Your Hartpury Wellbeing Toolkit

YOUR WELLBEING TOOLKIT An Act ion Plan to help look after your wel lbeing at Hartpury.

YOUR WELLBEING

We hope your experience at Hartpury is fun, filled with lots of exciting learning opportunities and the chance to make memories of a lifetime. We understand that at times, things may seem daunting and you may experience emotions for the first time. In conjunction with our Wellbeing booklet you have been provided with, this resource is to help you through your journey at Hartpury. The Wellbeing Toolkit is a practical tool for students to note down what they feel is necessary to look after their mental health and areas that they may wish to access support for. The toolkit can be used a personal reminder or as part of support sessions you may have during your time at Hartpury. It is important to look after your mental health and always ask for support if you feel that you are struggling. Mental health is defined as a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to contribute to their community. If you have any questions regarding the toolkit or Wellbeing at Hartpury, please email wellbeing@hartpury.ac.uk or speak to someone such as your tutor, member of staff or residential teams who are based in the student zone.

We hope you find the toolkit useful and hope you have a fantastic time at Hartpury.

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A NEW START

Starting a new journey can create a mixture of emotions of excitement and nerves. Take a moment to think about the experiences you are looking forward to during your time at Hartpury.

This could be making new friends, your course and many more...

01 NEW EXPERIENCES I 'M EXCITED FOR

02 NEW THINGS I WISH TO TRY

Why not try a new sport, join one of our socities or even cooking!

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Experiencing change can increase anxious thoughts and feelings. Preparing ourselves for experiencing things we may struggle with can be a useful tool in keeping ourselves mentally healthy. On this page, we can think about experiences you may find hard and how you would know when you are struggling.

03 THINGS I MIGHT FIND HARD

This is a new experience which can feel daunting at times. You may find it hard to

Move away from home

Friendship issues

Relationship issues

Physical illness

New course expectations

04 SIGNS I MIGHT BE STRUGGL ING

Signs to spot you are struggling

It is important that we are able to recognise the signs for when we are struggling, here are a few behaviours you may experience...

Mood swings Not socialising with friends Crying more than normal Change in your eating habits Losing interest in your hobbies Feeling tired Feeling low or unable to cope

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TIPS FOR YOUR WELLBEING

Finding a balance between our busy everyday lives and making time to relax can be difficult. It is important to take time to enjoy your hobbies or practice habits which allow us to relax and refocus. As part of your wellbeing toolkit, it is recommended to build habits into your daily routine. If you find you don't have time, start by completing one of the habits below at least once a week and gradually increase how often you try them. Here are 6 steps to get you started.

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RELAX AND REDUCE STRESS

BE CREATIVE

It can be difficult to switch off from our busy lives. It is important to take time away and find activities that help you relax and refocus. This could be taking a walk around our beautiful campus, coffee in our new Graze café or enjoying some quiet time reading from the collection in the CLC and ULC.

Getting creative is a useful tool to help our minds refocus and reduce stress we feel from our lives. Painting, drawing, writing or finding a new hobby can feel rewarding and allows us to focus on the task at hand. Our Enrichment Officers hold weekly events to meet other students and embark on learning a new skill.

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TAKE A WALK OUTSIDE

CONNECT WITH FRIENDS

Why not take advantage of our beautiful 350-acre campus and take a walk around. There are many health benefits when connecting with nature and research shows being outside can reduce feelings of stress. Why not take our Therapy dog Ralph for a walk or visit our walled gardens filled with animals of all shapes and sizes.

Socialising is a great way to relax and have fun, this could be joining one of our many societies, taking part in one of our sports teams or attending an enrichment event. Sometimes it can feel daunting making new friends, so here at Hartpury we have many opportunities to help you and to start the journey of making lifelong memories.

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GET ENOUGH SLEEP

COUNT YOUR STEPS Regular exercise is a great way to keep our mind and body healthy. A small walk a day or setting a target for amount of steps can help us feel motivated and refreshed. Why not join a yoga class, football club or more through Hartpury's own Get Active programme.

