Wellbeing Support - South Devon College

Who are we and how can we help you?

Our friendly Wellbeing team are on hand to support your mental health and wellbeing needs and to help you reach your potential here at University Centre South Devon. Support is offered both in-person and remotely.

The team offers regular support to help you adjust to and manage student life, stay positive and motivated, encourage you to continue your studies, and manage the unexpected.

In summary, the team are on hand to support you with the following:

Emotional/Pastoral Support
Wellbeing needs
Signposting you to external agencies
Helping you through a HE Study and Wellbeing Review
Counselling
Therapeutic wellbeing sessions

Request support or get in touch for a conversation about how we can best support you.

Get in touch

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01803 540547

Email us

Call us

When the University Centre is closed contact Student Space

Find out more about Student Space

Student Space is a student wellbeing platform

Explore a range of trusted information, services and tools to help you with the challenges of student life: studentspace.org.uk.

Free, confidential support with a trained advisor is available via phone, email, text and webchat:

Phone 0808 1895 260 between 3pm and 12am everyday
Email [email protected]
Text ‘STUDENT’ to 85258 (available 24/7)
Start a webchat at studentspace.org.uk from 4pm to 11pm everyday

MEET THE TEAM

Paula Vass

Student Wellbeing Co-ordinator

OUR SERVICES

If you would like some support from the Wellbeing Team, you can either self-refer or ask your tutor to refer you. Likewise, your tutor may contact us if they have a concern about your welfare.

Once a referral is made, our Student Wellbeing Senior Co-ordinator or another member of the team will arrange an initial chat between you and them. This will help determine the best type of support that will benefit your well-being and studies, e.g., discussion with your GP, coaching, counselling, disability support, HE Study Support etc.

Our Student Wellbeing Senior Co-ordinator is also responsible for conducting HE Study and Wellbeing Review, Pregnancy Risk Assessments and supporting tutors with Wellbeing Review meetings.

Counselling Service

Counselling may be offered if you are experiencing or struggling with issues that impact your ability to focus on your studies. Referrals to our dedicated Higher Education Counsellor are made via the Student Wellbeing Senior Co-ordinator.

The counsellor will meet and talk with you and, if you both agree that it will be helpful for you to engage in some sessions, they will meet with you to work on techniques and strategies which may help you to be able to focus on your academic and university life. The counsellor uses an integrative approach, ensuring that you work together to find out what works best for you.

If your needs are more complex and require a specialist or long-term approach, the Wellbeing team or Higher Education Counsellor can direct you towards more appropriate services in the community, including the NHS.

Therapeutic Wellbeing Sessions

Battling with problems with your wellbeing can affect your studies and we want to be able to support you to achieve your full potential.

Therapeutic wellbeing sessions can be cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) based, arts-based sessions, or Drawing and Talking sessions.

The drawing and arts-based sessions are a way of working through issues in a gentle, non-invasive, symbolic, and therapeutic way. This can be especially helpful for those who find it difficult to talk about their emotions or are unsure of how or why they feel as they do. Sessions are suitable for those suffering from difficulties such as stress, mental health problems, and low self-esteem.

NO ARTISTIC SKILLS ARE REQUIRED!!

CBT can be helpful for people with anxiety, panic or low mood. CBT works by either working on changing the way you think or the way you behave to help you to feel better. CBT requires that you practice tasks at home between sessions.

Facilities available across campus

Breastfeeding Room

New for 2023, we are delighted to announce that we now have a dedicated breastfeeding room, for any students or staff to use, complete with a seating area, a cleaning/washing areas and a fridge. This room is based next to the Level 1 Reception, in room 1.029 of the main building, Vantage Point. If you would like to access the room, please contact the Estates Team, to be given ID card swipe-access to the room.

Multi-Faith Prayer/Reflection Room

The multi-faith room is based on Level 3 of the main building, Vantage Point, in room 3.021. This is a private space which you are welcome to use, if you would like to use this space, please contact the Estates Team, to be given ID card-swipe access to the room.

