Heriot-Watt University

Wellbeing activities

Our wellbeing activities give you the opportunity to take a small break from busy university life to focus on your own physical and mental wellbeing. Whether you want to meet other students, or find techniques to overcome any stress or anxiety – we offer a wide range of activities and workshops.

COVID-19 update

Because of the ongoing pandemic, the majority of our activities will be online for the foreseeable future. Online sessions will require registration. Details are available in the timetable below.

Registration for activities closes 24 hours before the session starts. For activities held on a Monday, registration closes on the Friday before the session.

Wellbeing activities timetable

2020-21 Student Wellbeing Activities Semester 2
Week Dates Activity Where and when Student sign-up link
1 Thur 21 Jan  Time Out Tea  3-4pm Collaborate Time Out Tea | 21 Jan 3-4pm
2 Thur 21 Jan  Coping with Presentation Nerves  4-5pm  MS Teams Coping with Presentation Nerves | 21 Jan 4-5pm
3 Tues 26 Jan  Planning for Success  11:00-12:00  Collaborate Planning for Success | 26 Jan 11-12pm
  Thur 28  Jan Mindfulness 4-5pm MS Teams Mindfulness
4 Mon 1 Feb  Managing Anxiety  4-5pm MS Teams  Managing Anxiety | 1 Feb 4-5pm
  Thur 4 Feb Mindfulness  4-5pm  MS Teams Mindfulness
  Thur 4 Feb Time to Talk 3-4pm Collaborate Time to Talk | 4 Feb 3-4pm
  Wed 10 Feb  How to Manage Your Dissertation  12-1pm  MS Teams  How to Manage Your Dissertation | 10 Feb 12-1pm
5 Thur 11 Feb Mindfulness  4-5pm  MS Teams Mindfulness
6 Tues 16 Feb  Perfectionism & Resilience 12-1.30pm MS Teams  Perfectionism & Resilience | 16 Feb 12-1:30pm
7

Mon 22 Feb

Managing Your Mental Health

2-3pm Collaborate

Managing Your Mental Health l 22 Feb 2-3pm

  Tues 23 Feb Time Out Tea  4-5pm  Collaborate Time Out Tea | 23 Feb 4-5pm
8 Friday 5  March Wellbeing Art  12-1pm MS Teams    Wellbeing Art | 5 Mar 12-1pm
9 Tues 9 March  Dissertation: Done is Better than Perfect  12-1.30pm MS Teams  Dissertation: Done is Better than Perfect | 9 Mar 12-1.30pm
10 Thur 18 March  Take a breather – mindfulness and relaxation hour  4-5pm  MS Teams Take a breather – mindfulness and relaxation hour | 18 Mar 4-5pm
11 Wed 24 March  Take a breather – mindfulness and relaxation hour 4-5pm  MS Teams Take a breather – mindfulness and relaxation hour | 24 Mar 4-5pm
12 Tues 30 March  Time Out Tea  4-5pm  Collaborate Time Out Tea | 30 Mar 4-5pm
  Mon 29 March to Fri 21 May Managing Exam Stress and Wellbeing  Drop In Service 2-3pm Link TBC
Self care and your studies
Time at university can be very enjoyable but also quite stressful. Academic life makes many demands on students and sometimes it might be easy to forget to look after yourself. This informal presentation will look at ways of taking care of ourselves, both physically and emotionally, including making time to calm down, take breaks, re-energise and feel good about yourself, with the goal of supporting good health and having the best chance for success. 
Perfectionism and resilience
During the session we will look at perfectionism and how it can sneak into daily life, what we can do when things go wrong,what we mean by resilience and how to develop more of it.
Coping with presentation nerves
Strategies to help make presenting less of an ordeal. It is common for people to get nervous at the thought of giving a presentation. Standing up and speaking in front of a group can cause anxiety and mind blanks. This session will equip you with some strategies to manage nerves and help you overcome the fears associated with speaking in public.
How to manage exam stress
Stressed out because exams are looming? Using cognitive behavioural principles this workshop will show you some useful methods to remain calm, feel good and manage both your revision and exams by exploring: how to avoid behaviours that can make stress worse; how stress can affect you - identifying your own exam stress 'triggers'; how to use breathing techniques to help manage anxiety.
Planning for success
This event will allow you to hear about the support available at the University, reflect on your university experience so far, and what steps you can take to make both semester one, and the rest of your time at the University more enjoyable.
Managing anxiety
Do you often feel anxious or stressed, or do certain situations sometimes feel overwhelming or too much? Learn helpful techniques to manage anxiety using a cognitive behavioural approach.
How to get started with your dissertation

Run by student success advisors, this workshop will help you make a successful start on your dissertation.  As recent HWU graduates, student success advisors have experience of completing a dissertation or project from different subject areas, so can provide you with some tips on taking those first steps.

This 'power hour' will address planning and structuring, how to approach primary research, creating personal deadlines, managing stress, and staying motivated.

Time-out tea

This is an informal opportunity to meet other students online and enjoy some afternoon tea from the comfort of your own home.

Mindfulness

Do you find that you often feel stressed, anxious or on edge? Do you tend to find yourself preoccupied, thinking about the future or going over past events in your mind? Would you like to try a difference approach to managing worry, stress or runaway thoughts? Then you might find the mindfulness group helpful. This is a small, friendly group which aims to help you manage and overcome some of these issues by looking at how to be more mindful in our lives. If you would like more information please email studentwellbeing@hw.ac.uk

Wellbeing art

Did you know that picking up a pencil to sketch or doodle can relieve the symptoms of stress and anxiety? Wellbeing arts is becoming a popular way to try and help reduce any stress or anxious thoughts. Join the wellbeing team for the opportunity to take an hour to relax and draw. This is not an art exam and everyone of all abilities is welcome to come along.

Key information

Student Wellbeing Services