With our lives often feeling very busy, we may struggle to get a good nights sleep. It is important to try and establish a night-time routine that suits you. Our wellbeing team can give you tips on sleep including avoiding screen use and learning relaxation techniques for a good nights sleep.

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SUPPORTING YOU It is important to remember that you are the expert in you! This section is for you to note down activities or habits you feel will support your wellbeing through your time at Hartpury. Take a moment to think about how often you will use these habits, it could be daily, monthly or less often.

EVERYDAY HABITS

Habits to try...

Writing a gratitude journal

A digital detox

Start the day with stretching

Get some sleep

Listen to music

Take a walk

Take a relaxing shower

Say hello to a friend

NEW HABITS TO TRY

LESS OFTEN HABITS

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YOUR WELLBEING CHECKLIST

This wellbeing checklist can help guide you to becoming mentally prepared for your new journey at Hartpury. Take a moment to work through each point and try to identify areas that you may need to consider before your first day!

PACK A HEALTHY MIND KIT

You healthy mind kit can be made of whatever you feel will help you through your journey

Apps that help me My Wellbeing toolkit A planner for organisation Headphones for music

SCHEDULE SELF-CARE Be sure to schedule time in your diary for some self-care

Plan your evening routine Create a relaxing music playlist Schedule your digital detox

BE AWARE OF SUPPORT When things get tough, it is nice to know who you can talk too...

Find the Wellbeing department on the campus map Save useful contacts in your phone Favourite useful websites in your browser

ALWAYS REMEMBER. . . It's important to remind ourselves...

Be proud of how far you have already come! It's ok to not always be ok! We all need support sometimes!

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HERE TO SUPPORT YOU

WELLBEING TEAM

Available to all students Our Wellbeing Team consists of counsellors, wellbeing officers and support workers, onsite nurses and the Chaplain. The team can support you around a range of wellbeing topics including Sexual health, Feeling low, Exam / coursework stress, Self-esteem support, Substance misuse, LGBTQ2+ support and feeling safe. For more information or to contact the team please email wellbeing@hartpury.ac.uk

HARTPURY STUDENTS UNION

Available to all students Hartpury Students’ Union (HSU) is here to provide you with representation, guidance and opportunities, so you can get involved regardless of your course/ level or background. HSU is run by students for students, and offers impartial advice on a variety of topics. The union also runs a variety of societies and physical activity groups, and if you don’t see one you like you can start your own! For more information have a look here at studentsunion@hartpury.ac.uk or check out the Facebook page.

RESIDENTIAL LIFE Available to all residential students

The Residential Life Programme aims to enhance your experience whilst living on campus. The programme delivers events and workshops that offer support and help improve life skills, wellbeing and social experience. Workshops include laundry inductions, social events and wellbeing workshops focusing on issues you may experience during your time here. For more information please email residentiallife@hartpury.ac.uk

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HERE TO SUPPORT YOU

GET ACTIVE HARTPURY

Available to all students Regular physical activity has been proven to be a great way of boosting your wellbeing and at Hartpury there are plenty of opportunities to do so! We have a variety of onsite gyms to cater for everyone, a wide range of physical fitness classes including badminton, running, football, yoga and a number of physical enrichment activities are scheduled throughout the year including regular dog walking opportunities. STUDENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME Available to students The Student Assistance Programme provides an inclusive service to support you with a range of issues that you may experience during your time at Hartpury. The confidential programme can support issues surrounding education, finances, health, wellbeing and more! Offering expert advice, the service is available 24/7 meaning you can access support all year round. Expert advice includes services such as medical information, bereavement support, legal information and counselling services. In addition, you also have access to the My Healthy Advantage app, which offers comprehensive advice and features to improve your general wellbeing. If you wish to access the service please email wellbeing@hartpury.ac.uk or call 0800 028 3766. .

OUTSIDE HARTPURY SUPPORT We also work with great support services outside of Hartpury who can help support you! Here are just a few services that can help our students

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