Wellbeing Wednesday – Mindfulness

Wellbeing Wednesday

Welcome to this edition of the Business School Wellbeing Wednesday Update.  We hope you are safe and well.

Each Wednesday (during term time) we will post a staff blog highlighting wellbeing support that is available to Business School students within the School and from across the university to allow staff to pass on the information to students.

 

Wellbeing Support for Business School Students

The Business School has dedicated health and wellbeing support for our students:

  • Lisa Kirton- Counsellor/ Therapist
  • Emer McConnell- Mental Health Adviser

 

They are available to provide support for students all year round.  They can be contacted via NUBS.Wellbeing@newcastle.ac.uk

 

Each Wednesday (during term time) we will send you an email highlighting wellbeing support that is available to Business School students within the School and from across the university. As well as providing a reminder about the support available each week, we will also shine a spotlight on a different university support service.

 

Get in touch:  If you want an informal chat with our wellbeing team, please email NUBS.Wellbeing@newcastle.ac.uk and they will be able to sign post you to what support is available.

 

Other Sources of Support:  Our Student and Staff Wellbeing Service work with local and national organisations to support you and help you maximise your academic potential and gain the most from your time here at Newcastle.

 

Student Support Plans: If you disclose a long-term mental health condition, supported by recent medical evidence, you may be able to access reasonable adjustments and support to help you engage in your studies. Students who have an on-going mental health condition or disability can access a Student Support Plan: specialistlearning@ncl.ac.uk or disabilityadvisor@ncl.ac.uk.

 

Mental Health Advisor: If you feel you may require support with a mental health issue, you can request an individual assessment appointment: mentalhealthadvisor@ncl.ac.uk.

 

Drop-In Support: Drop-in slots are one off appointments if you are wanting to discuss a particular issue.  These are for situations where you do not need a regular appointment but may want to speak to someone about an issue impacting upon your health and wellbeing please contact: sws.therapyappointments@ncl.ac.uk.

 

This service allows you to meet with our Therapist, Lisa to discuss any issue that may be affecting you but where you don’t feel you need a more regular appointment and some advice may help. Lisa can provide counselling for students who may be struggling with life concerns which cause unmanageable emotional or psychological distress. She can also help students to get the most from their university experience and maximise their academic success by providing time focussed counselling. This service is available to all students, to those with and without medical evidence.

 

Wellbeing Workshops: The School is hosting Workshops on a range of topics from Managing Stress and Anxiety to How to Sleep: Wellbeing Workshops – Student and Staff Wellbeing – Newcastle University (ncl.ac.uk) For more information about wellbeing support and services at Newcastle University visit: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/wellbeing/ 

 

Urgent Wellbeing Support: For urgent concerns during office hours (09:00 – 17:00 Monday-Friday) please use the Wellbeing Consultancy service: wellbeingconsultancy@ncl.ac.uk. For out of hours help, please call University Security: 0191 208 6817 (24 hours a day, seven days a week)

 

Report + Support: We are committed to providing a positive experience for our students and colleagues and believe that abusive behaviours are never acceptable. Our online Report and Support tool enables anyone to report concerns anonymously, make a formal complaint and/ or receive support. You can read more at https://reportandsupport.ncl.ac.uk/

 

As Wellbeing encompasses both physical and mental wellbeing we also wanted to highlight some of the measures in place to protect your physical health when you are on campus in the Business School. These help us to keep the campus tidy and make it easier for facilities staff to clean:

  • Please do not eat in lecture theatres
  • Please ensure that you are recycling waste correctly and using the correct bins, especially not putting food waste into the bins in toilets
  • Please ensure that you wear a face covering when moving around the Business School to protect yourself and others

 

Spotlight on…Mindfulness

This week we are highlighting mindfulness.

 

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is an approach which involves observing what is happening in the present moment, without passing any judgement. Mindfulness is an approach that you can learn – you may become more conscious of your thoughts, body and environment.

 

Mindfulness helps you to…

  • Build self-awareness
  • Be kinder towards yourself
  • Cope with troublesome and unhelpful thoughts
  • Sleep better
  • Feel less stressed
  • Improve your focus etc.

 

Mindfulness Exercises

Below you will find various mindfulness exercises you can try. Anyone can try mindfulness, but different exercises will work for different people, so don’t worry if one doesn’t work for you, try another one.

 

  • Meditation – involves sitting or lying down in a quiet place, and focusing on your breathing, thoughts, sensations or environment. If your mind wanders, don’t worry that’s completely normal, try to bring your mind back to the present.
  • Mindful eating – focus your attention on the taste, sight and texture of what you are drinking/eating.
  • Body Scan – this exercise involves focusing on different parts of the body. Begin at the crown of your head and work your way down to the tips of your toes. You may notice different parts of your body feel warm, tense or relaxed etc.
  • Take a walk in a green space – focus your attention on the feeling of your body moving and the environment surrounding you.
  • Mindful colouring and drawing – concentrate on the colours and the feel of your pencil on the page.
  • Yoga – yoga is an ancient form of exercise that involves psychical movement, concentration and deep breathing.

 

This list is non-exhaustive – for more exercises, please click here (link to an external site).

 

Upcoming Introduction to Mindfulness Workshop

Thursday 26th May 2022, 12-1pm. Frederick Douglas Centre (FDC 1.16)

 

This workshop aims to provide an introduction to mindfulness and how this approach can enhance your wellbeing. The benefits of mindfulness are explored in a way that can help you identify and incorporate this approach into your life to make a meaningful difference. The focus is on connecting with your mind and learning how awareness gives space to being in the “here and now”. This will include some practical grounding exercises, and links to further resources.

 

To sign up, please visit: https://workshops.ncl.ac.uk/public/wellbeing/

 

Useful Mindfulness Resources

Below you will find some useful resources.

 

 

 

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