Your wellbeing: tips from student volunteers
We asked some Sussex volunteers to share their tips for taking care of your wellbeing during this period of social distancing and online learning.
You can find more information about support and other services on the Coronavirus pages and in regular communications from the University.
Routine
“Try to attempt a routine. It doesn’t have to be strict but even keeping up the same sleeping pattern can massively help.” – Isabel, Wellbeing volunteer
“Each weekday I have something mind-stimulating (like uni work), something for the body (either a jog or home workout) and personal time to self-reflect. I use other bits of time to watch TV or cook and bake new things.” – Monica, REDS volunteer
Spending time outdoors
“If you’re lucky enough to have a garden or balcony, I like to wear a heavy coat and have a cup of tea or my lunch outside in the sun.” – Emma, Tea and Talk volunteer
“I’m still on campus so I have been taking my daily walk outside, whilst social distancing. I walked up to Stanmer woods as it’s empty and took some lovely pictures! Spending some time outside can really clear your head.” – Callum, Tea and Talk volunteer
Communication and building relationships
“It’s so important to try and maintain some sense of communication with friends, even if it’s just a message a day. I’m not great at messaging so I’ve downloaded this app called House Party and you can see when your friends are online and available.” – Anna, REDS volunteer
“Have Skype dates or phone calls so that you don’t feel alone. Have dinner with a friend on Skype or let them keep you company when you’re cooking.” – Monica, REDS volunteer
“I think it’s important for people to not think of the social distancing like an emotional distancing. Even though we might not meet our friends every day, it’s during times like these that I think it’s good to know that there are people in our lives who care about us.” – Surobhi, REDS volunteer
Exercise
“If you feel up to it, utilise the amazing free resources on social media for workouts or yoga – they could really boost your mood.” – Isabel, Wellbeing volunteer
“I’m not an active person usually but I’ve found doing some exercise every day has been really beneficial – for example, Yoga with Adriene’s YouTube videos for beginners.” – Dodi, REDS volunteer
Keeping busy
“To get my mind off things I am cooking more complicated and time-consuming dishes than I would normally. In the next few days I’ll take up making candles from scratch again – it is remarkably cheap and quite satisfying.” – Enia, Tea and Talk volunteer
“I am using this time to do fun things like arts and crafts. I’ve also downloaded a language app to try and get better at Spanish! For me it’s all about keeping my mind active.” – Paige, Wellbeing volunteer
Managing anxiety
“If your worry feels overwhelming and takes over your day, setting specific ‘worry time’ to go through your concerns each day can help you to focus on other things.” – Feven, Tea and Talk volunteer
Switching off
“Try not to sit on social media all day. I personally find it’s a black hole and you could easily sit scrolling all day and then you just end up feeling rubbish.” – Isabel, Wellbeing volunteer
“Perhaps have a specific time every day where you check everything. We all know social media can be bad for us but especially at the moment there’s a lot of panic and anxiety online. You are allowed to rest.” – Eloise, Tea and Talk Volunteer
Looking for positivity
“It helps me to remind myself of the massive efforts people are making to help each other. I think avoiding too much negative news is essential, especially if people are anxious. There is a BBC radio show called Make a Difference, which talks about how people have come together at this time.” – Dodi, REDS Volunteer