New Years resolutions can feel overwhelming and, at times, unachievable. They come from wanting drastic change in your life, and that’s not always possible. Instead of putting your energy into resolutions that you’ll drop in a few weeks, why not spend some time looking at your every day routine, and see where you can slot in some small changes that will make you happier in the long run? We’ve also got lots of events and opportunities coming up this term that might help make these changes permanent too!
Build self-care into your every day routine
Over the past couple of years it’s become evident that self-care is crucial to our lives. Despite what many industries try to sell you, self-care cannot be bought and consumed. It’s about practising reflection, gratitude, and taking time to rest properly. Self-care can come in a lot of forms – one of my recommendations to start off is journalling. You can follow journal prompts, or write a stream of consciousness. It might take you a few tries to figure out what really works for you, but once you’ve found your flow you’ll really start to see results.
Start a new hobby, and make time for it every week
Building and creating something from scratch is exciting, challenging, and will give you a huge confidence boost when you’ve completed your project! It’s especially important to take part in activities that are just for you. The way you spend your time does not need to be productive to the rest of the world – if you feel happy spending your time in a certain way, that in itself is productive to your wellbeing. If you’re looking for a new hobby to try out, why not come along to one of our weekly Creative Spaces sessions? These are an opportunity for students to learn some new creative skills and get to know other like-minded people. At the moment we are taking part in the Innocent Smoothies Big Knit, so if you’ve always wanted to learn to knit, now is your chance! We’ll be opening up to more activities later this term too, so keep your eyes on our weekly newsletter for more information.
Set aside some time to plan for your future
There’s nothing worse than feeling unprepared and overwhelmed by the future – so don’t do that to yourself! Spend some time thinking about your goals, where you’d like to be this time next year, in two years, in five years. Write this down and then follow up with some ideas about how you can achieve this. You don’t need to stick to this plan, in fact, you almost definitely won’t! But it’s a great start. You can use this term to meet with a career’s advisor, get your CV in order, and apply for internships and work experience.
You can contact our Employability & Placements Officer Kate Buchan at ArtsHumsEmployability@kent.ac.uk for a 1:1 appointment for careers advice. You can also check out the Careers & Employability Service, for opportunities, events and appointments with a Careers Advisor. You can also book a meeting with your Academic Advisor to discuss career options in Academia – you can find your Academic Advisor name and contact details on your KentVision profile.
Regular movement and time spent outside improves your mood and builds your resilience!
There’s no better way to get out of your head than by moving your body. It’s easy to give yourself the task of excercising three times a week, but this habit should be more than just excercising for the sake of it. To better improve your physical and mental health, try out a few different activities and pick one you like – this means you’ll be excited to do it as many times per week as you want to. If your chosen activity takes you outside on a regular basis, then even better! If not, that’s ok – factor in a weekly walk instead. You can gather some friends and explore the local area, or even get a train to the coast and head out on a walk along the beach. You don’t need the weather to be perfect – just wrap up warm and make sure you take a break to warm up with a hot drink or a roast for lunch!
For more information on the sports facilities available to you on Campus, and to check whether you are eligible for a free premium plus membership to the Sports Centre, check out Kent Sport here.
Take stock of your mental health, and take steps to improve it
Everything mentioned above will hopefully contribute to good mental health, but it’s important to notice what helps and what doesn’t. The reality is that it can sometimes take a lot more than regular excerice, a good diet, and enough sleep to improve your mood, and if that’s the case, that is completely fine – you just need to seek out additional support. Keep an eye on yourself and make sure you reach out for help when you need it.
If you need additional support, please ask for help. We have services like Student Support and Wellbeing on campus where you can contact counsellors for 1:1 appointments.
If you’ve got any other suggestions you’d like us to share with your peers, please let us know and we’ll share these in our January and February newsletters! Drop us an email at ArtsHumsEngage@kent.ac.uk.