As we are settling into the summer term, studying, learning and relaxing online has become our ‘new normal’. With all the change that has happened recently, we want to make it easy for you to look after number one and find resources to help with your wellbeing (which is very important!). We have created a round-up of what is currently happening within the University to support you:
1 – Support our Students
Support our Students gives all students remaining in halls the opportunity to be matched with a fellow student or a staff member for online support whether that’s a chat over email, a cup of tea over video chat, or help finding the answers to some of your queries or worries.
“Everyone usually gets support from their friends, teammates, or their housemates, and now lots of us have been separated from these people. I wanted every student who was feeling isolated to have someone to chat to, regardless of where they are in the world. Seeing the huge number and range of students (and staff) that have signed up to support others has been amazing, and I’m also really proud of everyone that’s signed up to be supported themselves”– Daisy O’Connor, Activities Officer, RUSU.
If you want to sign up or find out more, please click here.
2 – Wellbeing Toolkit
The Wellbeing Toolkit gives you lots of handy links in one place, so you can get the support you need. The five sections – Self-care, Study & Exams, Money, Fun and Relax, give you links to important information plus fun and relaxing activities you can do in your spare time, keeping you happy and healthy!
Stay up to date with Essentials for the lastest University advice.
3 – UoR Futurelearn course – COVID-19: Helping Young People Manage Low Mood and Depression
Starts today! (4th May)
In an unprecedented time of upheaval and change, it’s understandable that many young people’s mental health may be particularly vulnerable.
On this course, you can learn helpful, practical techniques to cope with low mood and depression during the lockdown period and beyond. You’ll examine how to structure your day and improve sleep and diet.
Explore how to build positive family communication, and learn tips on how to manage your thoughts and feelings, building long-lasting resilience along the way.
Click here to join the course.
4 – Relax with RUSU & Events online
This year Relax with RUSU is here with a daily calendar for you to follow. With the world not as we know it, the calendar has been created with staying at home in mind. It helps you to explore different themes to keep your mind busy with positivity and as productive as possible. We know relaxing isn’t easy at the moment, but this will give you some tips and activities to get you started.
RUSU Events believe that students deserve to have fun, now more than ever! The team are striving to deliver fun-filled online content to keep Reading’s student community engaged, providing the chance to have a well-earned break from their studies. There are a variety weekly events such as retro games nights (Mondays), live quiz nights (Thursdays) & live DJ streams (Saturdays) as well as the odd extra including live acoustic streams, tips on how to make your own cocktails and how to create a perfect cheeseboard. There’s something for everyone!
To stay up to date, join the Facebook events page or check out the RUSU Eventbrite page.
5 – Life Tools
The Life Tools programme has moved online to help you through lockdown and to keep you on track with your studies.
As the country and the University are making changes to adjust to the current situation, you may be wondering how to keep well and how best to manage your studies over the coming weeks. As such, weekly emails will be sent via the Life Tools Blackboard course, including strategies to manage studies while studying independently.
To access online resources, you can enrol on the Life Tools course on Blackboard. Click the ‘Enrol’ button and then follow the instructions to get started.
Webinars planned for this week:
Bouncing back from setbacks
Wednesday 6 May, 13:00-14:00
A good night’s sleep
Wednesday 6 May, 15:00-16:00
Jump-starting your brain
Thursday 7 May, 13:00-14:00
Keep up to date by following Life Tools on Twitter.
6 – SportsPark
With the lockdown in place, the SportsPark has moved online to give you your fix of workouts, keeping you fit and healthy at home. So if you are missing the gym, why not download the SportsPark app and keep on top of the latest FREE workouts from your SportsPark Team, FREE programmes and FREE nutritional and Health information from our Top Professors at the University of Reading.
Look out for the ‘Stay Healthy at Home’ campaign on social media that lists helpful hints and tips on how to stay physically and mentally well during this lockdown period.
To find out more download the SportsPark App, like the Facebook page or follow the SportsPark on Instagram.
7 – Music at Reading goes online
Music at Reading are arranging a series of digital activities which will take place throughout the term. Music is proven to help mental health and wellbeing, and it is more important than ever to stay connected during these unusual times. Activities will be hosted on Google Classroom to allow access to all students. These include weekly discussion topics, videos, links to activities shared by other music organisations, and musical challenges. In addition, we will be hosting a series of weekly live events, to include musical pub quizzes, fireside chats, and more.
Join our ‘classroom’ by following these instructions:
- Search ‘Google Classroom’
- Click the + sign in the top right corner
- Select ‘Join Class’
- Type in the code: sh3fpl4