Your wellbeing
Here we share some tips on on actions that can be taken to allow you to manage and improve your personal wellbeing to make sure that you look for help when you need it, and that you prioritise self-care.
Introduction to the Five Ways to Wellbeing
The Five Ways to Wellbeing is a national campaign that has identified five distinct actions that can be used in life to allow you to manage and help improve personal wellbeing. Read on to discover more about the support, development opportunities and/or spaces for you to reflect and learn in. This information will provide you with tips, advice and support services to utilise, which in turn we hope will ease your transition into university and throughout your journey as an online student.
Connect
Connecting with the people around you is important - with family, friends, colleagues, your online peers and academics. Studying online allows you to build relationships in your online courses with people from all over the world - embrace this opportunity!
Be active
Sport, exercise and physical activity play a key role in both your physical and mental wellbeing. If you need a break from the online screen, go for walks or a run or explore the physical and emotional benefits of other forms of physical activity such as dance, swimming, martial arts, or anything that takes your fancy!
Our Sports and Exercise website hosts a range of online resources including metabolic conditioning workouts, pilates and a free audio based app to boost your mental health.
Take notice
Your time as an online postgraduate student at University can be challenging, especially as you may be juggling many other responsibilities alongside your studies. You may be studying over several years and at times it may feel like the end is never in sight. Be mindful. Take time to savour the moments that you experience as an online student both personally and academically. But also take time away from your studies to spend with friends, go for walks and share your thoughts with your online peers. You might also want to consider keeping a record of your studies on a blog.
Keep learning
The University provides you with plenty of opportunities for personal and academic growth, becoming more confident throughout your time as an online student at Edinburgh.
Find out more about how you can keep learning
Give
If you feel you have time then you might want to consider what you can give back to your community, be that local or global. The University encourages volunteering so that students can enrich their lives and that of the wider community. Taking time through volunteering, supporting and listening to your peers, being part of an activity to enhance your own experience, are all examples that are incredibly rewarding and create connections with the people around you.
Further useful resources to support your wellbeing
Big White Wall is an online service providing access to millions with anxiety, depression and other common mental health issues.
The Feeling Good App is produced by the Foundation for Positive Mental Health, a charity dedicated to promoting skills training for positive mental health, to enhance everyday wellbeing, increase resilience to, and recovery from, mental health difficulties.
The University Chaplaincy is a safe and welcoming space for people of all faiths and none
The University Student Counselling Service supports the mental health of all students at the University, using short-term counselling and referral to other services.
The University Student Disability Service supports all disabled students.