YOUR WELLBEING MATTERS

A guide to support your wellbeing during your time at University Centre South Devon and beyond.

Work Life Balance

The transition to studying at University can feel like a big jump, which understandably can feel overwhelming. It is pretty easy to focus all your efforts on studying and forgetting about looking after your wellbeing in the process.

Ensuring you maintain a healthy work-life balance is essential in order to reduce the likelihood of burnout. It will also support you in enjoying your time at the University Centre here at South Devon College.

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance supports good physical health and mental well-being. This page has some top tips on how to balance your university work with your other life commitments.

Remember to take regular breaks when studying: When you have assignments to write, presentations to prepare for, and deadlines looming, it can be easy to believe that you do not have time to take a break. However, taking regular intervals will help you be more productive, help you stay focused and retain information better. Allowing yourself to take a break will help boost your performance.
Knowing it is okay to relax: As the saying goes, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Our body is designed so that it requires rest, a time to rejuvenate and detoxify. We cannot do this if we do not relax and allow ourselves some downtime. Instead, it will remain in a heightened alert state, where the stress response remains switched on. Over time this can damage your well-being, and in terms of ability to study, it can impact concentration, energy levels, ability to retain information etc. Therefore, dedicating time during your day to relax is crucial to your overall well-being and will also support you and your studies. Everyone has separate ways in which they like to relax. Whether you enjoy exercising, reading a book, gaming, watching a film or talking to friends, the overall aim of doing something that promotes relaxation is to help you feel well-rested and refreshed.
Study Space: The space you choose to study in is essential as it can impact how motivated you feel when studying. Ideally, you want to separate your study environment from the spaces you choose to relax in. It helps disassociate your thoughts from study, allowing you to switch off and relax when not studying. If this is not possible, you can always create specific spaces in one room where an area is dedicated to studying and another for relaxation.
Sleep: Sleep is vital to health and well-being. All of us will have experienced the results of a lack of sleep. The occasional disturbed night’s sleep is okay; however, problems can arise if sleep quality is impeded regularly. Study wise having a lack of sleep can affect your ability to focus and concentrate on any given piece of work. It can increase feelings of anxiety, worry and stress. Likewise, it can also have a detrimental effect on your level of motivation around your studies. Therefore, getting a good night’s sleep certainly supports you in balancing your studies alongside your other commitments. How can you promote sleep? – Check out our Sleep Well Guide
Time Management: There will be times over the academic year when your workload increases, meaning you may find it more of a challenge to find time to relax and to fit in everything else you have to do. This is where time management will undoubtedly support you in finding the right balance that works for your wellbeing and studies. Effective time management involves planning your time, ensuring you set yourself realistic, achievable goals and, of course to factoring in some relaxation time around your study commitments. Now what you use to plan your time is up to you, and the general rule of thumb is to go with what works for you. Below we have listed some examples of time management tools that you may find helpful:

Wall study tracker – Having a visual planner which you can refer to daily can support you in staying on top of assignment deadlines and study time.
Diary or calendar – Using a diary and / or a calendar can help you manage your time, e.g., highlighting important dates associated with study and life commitments.
Set a reminder – Setting reminders on your phone is a terrific way to help plan your day, helping you not to forget lectures and assignments. Likewise, you can use the timer on your phone to help break up your study time into manageable chunks, to avoid overwhelm. For example, you could plan to sit down for 45minutes to work on a piece of assignment. The alarm will signal when it is time to take a break.

Some useful apps on the market are designed to promote and support time management e.g., Trello, Onenote, Evernote, etc. There are also apps available that are designed to help you stay focused and to reduce distraction. Some examples of these include:

Freedom – allows you to block websites and apps for a certain period to reduce distraction whilst you are studying.
Two – block distracting apps automatically
Focus Me – will help block specific sites and apps
Leechblock – allows you to schedule time limits on distracting sites.
If you need support in managing your time and planning, you can also book in with the HE Study team who will be able to help you.

Discover more from Your Wellbeing Matters guide

Sleep

Why is sleep important for your wellbeing?

