Online social events to help residents socialise at a safe distance. Join us on the ResiLife chat page for daily updates.
Category: Online Community
Post contributed by Jasmin, Welfare Lead
I’m Jasmin, and I’m one of the Residence Welfare Leads here at King’s. Members of our team live on-site at each residence to provide welfare support for our student community. Moving into residences is a big change, even without some of the additional stresses we are facing this year, and it’s totally normal to be feeling worried or overwhelmed. Your wellbeing is really important and so we thought we’d share a bit about self-care!
What is self-care?
It can be really easy to get lost in buzzwords, so we’ll keep it simple here. Self-care is anything you consciously do to promote your mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.
What kind of things can I do?
Self-care is a personal thing and it looks different for everyone! It doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming and regularly choosing an activity that takes 10 minutes or less can make a real difference. Action For Happiness have some great tips on their #SelfCareSeptember daily action calendar.
We’ve also listed a few ideas below, and you can check out the KCLSU Wellbeing Hub for activities, events and resources around King’s to boost wellbeing all year round.
- Taking an online exercise class
We all know exercise is physically good for us, but it can also give a real boost to your mood too! King’s Sport offer access to their BeActive program for free if you are a resident at King’s Halls. - Listening to music
Music can be a powerful tool for both relaxing and getting motivated. Whatever you choose to listen to, taking some time for your favourite music can help in making your new space feel a bit more like home. - Doing something creative
Spending some time on a creative hobby can provide the break you need to boost wellbeing. You might want to learn a new skill or practise an old one! If you’re looking for inspiration, keep an eye on the King’s ResiLife virtual events for their Creativity Nights. - Having a nice cup of tea
Or any hot drink really – I’ve saved one of the simplest until last! Taking ten minutes to step away from daily stresses and relax.
About the Residence Welfare Lead Team
We’re a group of friendly, trained volunteers who live in the King’s Residences to support with student welfare.
Our duty hours are between 8PM – 8AM on weekdays and 24 hours on the weekend. We can be reached over text, phone or email and you can find our contact details around the residence as well as on our webpages here.
Post contributed by Nkasi Stoll, 1st year PhD student, Department of Psychological Medicine
Black Students Talk is a new virtual weekly peer wellbeing support group run by us, for us.
Topic: Black Students Talk (BST)
When: Every Thursday, 3pm-5pm
Link: https://zoom.us/j/98862363294?pwd=anJRZzBLTkxjQXhpYmNvVFVnREtnUT09
Meeting ID: 988 6236 3294
Password: BPT20
What is Black Students Talk (BST)?
BST is a peer support group that provides safe, supportive and therapeutic spaces for black* students to meet, share, learn, and manage our mental health & wellbeing at university.
BST online sessions are held weekly via Zoom. Each weekly session from 3PM-5PM and lasts 2 hours.
Why does BST exist?
As university students we experience complex academic, psychological, social, emotional and financial pressures. Black* students face specific pressures that often affect our mental health and therefore, our university experience and outcome.
BST x KCL was set up by Nkasi Stoll (Postgraduate student at King’s College London, IoPPN) and Yannick Yalipende (Postgraduate student at University of Bristol).
Nkasi and Yannick worked with the IoPPN Diversity and Inclusion team to set up this group due to their own experiences with depression and anxiety whilst studying at university.
What do Black Students Talk (BST) sessions offer?
- one-to-one/group discussions using culturally relevant/specific psychoeducation
- help accessing appropriate mental health services within the university and wider community
- a ‘home away from home’ to connect with other black* students
- visiting speakers from black mental health organisations
- BPT resources designed and delivered by trained facilitators
Who is Black Students Talk (BST) for?
University students at King’s College London who identify as “black*” (African, Caribbean, Mixed heritage).
How do I attend the Black Students Talk (BST) sessions?
BST sessions are being held virtually. No need to sign up in advance. On Thursday at 3pm click the zoom link and enter the meeting ID and password (provided at the top of this email) to join the group. Email us on: hello@blackpeopletalk.co.uk. Find us on Twitter: @yyalipende & @NkasiStoll
Food to help you keep positive
When self-isolating oven food or a takeaway (if they are still delivering) may seem like the only thing that can make you feel better, but in fact, it will only make you feel worse.
Trust us.
At times like this, it is important to keep your stress levels down and try to maintain a positive mindset.
Not only is eating healthier proven to bust stress but it also makes for a healthy body and mind. Cooking can help to relax and take your mind off these uncertain times, and you never know, you could surprise yourself with your cooking skills!
