5 ways to relax, rest and look after yourself

University staff have to deal with a huge amount of change and always work so hard to support students in the face of uncertainty and upheaval. We really appreciate all the work that you do – and we know students do too.

We hope that you’re able to take some time to rest, unwind and look after yourself, especially as it’s hard to keep supporting others when you yourself are feeling low or burnt out.

We asked the Blackbullion Team for their favourite pastimes to give you a few suggestions to get you started – whether you have a spare 5 minutes or 5 days!

Read to relax

Reading is one of the best ways to relax while immersing yourself in another world. Sometimes it can be difficult to keep up with reading and it’s often one of the first things that fall by the wayside for many of us when work gets busy.

You can find a list of some of the bestselling books of 2023 (so far) here.

Listen: Tune into these popular podcasts

Podcasts are an easy way to learn lots while also being entertained, especially when you don’t feel like listening to music and want something a bit different. There’s a podcast out there for pretty much every topic, so there’s sure to be something you’re interested in. 

Here are some of Team Blackbullion’s favourites:

Table Manners with Jessie Ware

Jessie Ware hosts a podcast about food, family, and the beautiful art of having a chat, direct from her very own dinner table. With a little bit of help from her chef extraordinaire mum Lennie, each week guests from the worlds of music, culture and politics drop by for a bite and a bit of a natter. Oversharing guaranteed.

You’re Wrong About

Mike and Sarah are journalists obsessed with the past. Every week they reconsider a person or event that’s been miscast in the public imagination.

Grounded with Louis Theroux

During COVID, Louis used lockdown to track down some high-profile people he’s been longing to talk to. Now his podcast is a great listen if you want to hear fascinating conversations with people from all walks of life and on both sides of the Atlantic.

Connect: Feeling isolated? You’re not alone

Human interaction is a vital part of life and naturally, we all crave personal connection. 

Here are some ways to connect with others, from home and further afield:

Meetup

Meetup can help you find thousands of online & in-person events with people that have similar interests to you. These include language groups, book clubs, tea and knitting events, as well as meetups simply to make new friends.

Joining a meetup is a fantastic way to meet new people and make connections, whether you choose to take part in person or online.

Join a support group

Online support groups can be a great way to share your experiences and worries with others while meeting new people, all from the comfort of your own home. AnxietyUK is one organisation running its own weekly groups that are free to join.

Go for a walk or a picnic

Rather than sitting inside somebody’s house or going to a restaurant, why not go for a long walk with friends or make up a picnic and sit in your local park? Not only will these things get you outside (hopefully on a less rainy day!) but they can also provide a much more personal experience. If you’re walking, you’ll also get in your steps for the day!

Take part in a fitness class!

Keeping fit is something that has a huge impact on both your physical and mental wellbeing! Both home workouts, as well as in-person gym classes are fantastic ways to relax and also feel connected to other people while you have a bit of extra time.

Juggle: Relaxing when you’ve got kids at home

Of course, it can be hard to unwind if you’ve got children at home and near impossible to find a moment to yourself with little people demanding your attention and needing to be entertained!

We asked the parents on our team how they find ways to relax while also ensuring their children have the best time possible. Here’s what they said:

Get creative

Why not encourage your children to get creative, giving them something fun to do and keeping them occupied for a while? Or if you fancy getting involved, there will be benefits for you too – since getting creative has been proven to boost our mental state and slow the heart rate down.

Lots of activities fall under the ‘creative’ umbrella, including drawing, painting or even building structures from recycled materials. They don’t need to be expensive or complicated – anything imaginative will do!

Go on discounted days out

There are also lots of options available for you to get out of the house with your children without having to spend an arm and a leg.

Day Out With The Kids is a site where you can find lots of attractions that will provide a great day out for the family. If you sign up for their membership (£1 for the first month and cancel anytime), you’ll get access to loads of discounts and offers for days out across the UK. Over 7,500 attractions are currently listed on the website.

Find a private dog-walking field

Never mind the two-legged children – lots of you also have four-legged ones running around the house and demanding your attention!

You can keep your pets entertained for a while by going to a local dog-walking field. This can get you out of the house and, more importantly, tire your furry friend(s) out so that once you’re home, you might be able to find 5 minutes of peace! You could even socialise with some fellow owners while you’re at it.

Only got 5 minutes? Bite-sized suggestions

It’s so easy to want to resort to your phone & scrolling on social media when you only have a few minutes of free time. There’s nothing wrong with this on occasion and phones allow us an incredible way to stay connected with the world, but it’s good to try to get away from the social media vacuum when you can.

Here are some ways to do that, even if you just have 5 minutes spare:

Short meditations

Meditation has grown immensely in popularity over the last few years, with a large and increasing base of fans attesting to its benefits. One of the best things about meditation is that, no matter how much time you have available, it can be a useful tool for relaxing and improving your mood.

Not sure how to meditate by yourself? There are plenty of apps that can help you with guided meditation practices, which can take as little as five minutes. Three of the most popular ones are:

• Headspace
• Calm
• Insight Timer

Puzzle books

You’d be forgiven for thinking that puzzle books are a thing of the past or something reserved for filling the time in an airport, but they can actually be a great way of keeping your mind ticking over when you have a few minutes free.

Whether you prefer a crossword or are more of a sudoku fan, there are tons of options available. Have a look online and you’ll find books from large brands mixed in with more niche offerings. A few that our team thought looked interesting are:

• The Adult Activity Book
• The Times Big Book of Quick Crosswords 6
• The Penguin Sudoku Challenge: Volume 1

Jigsaw puzzles

Why not use your spare 5-minute gaps to work on a puzzle in small bursts? Can you set up a corner in your house for the puzzle and then put a few more pieces together when you have a minute or two? Over time, this could lead to a really satisfying achievement as the whole puzzle comes together!

Sit outside and listen to nature

We can often be so busy we don’t notice the beauty of the simple things around us. We make our morning coffee (or drink of choice!) but then distract ourselves with something else, whether that be a newspaper, our phone or the TV.

Next time you go to do this, why not make the effort to sit outside and listen to the sounds of nature instead? Sitting and doing nothing but listening for a few minutes can be really relaxing – and it’s something we tend to do less and less nowadays.

Close your eyes!

Our eyes work hard – in fact, they’re capable of absorbing and instantly processing more than ten million pieces of information per second! 

So if you have 5 minutes to spare, why not simply close your eyes and give them a rest? Just to break the information processing loop for a short amount of time. It might sound cheesy (you know we love a bit of cheese at BB!) but sometimes the most productive thing we can do is nothing at all.

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We hope you find these suggestions from Team BB helpful and are able to take some time for yourself, so you can refresh and are able to continue providing impactful support for your students.

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