Getting enough quality sleep is essential for your health and well-being. Lack of sleep can leave you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and more prone to stress. In the same breath, stress can impact your sleep pattern, so it’s essential that you help yourself get as good a night’s sleep as you can.

It is important to note that it is not just about the quantity of sleep you achieve. The quality of sleep you get plays a huge role in your health and well-being. So, what are some of the key benefits of getting a good night sleep?

Improved mood
More energy
Increased productivity and creativity
Improved digestion
Improved hormonal health
Improved Immunity

Positively, there are many things you can do to help promote getting a good night’s sleep, and we have provided several tips below to support you in doing so:

Step away from your smartphone or computer at least an hour before bed. The blue light that comes from these devices can have a detrimental impact on melatonin, the sleep hormone, reducing its secretion, which impacts your ability to sleep.
Where possible, try and create a quiet and dark bedroom to sleep in, as this will help promote a relaxed night sleep. Earplugs and sleep masks can also come in handy.
Avoid drinking or reduce your consumption of caffeine after midday, to prevent a disturbed night sleep.
Get regular exposure to daylight during your day, as this encourages melatonin production at night. Melatonin plays an essential role in our Circadian Rhythm, which is our sleep and wake cycle.
Try not to eat too close to bedtime, as this will impede your ability to sleep as it can throw the digestive system into overdrive. Eating can trigger heartburn / acid reflux during the night, which can, of course, keep you awake. It can also cause indigestion and bloating because the body has not had time to digest the food quickly enough. This is linked to our metabolism, which slows down as we head into the evening.
Journaling before bedtime can help get worrying thoughts out of your head to encourage a calm state before bed. Likewise, keeping a sleep journal can prove especially useful, as it can help identify any sleep patterns and potential triggers that contribute to poor sleep.
Try to ensure that you have a regular sleep pattern, meaning that you wake up and go to bed at the same time each day. Doing so supports your Circadian Rhythm. When this runs efficiently, it helps promote good health.

By just implementing a couple of the steps above, you can go a long way towards improving the quality of your sleep. If you continue to have issues with sleep, it is recommended that you speak with your GP, who will be able to talk through practical solutions.

There are useful links to external resources that you may also find useful regarding sleep. Please see below:

Sleep Foundation https://www.sleepfoundation.org/
Mindtools – Practical ways to get a good night sleep https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/10-ways-to-get-a-good-nights-sleep.htm
British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association – https://britishsnoring.co.uk/
Mental Health Foundation – https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health

Exercise

Why is exercise important for your wellbeing?

The benefit of exercise is well known, and physical activity has been shown throughout history to help promote health and well-being, alongside preventing disease. Exercise has so many health benefits for both your physical and mental health. For example, exercise can:

Improve mood and energy
Help reduce the impact of anxiety and mild to moderate depression
Improves concentration
Reduce the impact of stress
Supports weight management, reducing the likelihood of obesity
Reduce the risk of long-term health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, Osteoporosis, Stroke, and dementia
Improves quality of sleep
Boost self-esteem and confidence

“If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever invented,” says Dr Nick Cavill, a health promotion consultant. – Taken from NHS website

The big question is, do you get enough exercise?

Unfortunately, with the advancement of technology, increasingly more of us live sedentary lives where we find ourselves in front of screens all day, either sitting at a desk or in front of a TV of an evening. The way we complete our household chores has changed from being more physical and manual to relying on machines to do the work for us, e.g., washing machines and dishwashers.

Everything from shopping to buying clothes is now available at a click of a button. You do not even have to leave the house if you choose not to and when you do you have the option of using a car or public transport which has become more readily available. This all means that we just do not move as much as our ancestors used to, meaning we burn far less energy.

