Author: Renee Lewis

In the lead up to February 14th, i.e. as soon as New Year’s festivities finish, shops are usually filled with all things glittery and fluffy in all shades of pink and red, with the price of chocolates and flowers increasing before your very eyes. Though I have not seen the inside of a shop in goodness knows how long, it is basically impossible to forget what lengths people go to in preparation for Valentine’s Day. Though I am writing this before the 14th, I am already expecting my social media pages to be flooded with couples in complete and utter love with each other as they share the various gifts and treats they have exchanged. I don’t mean that in a bitter way at all – I think it’s rather heart-warming. But, if it does make you bitter, there is an alternative “holiday,” . This one is ...

Renée Lewis The damaging impact single-use plastics have on the environment has become a global concern over the past few decades, especially because they are present in so many everyday products and packaging. The British Plastics Federation has estimated that 32% of single-use plastics end up in the sea each year, which would be the same as one rubbish van full of plastic being dumped into the ocean every minute. Consequently, tiny particles from these plastics have been entering the food chain after being eaten by fish and other marine life, which has been causing them harm and even killing them. Thankfully, big corporations, supermarket chains and individuals have been actively reducing the amount of plastic they have been using, opting to use more sustainable materials instead. If...

Renée Lewis University life this academic year has been a lot more stressful and unfamiliar than before, with anxieties about the pandemic being added to the pre-existing worries and stress about managing workload and other commitments. Naturally, it has become even more important to not only take care of our physical health, but our mental health too. The practice of actively protecting one’s wellbeing – known as “self-care” – has become a phenomenon in recent years, and you may have come across self-care threads on social media. However, I have noticed that the advice on many of these threads rarely extended past tips like “drink water” or “do a face mask”, which aren’t always effective in reducing stress and anxiety. Here are some tips that may help: Cover all the basics With ...

Moving away from home for the first time will be daunting, but doing so during a pandemic may be escalating your nerves to new heights. Even though the whole “student experience” will look a lot different this academic year with clubs and party venues still being closed, making new friends and having fun will still be possible. Here are some tips to help you out: Get to know your flatmates/housemates/roommates As your flatmates are some of the first people you’ll ever meet at university, establishing a good relationship with them will make your first year even more enjoyable. A great way that broke the ice for me when living with my first-year flatmates was having an Uno tournament, but you could substitute this for any card game! Have a group dinner where you each cook something to...

Back in March when the coronavirus outbreak grew into a global pandemic, the world was put on pause. Adjusting to this “new normal” has taught me a lot of things about myself and the world around me, but here are the five key lessons I have taken from it:  1. Things can change drastically, and there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s crazy to think that back in late-February, I was standing in a sold-out arena and dining in a restaurant with masses of people around me, and less than a month later the whole country was shut down. It was uncomfortably numbing when I came to the realisation that the summer I had been looking forward to was basically cancelled, and I spent days on end thinking about what could’ve been. However, I soon realised that no amount of my sorrow could rever...