Weekly Wellbeing Themes

Easter Vacation

It’s vacation time and if you are preparing for exams or assignments, as well as maybe working and seeing family and friends, it can be easy to miss this essential opportunity to recharge your batteries and prepare for the coming term. It is crucial to prioritise self-care to maintain your balance and wellbeing.

Planning can be the key to achieving this. Allocate specific study hours each day, allowing ample time for relaxation, exercise and socialising. Remember ACE – Achievement, Connection and Enjoyment – all of these are necessary. Try to incorporate activities that rejuvenate your mind and body such as going for walks, practicing mindfulness or doing hobbies you enjoy. Ensure you get enough sleep to support cognitive function and to boost your memory and recall. Stay hydrated and nourish yourself with nutritious food to sustain your energy levels. Set realistic goals and manage your time effectively.

Remember that taking breaks is not only permissible, but essential, for productivity and mental clarity. By nurturing both your academic and personal needs, you can approach Term 3 and all it brings with a refreshed and focussed mindset.

If you would like to speak to someone at Wellbeing and Student Support, you can have a brief consultation with a Wellbeing Adviser. Please access the Wellbeing Portal to join a queue for a brief consultation with an Adviser, Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm. Consultations can be face to face in Senate House, or online. They both require you to join the queue online when you are available.

Online support and advice are available to all Warwick students 24/7 from Togetherall. There is also a range of self-help resources on our website.

Feeling Overwhelmed

If you are feeling overwhelmed, it's important to recognise that feeling stressed or overloaded is normal at times. Break some of those daunting tasks down into smaller, manageable chunks and prioritise them based on deadlines and importance. There are loads of tools like planners and digital calendars which can help you to allocate designated times for different tasks. Practice effective time management techniques, such as the Pomodoro Technique, to maintain focus and productivity whilst avoiding burnout: Time ManagementLink opens in a new window

Please do not hesitate to seek support from your department or from Wellbeing and Student Support if you are feeling overwhelmed – there is guidance and resources which can help you to navigate these challenges.

Remember to take breaks, practice self-care, and celebrate your progress along the way. It is nearly the end of term and so please remember to plan some time off to relax in the vacation.

It was University Mental Health Day on Thursday 13th March 2025: UMHD - Home - UMHD.Link opens in a new window This is a great opportunity to prioritise your own mental health and wellbeing. Have a look on websiteLink opens in a new window for details, find out what’s going on and read some student blogs full of ideas of how other students are looking after themselves.

If you would like to speak to someone at Wellbeing and Student Support, you can have a brief consultation with a Wellbeing Adviser. Please access the Wellbeing PortalLink opens in a new window to join a queue for a brief consultation with an Adviser, Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm. Consultations can be face to face in Senate House, or online. They both require you to join the queue online when you are available.

Meeting deadlines and staying well

When deadlines approach, it is vital to make time and space for your physical and mental health needs as well as your academic needs.

Although some stress can help you to focus and work to a deadline, too much stress can do the opposite. High levels of stress, particularly when combined with a lack of sleep, nutrition, hydration, and relaxation, can impede working well and staying well.

Break your work down into small chunks, focus on one thing at a time and seek help from your department or from us in Wellbeing Support if you need help managing deadlines. There are skills and techniques you can learn which will help you as your progress through your degree and on into the world of work. A good place to start is our Managing DeadlinesLink opens in a new window resource.

Living well

Living well, building healthy behaviours and finding a work life balance is important, yet tricky at times. During busier parts of the year, when there are conflicting deadlines or exams, it can begin to feel overwhelming. Healthy behaviours can be harder to maintain, and we can lose the balance we need.

It is also important to make sure that you are taking breaks and time for yourself, balancing workload with rest. If we try to work consistently without taking time for rest and relaxation, we will begin to burnout. To keep up productivity and look after ourselves, we must take breaks. Our Self-Help ResourcesLink opens in a new window can be a good place to start if you feel you need tips around balance.

Productivity

This week we are thinking about productivity reducing procrastination and getting stuff done. Lots of factors feed into our productivity and how well we manage distractions. There are things that you can do to help you focus and feel more in control.

Firstly, think about why you are struggling to be productive. Maybe the work feels too challenging or perhaps you feel overwhelmed by the amount you need to do? Do you feel so exhausted that you do not have any energy left to give? Outside stressors – such as relationship or financial worries – may also factor into reduced productivity, as well as disruption to our self-care routine such as poorer sleeping and eating habits.

It is important to check in with ourselves when we notice these changes. A good place to start is by concentrating on the Foundations of WellbeingLink opens in a new window which can help to create a balance that allows you to maintain focus and increase productivity. You may also want to access related self-help resources on our website which include Writer’s BlockLink opens in a new window, ProcrastinationLink opens in a new window and Time Management.Link opens in a new window

Stress and Anxiety

Some feelings of stress and anxiety are normal but if it is getting in the way of your day-to-day functioning, then it is worth making some changes, we have lots of support for you to do that.

Being very busy, taking too much on, or not allowing yourself time to stop and rest can keep your stress levels high. There are things you can do which help reduce these feelings and help you to feel more in control. Build on this by having a look at our self-help pages onstressLink opens in a new windowandanxietyLink opens in a new windowwhich contain evidence-based strategies which make a difference and can help you to feel calmer and in control.

On the 6th of February it was time to talk day:Time to Talk DayLink opens in a new window. Bottling things up and putting a brave face on can have a negative impact on our wellbeing. This day was to remind people how talking about mental health has the power to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness.

If you would like to speak to someone at Wellbeing and Student Support, you can have a brief consultation with a Wellbeing Adviser. Please access theWellbeing Portal Link opens in a new windowto join a queue for a brief consultation with an Adviser, Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm. Consultations can be face to face in Senate House, or online. They both require you to join the queue online when you are available.