This month's way to wellbeing spotlight is on Give.

We'll be producing material to support and promote Give, alongside focusing on a different, salient wellbeing topic each week. Please visit the other items in this menu for more details.

Don't forget, if you want to plan your own activity and need inspiration, examples of previous events can be found here. As face to face activities aren't possible during the current situation, we'd love to hear from you with alternative suggestions. Please send these to studentsupport@manchester.ac.uk.

Resources

You can find ready-made resources here or, if you want to create your own, visit the University's brandsite for the assets you'll need (you'll need to scroll down a little to get to them!).

If creating your own, you’ll need to buy InDesign (in Adobe Creative Cloud) from the University's Electronic Software Delivery system.

You should also ask IT to install the University fonts, they can do this simply for you here.

Social media

Don't forget to follow us on instagram: @uomwellbeing.

Every Wednesday the Wellbeing Team will be promoting positive wellbeing to encourage students to take care of themselves during these uncertain times. 

We'll be handpicking different events and activites students can take part in throughout the day at home - from mindfulness sessions to exercise classes.

This will be promoted through our instagram page @uomwellbeing and on our student support website. You can find a clickable PDF schedule for the day here, this will be updated every Tuesday. Further assets for social media can be found below.

If you'd like to run your own activities to promote positive wellbeing and need some inspiration, take a look at this event ideas page. Due to the current situation, we know that face to face activities won't be possible so if you have any suggestions for alternative events, we'd love to hear from you: studentsupport@manchester.ac.uk

Remember to use the hashtag #uomwellbeingwednesdays in any social media posts!

Suggested copy for newsletters etc:

Looking for a wellbeing boost? Every Wednesday your Wellbeing Team will be running ‘Wellbeing Wednesdays!'. These Wednesdays will include wellbeing events and activities that you can take part in from home throughout the day - from mindfulness sessions to live gigs. Follow @uomwellbeing to get involved!

Assets:

(Right-click to save images- social media and instagram story assets will be updated every Tuesday)

We understand that some students are currently finding managing their workloads to be quite difficult as they try to get used to the new ways of teaching and learning. With this in mind, we have created this new page on the Student Support website around workload management that include tips, resources and links to further support.

Friday 13th November is World Kindness Day. With our Way to Wellbeing of Give this month and as we enter another period of lockdown, we wanted to focus on the benefits of giving and being kind to yourself and others. We would encourage you to circulate these resources to your students a day or two before World Kindness Day.

We have produced a resource to get students thinking about the ways they can Give. There is also a link through to our Give page where they can find out about the benefits of Giving and also some further information on kindness.

Kindness has been shown to have many benefits for the wellbeing of both for the giver and the receiver. Our random acts of kindness journal encourages students to think about how they can be kind to others, and in turn themselves.

Self-care is a way we can be kind to ourselves. Sleep, healthy eating habits, mindful acceptance, social support and physical activity are great ways to practice self-care. Our Six Ways to Wellbeing can support students in doing this. Students can also take a look at our sleep webpage, support network resource and gratitude journal to support them in their self-care. 

Now more than ever, it is essential we check in with our wellbeing. There is a lot of uncertainty in the air and it can be stressful and overwhelming to navigate these feelings. Below are some key tips, resources and guidance to how to look after your Wellbeing in Winter. 

The nights are getting darker, which can impact our wellbeing in many different ways, but we can also take this time to appreciate staying indoors.Winter is a chance to spend time getting relaxed, warm and cosy. So why not embrace the Scandinavian concept of Hygge. The word comes from a Norwegian word meaning ‘wellbeing’ and it’s a centuries old Scandinavian / Danish concept that’s used to describe a moment or feeling that is cosy. 

If the short days are making you feel fatigued or sluggish, why not try to wake up earlier to make the most of the daylight? Rather than waiting until you finish your work day to leave the house, if you can, try and take little breaks throughout the day. Even being outdoors for 5 minutes will ensure you see some daylight and stimulate oxygen to the brain. If you need help motivating yourself to stick to a routine, take a look at the Student Support website for tips of motivation and focus, as well as a Daily and Weekly planner to help you get organised. 

Although we won’t be leaving the house as much, it’s still important to consider how we can keep ourselves safe now that the nights are getting darker. Be sure to visit our website for more information on How to Be Safe. 

Finally, there’s no doubt that facing a second lockdown in winter might make this time more challenging than the last.  However, this time round we know what to expect and we can remember what helped our wellbeing during the first lockdown and use these strategies again. For inspiration, check out this resource on Looking after your wellbeing at home. Having said that, it’s still important to be mindful of our mental health and check-in with ourselves and others. Here is a resource that reminds us how to be kind to ourselves and take care of our mental health during this lockdown. Here is a gentle reminder of how to check in with yourself - click here. You can also access a range of Support Services if you need help or support during this time. 

Giving Tuesday takes place on the 1^st of December. As part of our Giving campaign, we have launched an initiative called 'Keep Manchester Warm and Fed.' This is an easy way for students to give back to local community. We have created Instagram graphics and posters for you to share on any relevant platforms. Giving has been proven to make you feel happier, lowers stress levels, increases self-esteem and promotes social connection, so please share to let students know how they get involved.

Due to the current situation, we've asked the student Wellbeing Champions for feedback and suggestions of activities they'd like to run. We'll add content here as soon as we know more.