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Support over Christmas

Activities and ways to keep busy
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Support available over the Christmas period (and beyond!)
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Food supplies over Christmas
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The Christmas period can be a different experience for different people. Some people will have a busy time and might need to think about how they make space for rest and relaxation. For others, it might be a quiet time and they will need to think about how to keep themselves occupied and entertained. Or it might be something in the middle.

Below are some ideas for activities you might want to consider:

Spend time with others

The Eagle & Ball pub and The Social Kitchen will be open until Friday 20 December, and are likely to have some good deals on food and drink that you could enjoy with friends or flatmates.

You might want to arrange some film/tv or games nights and enjoy some snacks/treats with other people.

You could arrange to speak to or see friends that you haven’t been able to during term time.

TV and film

Why not get cosy and settle down for some festive films? As a BCU student you have free access to BOB (Box of Broadcasts) which has a wide range of television, film and radio from over several decades.

Physical activity

Keeping active can help your mental health. For example, it can help you get better sleep, improve your mood and help you to manage stress, anxiety and intrusive thoughts.

City Centre Wellbeing Studio

Take a break at our City Centre Wellbeing Studio at University Locks. There’s a range of active wellbeing sessions to take part in like Zumba, yoga and Stressbox. See the schedule and book classes on iCity.

There are also lots of online fitness channels specialising in different forms of exercise available on YouTube. These channels usually have something to suit people of all fitness levels:

  • Adapt to Perform - a variety of workouts for wheelchair users including HIIT, circuit, yoga and strength workouts.
  • HASFit - over 1000 workout routines including cardio, HIIT and strength training.
  • Yoga with Adriene - yoga sessions for people of all abilities, including beginners.
  • The Fitness Marshall - fun dance workouts to all your favourite pop songs.
  • FitnessBlender - over 500 different workouts including 5 quick 5 minute workouts.
  • Walk at Home - low intensity walking workouts.

Online activities

Keep boredom at bay with these fun online activities:

Self-care

Try to take some time over the festive break to look after your own wellbeing.

You might want to download the BCU Wellbeing App which has some great tools and resources. The app can support you to build habits to help maintain your wellbeing moving forward. The app is available in Apple and Android app stores by searching for BCU Wellbeing.

It can be great to spend time with other people, but remember that it’s OK to want to have time to yourself too. This doesn’t need to be costly; take a look at some of our ideas below for some inspiration.

  • It can be tempting to stay up late every night but try to keep a little routine in your days and weeks.
  • Prioritise your mental health. It’s ok to say no to some plans if you feel you need some time to relax and unwind.
  • Get outdoors. Exercise releases feel good endorphins and on a nice sunny day you can top up on your vitamin D too.
  • Take a bath or a long shower and enjoy the opportunity to be disconnected from the world for a short while.
  • Put on your favourite music or a podcast. Having a dance to music can be a great way to release tensions and endorphins.
  • Have a social media detox day and be present in the moment.
  • Practice gratitude
  • Meditate. BCU students can access Headspace for free, which has some great meditations and short courses.

Study

It’s important to get some rest and relaxation over the Christmas holiday period, however you may want to spend some time catching up or getting ahead with your studies. This can be helpful to give your days structure and give you a sense of achievement. Just remember to take regular breaks and don’t spend all your holiday time on this!

During the Christmas period, the Curzon and Mary Seacole libraries will be open but unstaffed most days, providing access to a safe, warm space with Wi-Fi for access to digital resources, and self-service for printed materials.