1. Leafy greens
It’s tempting to go straight for a cheeseburger when you’re feeling low and you just want some comfort food, but instead, go green. Leafy greens like spinach contain folate, which produces a pleasure-inducing chemical, dopamine, which helps you keep calm.
2. Turkey
Perfect for boosting your mood, turkey contains an amino acid that releases the chemical serotonin, giving us a sense of calm and even tiredness. It’s leaner than chicken and usually cheaper too so a win-win situation!
3. Oatmeal
If carbs are something you just can’t live without, instead of reaching for a doughnut, try a more complex carb like oatmeal. It may sound boring but you can add in your favourite spices and fruit to make it much more interesting and tasty. Check out some of the best oatmeal recipes.
4. Salmon
It might not smell great but salmon is rich in omega-3 and you can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s known to help keep your adrenaline from flaring when you’re feeling tense.
5. Dark chocolate
If you are a chocoholic, then this one’s for you. Dark chocolate can reduce your stress hormones and contains unique natural substances that create a sense of euphoria, similar to the feeling of being in love, so no wonder we love chocolate so much!
6. Blueberries
They may only be small but don’t be fooled – they pack a serious punch of antioxidants and Vitamin C to help with feelings of stress. You can always put them in a smoothie (with banana and yoghurt) to help you get your fix.
7. Milk
Milk is a great source of vitamin D, a nutrient that can boost happiness. It also contains protein lactium and potassium, which helps relax the body and muscles by lowering your blood pressure. Having a glass of milk before bed will definitely help you sleep like a baby.
8. Avocado
These are packed with Vitamin B, which gives you healthy nerve and brain cells to help stamp out feelings of anxiety. Perfect for times like this.
So just as your deadlines and exams start to creep up, it might be a good idea to stock up on these stress-fighting foods, remember, stay calm, you can do this.
Attempting a gruelling circuit of burpees, squats and weightlifting is hard enough much less trying to attempt it with the wrong songs playing. Your workout playlist can make or break a session. Doing 50 push-ups to the sweet sounds of Sam Smith might not see you through to the end!
We took to Instagram to find out your favourite work out songs and we got some great suggestions! Check some of them out below.
Tell us what’s on your workout playlist in the comments below. We definitely will be adding some of these tracks to ours.
Words By Keira ResiLife
Hi everyone!
We’re two weeks into the new year already and hopefully you’ve settled back into uni life. We hope that 2018 will bring new and exciting opportunities and this will be a great and successful year.
If you’re new to King’s this term, welcome to residences and the ResiLife blog. This is a place where you can find useful information, handy tips, details of activities and events in London and keep up to date with what’s going on at King’s Residences.
Residence Life is all about making connections, getting involved in your residence and opening your mind to new things. So here are a few ways to do so:
Stay connected
Join your official Facebook page so you don’t miss out on what’s happening in your residence. Facebook pages can be found on the right-side bar of our blog.
Also follow our online community and tag yourself and your friends to be eligible for prizes. #kingsresilife #resilife #resilifeskills
Attend a Kitchen Talk
Your Resident Associates (RAs) will be dropping into your kitchen to have a chat about how your time at King’s is going so far. This is your chance to discuss anything you like, express any concerns, ideas and suggestions and find out about the activities and events they will be putting on.
Get active with King’s ResiLife
King’s ResiLife is our programme of activities we run throughout the year to give you the opportunity to meet other residents, learn life skills, enjoy free food and drink and of course have fun!
Check out the events calendar to see what’s coming up and look out for details on your Facebook page and posters around your residences. Activities include games and paint nights, self-defence, cooking, trips to the London Lumiere festival, London galleries and a day-trip to Bath.
Hello!
Just a quick update from the ResiLife Team.
We hope you’ve had a good weekend and things are going well so far, and you’re getting involved with activities and events being put on by your Resident Assistants (RAs).
Don’t know what’s happening in your residence? Make sure you’re signed up to your residence’s official Facebook group and our online community to find out, as well as checking noticeboards and posters in your kitchens, common rooms and lifts.
Your RAs will be holding their next round of kitchen talks over the next couple of weeks, so they’ll be letting you know about what’s coming up such as paint and games nights and trips around London.
We’re busy planning the calendar for the new year but if you have any ideas of things you’d like to see, please let us know – Contact us at resilife@kcl.ac.uk
Stay safe and enjoy your week!
The ResiLife Team
Picture: Created by Freepik
