Increase your productivity to get things done, maintain your health and strengthen your resilience.
By Lizzie Stevenson (Mental Health Advisor)
Three useful effects of mindfulness
Attention control
As mentioned in Part 1 , mindfulness is the opposite of mindlessness. Mindfulness can help us to notice when our mind has wandered off, so that we can bring it back to what we need to focus on.
Continue reading “Introduction to Mindfulness: Part 2”
Making change happen
Most people use the start of a new year to review how things have gone in the past year. Then, they look ahead to decide what they want to change. Why is this time so significant for change?
Starting a new calendar year can feel like starting on a fresh new page. A new beginning invites us to reflect on how things are going and to consider how we would like things to be.
Continue reading “New Year’s resolutions”
The end of term has arrived, and it is time to take a break. As you begin the holidays there will be some thoughts about whether your work is as good as you hope.
Waiting for feedback can be a bit unsettling, particularly when you worked very hard to do good work, and submit it by the deadline.
Continue reading “Feedback: food for thought”
Being at university maybe the first time that you need to manage your budget independently.
At times, it may be difficult to balance paying for food, personal care items, washing liquid and other essentials for everyday living with having enough to go out socialising with other students.
Continue reading “Living on a student budget and preventing debt”
Making time to get work done and meet deadlines
We are now in the middle of the term and you are probably noticing that the work is accumulating. You may be wondering how to keep on top of it and how to produce good work by the deadline.
Continue reading “Self-management: managing priorities”
Looking after your health:
So now you have been at University for a few weeks: the weather is starting to change, it is getting colder, and the days are becoming shorter.
During this change of season, when the temperature fluctuates so much, it is very common to catch a cold. Some of the symptoms are uncomfortable, such as having a general sense of not feeling well, perhaps having a headache, and having trouble breathing due to congestion.
Continue reading “SETTLING IN: after the first few weeks”
Settling in
Welcome to all new students, and welcome back to all of you who are returning to continue with your studies. Well done for your efforts and achievements to get to this point.
For some of you this may be the first time that you are away from your familiar environment. And for others, this may have meant a long journey from your home country to come to study in the UK. And some of you, although being a home student, will also be exploring your new space.
Continue reading “Settling in: adjusting to a new environment”
Strategies to restore and maintain balance when dealing with challenges
Life tends to present us with challenges, and there are some situations that produce worry, tension and stress.
In some circumstances the stress response will be appropriate as our bodies react to provide us with extra energy and focus to cope with it.
Continue reading “MANAGING STRESS”
What can you do to manage your inner world and maintain a more balanced approach?
“If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention than to any other talent.” (Isaac Newton)
Having the capacity for focused attention is what most students want when preparing for exams. However, with so much material covered during the academic year it can be challenging to review it all in a few weeks prior to the exams.
Continue reading “PREPARING FOR EXAMS: MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR REVISION TIME”
How to manage challenges and learn effectively
As the term progresses you are likely to be working on a number of assignments while deadlines get closer. Probably a time of high expectations and concern regarding your ability to complete tasks well, and in time.
Part of the academic pressure you may be experiencing now is probably due to the accumulated volume of work to do in a short period of time. It is likely to be a frustrating time, and even stressful.
Although it may feel very challenging, you can rely on your brain’s amazing capacity to learn.