For many of you, you will be into your first weeks of teaching and the excitement of Freshers' and welcome events may be wearing off as you start to think about your studies. So, we wanted to turn October into a focus on wellbeing - taking time to look after your mental and physical wellbeing, reflecting on your journey and learning so far, and ensuring you know where to access support should you need it. 

World Mental Health Day

Why not turn World Mental Health Day, on 10 October, into a week-long focus on your wellbeing. There are a range of events and workshops that you can attend during the week to help you take time for reflection and connect with others. Plus, if you're on the Medway Campus, then make sure you check out the wide range of activities happening with the Medway Hub - from massages & nails to yoga, and pretzel decorating to table tennis. 

• Monday 10 Oct:
  
  • connect with your Careers & Enterprise Team and take time for you, as you find out how the team can support you on your university journey and beyond! Join them at their drop-in between 12pm - 2pm in Touchdown. You can also find them on 12 Oct in the Food Court at 12pm - 2pm, and on 13 Oct in Touchdown at 12pm - 2pm.
• Tuesday 11 Oct:
  • connect with your Student Green Office and find out what opportunities are available to get involved with at university - including taking part in Carbon Literacy Training. Join them at their drop-in between 11am - 1pm in Touchdown.
  • attend Chooseday Chill between 5pm-7pm in Augustine House Atrium Café - relax over free tea and toast, chat with other students and the Student Wellbeing Service, and play board games!
  • Or you could join the self-help book group, as part of the Helpful Book Scheme, and discuss your reading and share your experiences between 6pm-7pm in AHg.56.
• Wednesday 12 Oct:
  • connect with Peer Mentoring and find out how you can access a peer mentor, or become one! Join them at their drop-in between 12pm - 2pm in Touchdown.
  • attend the Balancing your wellbeing workshop at 2pm-4pm in Lg39 - this workshop looks at balancing your schedule and what we can do to keep well while enjoying university life.
  • join Creative Connections at 4:30pm-6pm in AH3.31, where you can try out a variety of creative materials and also get to meet people.
• Thursday 13 Oct: 
  • join the Chaplaincy for tea, coffee, biscuits, and conversation at 3pm every weekday in the Chaplaincy Centre.
• Friday 14 Oct:
  • why not gather some friends, and give one of these Head Chef Stuart recipes a go? 
  • Or you could take some time to become familiar with the range of support available to you as a Canterbury Christ Church student, as well as explore the range of other opportunities available to you to connect with others and look after your physical and mental wellbeing. Below are some highlights...

We're here to help

Your wellbeing is important to us as we know that if you're happy and healthy you will make the most of your time with us. That’s why we offer a wide variety of confidential support and advice to help you out when you need it.

• Speak to our Student Support Advisors - if at any time while with us, you feel stressed, anxious, lonely or have money or housing worries, just ask for help. You can speak to them face-to-face, online or over the phone.
• Connect with the Chaplaincy - no matter who you are, where you’re from or what you believe, our Chaplaincy is here for you. They offer a confidential listening service in a safe space where you can talk through any problems in a non-judgmental environment.
• Utilise Spectrum.Life - the Mental Wellbeing Team is delighted to announce a new partnership with Spectrum.Life to offer in the moment and out of hours support, offering students immediate online, text and telephone support from qualified professionals.
• Access Nightline - a student-run listening and information service offering a safe, non-judgemental environment for CCCU students to talk about their feelings and gain emotional-support and information.

Connect with others & get active

A really important way of looking after your wellbeing is through connecting with others. Whether that's meeting new people at an event or by joining a club or society, catching up with old friends over a hot drink, or getting active through sport and boosting not only your mental but physical wellbeing! 

Why not come along to one of the events happening this semester? From attending a pop-up event to experiencing life on Medway Campus. A popular weekly event is Chooseday Chill, which happens every Tuesday in Augustine House between 5pm - 7pm. It's a great opportunity to connect with others over a hot drink, speak to the Student Wellbeing Service, play board games, and get creative!

Plus the Mental Wellbeing Team are launching a range of Wellbeing Workshops to support you through your first Semester and beyond.

Another great way to make friends and get involved at university is through joining a sports club or society and sharing something in common. That could be musical taste, sharing a faith, playing sport or just a way of life.

Or, why not see what fitness classes are happening with Christ Church Sport & Active Health? From Stretch & Flex to HIIT & Abs, and Spin to Yoga - there's something for everyone. 

Take time to reflect

Finally, use this month as an opportunity to take time to reflect on how you're feeling and think about what support you may need to help you achieve while at university.

Towards the end of October, from 24th - 28th, we'll be focussing on supporting you in your academic studies. So keep an eye out for more information coming soon! But in the meantime, why not make use of the Learning Skills Hub - which is filled with useful modules and resources to help you be the best learner you can be. 

You can also come along to a range of pop-ups happening throughout the month where you can connect with your services and find out how they can support you on your university journey. 

Careers & Enterprise	Touchdown Foyer	12pm - 2pm	Monday 26th Sept, Thursday 29th Sept, Monday 3rd Oct, Thursday 6th Oct, Monday 10th Oct, Thursday 13 Oct
Careers & Enterprise	Verena Holmes Foyer	12pm - 2pm	Tuesday 27th Sept, Tuesday 4th Oct, Tuesday 11 Oct
Sustainability	Touchdown Foyer	11am - 1pm	Tuesday 27th Sept, Tuesday 4th Oct, Tuesday 11 Oct
Careers & Enterprise	Food Court	12pm - 2pm	Wednesday 28th Sept, Wednesday 5th Oct, Wednesday 12 Oct
Peer Mentoring	Touchdown Foyer	12pm - 2pm	Wednesday 28th Sept, Wednesday 12 Oct
Peer Mentoring	Verena Holmes Foyer	12pm - 2pm	Thursday 29th Sept
Peer Mentoring	Augustine House Foyer	12pm - 2pm	Monday 3rd Oct
Peer Mentoring	Food Court	12pm - 2pm	Thursday 6th Oct