Wellbeing
The Library recognises how important your wellbeing is to your ability to study successfully. We hope that you benefit from this selection of resources. Some are interactive, others are simply soothing. All we hope are enjoyable, help you to relax, and be productive.
Wellbeing drop-in sessions
Starting from the 16th of May there will be the opportunity to drop in and talk to members of the Student Wellbeing Service in the Arts and Social Sciences Library. These drop ins will be available between 1pm and 3pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the ASR room, on the ground floor of the library. This service will run until the 1st of June.
These drop ins are there to help support and manage various aspects of your wellbeing, including;
- Managing and maintaining mental health
- Managing exam stress
- Managing perfectionism
- Building resilience
- How to improve self-esteem
- Maintaining healthy boundaries
If these times don't work for you check out the Student Wellbeing Service's Workshops that run throughout the year.
Spotify playlists for relaxation and study
Struggling to concentrate while working from home? Finding it hard to get to sleep? We’ve put together a few playlists on Spotify which might help - soothing piano melodies, nature sounds, ambient and classical tracks, along with one hour of library background noise.
Green Spaces
Research shows that being in green spaces can reduce anxiety, improve the immune system, and that regular contact with nature promotes better mental health.
Green Spaces to Walk to from the Arts and Social Sciences Library
To Royal Fort Gardens – 3 minutes
Berkley Square – 8 minutes
To Brandon Hill – 11 minutes
Green Spaces to Walk to from the Wills Memorial Library
Berkley Square – 3 minutes
To Royal Fort Gardens – 5 minutes
To Brandon Hill – 6 minutes
For the Joy of Reading!
Putting some time aside to read for pleasure can help ease stress and aid in improving mental wellbeing. We have developed our Bristol Reads sections in the Arts and Social Sciences Library, Chemistry Library, Education Library and Wills Memorial Library to have a wide range of genres across hundreds of books ready for you to pick up and enjoy at your leisure. Stuck for inspiration? Check out our staff recommendations on the Bristol Reads page!
Box of Broadcasts playlists
A selection of film and TV playlists curated by Library Services. Relax to "slow TV": no voiceover, no advert breaks, no music - just long, uninterrupted, soothing shots of ordinary events unfolding. If you feel like some escapism, why not take a virtual getaway to an exotic location with our list of travel documentaries? Alternatively, keep yourself entertained with classic literary adaptations and documentaries about famous authors, poets and playwrights. Requires a UoB login.
Your health and wellbeing
Find out about the services and support available at the university to help you manage your health and wellbeing.
Reading Well for mental health
Reading Well supports you to understand and manage your wellbeing using helpful reading. The books are all chosen and recommended by health experts, as well as by people with living with the conditions and topics covered.
Relaxing online games
Calm and centre your mind with a selection of relaxing online games.
Neon Flames - a calming tool to draw your own nebula.
Silk - design incredible fractal-like, symmetrical images.
Cost of Living
As financial stress continues to be a very challenging aspect of most people's lives we want you to know that with the Arts and Social Sciences Library being 24/7 and all our campus libraries being heated with WiFi always available we offer our libraries as warm, safe, accessible spaces for all our students, around the clock.
There is a lot of support available to help with Money worries, don't struggle alone.
Literary and book podcasts, curated by Penguin Books
From light-hearted conversational podcasts, to live talks from world-renowned writers, these shows are the perfect audio fix for book lovers who like to delve beyond the book.