Lifestyle

Every year starts out the same: it’s January 1st and you’ve promised yourself that this is your year to lose weight, get into fitness and eat healthy. You wake up ridiculously hungover the morning after New Year’s Eve and the thought of all that seems impossible, so you swear you’ll start properly tomorrow. 10 days into the new year, you’ve made a solid attempt but can already feel yourself slipping up, asking why you did not just set some more achievable, realistic goals. It is believed that only 8% of people who set out resolutions at the start of the year still continue to accomplish them in December. Don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t manage to stick with yours, we’ve all been there. In today’s world, the focus on the idea of hustle culture has created a toxic concept of working ...

Lockdown got you feeling meh about love? Have no fear. This is a time for you to take it old school with your love affairs. Tinder dating culture has left us rushing into rather disappointing one-night stands, dates that make us feel a bit nervy, and tiresome ghosting. It’s time to re-think how we date. I find online dating an absolute minefield. There is so much unspoken pressure to design a profile that draws someone in. Then begins the trial of sorting through mind-numbing conversations to find someone interesting. The exciting part is next, interesting conversations and compliments, but some tend to disappear after a half-arsed shag.  After this cycle I normally delete the app because I find it emotionally draining. But, sooner or later boredom creeps in, my need for valida...

Over the last few decades, concerns about the carbon footprint we leave on this earth has become prevalent and has taken space at the forefront of our minds. We have seen recently what happens when we stop moving and focus on where we are, what occurs when air and car traffic is reduced, how clear the sea truly is, how bright the sky is meant to be and how clean the air feels. But how can we sustain this feeling and outcome? We have become more mindful of which bin a piece of wrapping should be put in or whether the piece of clothing we are wearing is environmentally friendly. Millions of questions around this continue to race through our minds, and as students we are becoming more aware of the future and what we can do to contribute to the welfare of the planet. Here are a few ways in wh...

We prepare for cooking by buying plates and cups, we prepare for paying accommodation fees by budgeting and we prepare for workloads by organising events in a diary. But no one tells us how to prepare for loneliness. “University will be the best years of your life!” “You’re most likely going to meet your husband or wife at uni!” “All the friends I talk to now are ones I met at university!” From the time we are accepted into university, we are bombarded with optimistic praises from post- graduates and adults that it was the best years of their lives and that we have so much to look forward to. Hollywood films project a harmful stereotype about teenagers finding their romantic soulmate and being the life of the party at a different club every night, drilling unrealistic expectat...

For many of us around the world, a new year represents a fresh new start and the chance to set goals such as getting fit, being more adventurous or reconnecting with distant friends. Those awkward days between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are usually filled with anticipation and excitement for the year ahead, but it’s safe to say that this time around, it was such a relief when 2020 finally came to an end. Who would have thought at the end of 2019 that words and phrases such as “social distancing,” “unprecedented” and “quarantine” would enter our everyday language as a virus that practically appeared out of thin air swamped the entire world? The devastating impact that the pandemic has had across the globe left many of us feeling helpless. Three national lockdowns later, it’s safe to ...

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...

Elena McCaffrey As I’m writing this, the chaos of Black Friday – Fast Fashion’s favourite day – has just begun. However, in the year that Amazon has reigned supreme, we should be doing everything we can to support small businesses. A thing to remember is that small businesses often process their Christmas stock really early, so if you’ve missed your chance, don’t be afraid to get your loved ones a gift card. This could feel like a cop out, but the right card can make a really lovely gift.  Here are some of my favourite small businesses:  Oski Studios: www.oskistudio.co.uk Instagram: @oski.studio There is nothing better than receiving a gorgeous piece of jewellery as a Christmas present. What’s even better is knowing that it was made sustainably and came from a pla...

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 ...

Harriet Hallam Mental health issues impact us all, adults and children, but unfortunately many suffer from ill mental health, making day-to-day life a lot harder than it is for others. It is not until recently that society started to understand mental health and the importance of balancing work and pleasure, and we can now be more open when talking about it. According to mental health charity Mind, 1 in every 4 people experience some form of mental illness in their lifetime, 1 in every 6 people experience a more common mental health disorder such as anxiety or depression, and 1 in every 5 people experience some form of suicidal thoughts. These figures illustrate the sheer commonality of mental health problems within society, and that each individual has either suffered themselves or kn...

Thom Cuffin-Munday Besides adding beautiful earthy colours and allowing mother nature into your room, there are many health benefits to having houseplants. According to the Royal Horticultural Society, these include improving mood and attention span, as well as reducing stress, blood pressure, fatigue and headaches (by up to 25% in one study!). In my experience, houseplants also have a psychological benefit – understanding the basic needs of a houseplant, such as regular watering, sunlight and warmth, helped me to understand my own basic needs. Just like human beings, your plants’ health can begin to deteriorate without daily care and attention.  On a base level, a plant respires in the exact opposite way we do. They ‘breathe in’ carbon dioxide and ‘breathe out’ oxygen, so a ho...