When studying, it can be easy to neglect the benefits of exercise in favour of studying, especially with looming deadlines. However, allowing time to exercise whilst studying for your degree can play a significant role in helping you to excel at your studies. This is associated with the relationship between exercise and its stress-busting benefits, e.g. it can increase the production of our feel-good neurotransmitters and hormones, e.g., Endorphins and Serotonin

So, how can you incorporate exercise into your weekly schedule? The tips below can help you do so:

Ensure you get out for a short walk each day even if this is just around the block
Distance permitting, cycle, run or walk to and from the University Centre when you are required on site
When in the University Centre take the stairs instead of the lift
Complete a 10-minute workout first thing in the morning or early evening. There are so many free workouts to choose from on YouTube
If you have a dog, walking it regularly is a great way to exercise
Download a free exercise app that you can use to learn some new workouts and record your progress
Why not join the South Devon College gym, where an array of exercise classes are on offer

Exercise comes in many forms, and it is about finding what works for you.

Mindfulness and Meditation

The power of mindfulness

“Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”www.mindful.org

To put it plainly, Mindfulness is the ability to be present in the moment and to be aware of your current surroundings. However, this is easier said than done, and it is not uncommon to find yourself distracted by your thoughts. Over time this kind of overactive thinking can lead to a heightened sense of stress, reducing concentration, focus, productivity and impeding memory.

When studying towards a degree, it is not unusual to become consumed and overwhelmed with your workload. This, coupled with balancing your studies with other life responsibilities, e.g., family, work, etc., makes it very easy to get distracted and feel stressed. This is where Mindfulness can play a vital role in your health and wellbeing whilst studying and beyond.

It is a practice that is known to encourage the body and mind to relax. It reduces the stress response within the body, which in turn comes with several health and wellness benefits as shown below. Mindfulness:

Improves your quality of sleep
Reduce or help manage pain management
Reduces the impact of stress within the body
It can improve your digestive health through switching on the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes optimal digestion.
Can reduce internal inflammation
Improves working memory

Besides the vital health and wellness benefits that can be gained through the practice of Mindfulness, a big advantage is that it can be practised anywhere and at any time, making it an ideal wellbeing tool that you can tap into during your time at University Centre South Devon. Below you can find some examples of Mindfulness exercises that can support you whilst engaging in your programme of study:

Internal weather exercise: This exercise pulls on both Mindfulness and Self-Kindness, helping reduce anxiety and being overwhelmed. It is where you tune into what your internal weather gauge is telling you at any given moment. Just like the weather, your inner mood and energy can shift at any given point. Tuning into this can help you become more mindful of where you are right now and help you to acknowledge that it is not permanent. Follow the steps below to complete the exercise:

First, ask yourself how your internal weather is, e.g., sunny, foggy, raining, stormy, bright sunshine etc.
Now that you have tuned in to how you are feeling in the given moment ask yourself, “What do I need to best take care of myself, e.g., take a break, have an early night, drink more water, eat a nutritious meal, ask for support etc.
Finally, ask yourself, “What is the kindest thing I can do for myself, even just a little”. This final question firms up your ideas from point two.
Remind yourself that regardless of how you feel right now, the storm will pass.

7/11 Breath: This exercise is excellent at reducing a sense of stress rapidly. As with anything, the more you practice it, the easier it becomes. You inhale for 7 seconds followed by a 11 second exhale.

Deep Breathing Exercise: Count five seconds on both inhale and exhale. Repeat this exercise ten times.

4/7/8 Breath: This is where you inhale for the count of 4, wait for 7 seconds and then exhale for the count of 8. Repeat this sequence for four breaths, to begin with, and then as you feel more comfortable with the exercise, you can increase to 8 breaths and so on.

Visualisation Breathing: this is where you can use the art of visualisation to imagine stress leaving your body. It is helpful if you can get into a comfortable position. Once relaxed, start to take some deep breaths. As you inhale, visualise all the stress you are feeling moving into your lungs. When you exhale, visualis, that stress leaving your body. Repeat this action until you feel calmer.

Deep Cleansing Breath: A quick and effective way to release stress from the body is to perform a simple deep cleansing breath exercise. To do this, all you need to do is take a deep breath in through your nose, inhaling as much air as possible. Then follow this with a long, deep exhale, ensuring that it feels like you have fully emptied your lungs. Repeat this process a few times until you feel any tension and stress leave your body.

