they’d like to give each other

 

So, this summer, make it part of your summer project to test out the 5 ways and see which ones work best for you. Take pleasure in the time you have with friends, family and strangers, bask in the sun, look in all the shop windows on a walk you never usually take time on and put your speakers on to dance to some summer tunes. Wishing you a summer of self-discovery and keeping yourselves well.

For more tips on wellbeing, check out: https://www.thriveglobal.com/categories/well-being

Bristol SU Wellbeing Network