The more you practice the above exercises, the more significant their impact will be on your well-being. Remember, you don’t have to do all of them, instead see them as tools that you can use when needed. You can use the exercises which work for you.

Eat and Hydrate

Why is what you eat and drink important for your wellbeing?

The foods you eat and the drinks you consume have the power to provide you with the right amount of fuel to give you energy and keep you feeling well.

Unfortunately, eating non-nutritious rich foods, e.g., simple carbs, sweets, energy drinks etc., have the opposite effect on your body and energy levels.

Choosing nutritious foods is just a starting point. How we eat can also play a role in the health benefits we can gain from food.

Through simply following the steps below, you can promote:

Digestive health
Increased energy levels
Reduced stress
Improved concentration and focus.

When eating, stay clear of any tech, e.g., mobile, laptop, TV etc. Instead, focus on savouring the food you are eating.
Chew slowly. Eating slowly encourages the digestive enzymes to kick in, which in turn promotes digestion.
Include healthy protein with each meal as it will help stabilise blood sugars, allowing you to feel full for longer and prevent any cravings.
Ensure that you drink enough filtered water throughout the day. This will help keep your cells hydrated, which supports energy levels. It will also help flush out any toxins that can build up in the body due to the stress response.
Just before eating, check-in on how you are feeling. If feeling stressed and overwhelmed, it is worth completing an exercise such as deep breathing before eating. This way, you will be able to calm your nervous system, which will in turn, support digestion.
Ideally, eat at a table rather than slumped on the sofa or lying down, as this will support the digestive processes and prevent indigestion and heartburn.

Self-care

Why is self-care important for your wellbeing?

The Self-Care forum defines it as “The actions that individuals take for themselves, on behalf of and with others to develop, protect, maintain and improve their health, well-being or wellness.”

It’s a great life skill that can support you while studying because proactively looking after yourself can only be a good thing for your physical and mental health.

As the saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup”, meaning none of us can work well when we are running on empty. Therefore, it is important to include some self-care practices into your daily schedule that will allow you to recharge your batteries.

The health and wellness benefits derived from self-care can undoubtedly go a long way in supporting you and your well-being whilst you study. So, what are some of these benefits?

Practicing it can:

Reduce stress and anxiety
Encourage relaxation
Improve and encourage a good night sleep
Improve physical fitness
Reduce sense of stress and overwhelm

Exercises come in all different shapes and sizes, you can choose what works best for you. Below you will find a list of other activities and exercises designed around self-care that you may wish to try.

Mental Self-Care includes exercises such as mindfulness, reading a book, trying out a new hobby, listening to music.

Physical Self-Care includes walking, running, cycling, walking the dog, eating nutritious foods in a healthy way, keeping hydrated and good sleep hygiene.

Spiritual Self-Care is anything that helps you connect with your inner self. It doesn’t have to be religious but can be if this works for you. Activities include spending time in nature, meditating, daily acts of kindness for others and self, etc.

Emotional Self-Care involves activities that can support you in connecting with your emotions and healthily processing them. Exercises such as keeping a journal, meditation, daily gratitude, and talk therapy are all great forms of emotional self-care.

Social Self-Care is all about connecting with others, and whether we are extroverts or introverts as humans, we all need to connect with others one way or another. Examples of social self-care activities include meeting up with friends, having a phone call with a family member, cuddling up to your partner, enjoying some time with a pet, zoom calls, etc.

Self-care does not need to be complicated, and it also does not need to take up a lot of time in your day. This is why it can play an essential role in supporting you manage your studies. Start small and work from there, finding what works for you.

Self-Help

There are a number of external organisations that provide dedicated information, support and self-help resources for mental health and wellbeing.

You will find an A-Z of self-help resources on our Wellbeing self-help page.

Speak Up

Find out more about the steps you can take to bring incidents of misconduct that have taken place in the College community to our attention.

South Devon College and University Centre South Devon are proud to be a safe, welcoming and inclusive community – our staff, students and anyone interacting with us should feel comfortable being who they are.

Find out more

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Get in touch

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01803 540547