Four key tips for a happier university life from the head of the Well-Being concept
Promoting the well-being of the faculty is not only the responsibility of faculty leadership, but also of each individual. Well-being on the faculty is the result of an active and conscious process that must be acted upon. Finding balance between learning, work and our personal lives is important, and it is also essential to take care of our mental and physical health.
Our wellbeing plays an important role in being successful and satisfied, and also contributes to the wellbeing of the whole faculty community.
It is also important for the faculty to ensure and improve the well-being of workers and students, so that students can achieve their academic potential and workers can reach their professional potential. Well-being at university is a multi-faceted issue, encompassing not only the quality of education but also many other aspects of university life: the learning and teaching environment, our social relationships, physical activity, eating habits, physical and mental health, all of which affect us.
However, the knowledge and the right environment for well-being are only necessary, but far from sufficient conditions, because the faculty Well-Being concept only makes sense if we all actively do something about it. Let's see what we can do, based on the 7th habit of the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" training, which is popular in our faculty and defines the faculty culture:
1# Develop, learn and expand your knowledge! Expanding our knowledge with new information builds flexibility and orientation skills. In the constantly changing world we need to improve both personally and professionally. Those who are committed to lifelong learning are better prepared to changes in life and the challenges of the future. Learning does not have to happen from books, but also from each other, and a colourful faculty is a unique opportunity for this.
2# Mind your soul and mental health! Be aware of your feelings and emotions, and reflect on them! Recognise the destructive signs of stress and ask for help if needed! Care for yourself, life the present, be in the “here and now”! Belonging to a small community can mean huge support for everyone involved.
3# Care for your body! Eat regularly and healthily, sleep enough! Be physically active, which is even better with friends! Attend diagnostic tests!
4# Be mindful of your relationships! Form positive social relationships with members of the faculty community! Participate in social activities!
It is important to be open to accepting help, and also providing help and supporting others. Community belonging and helping others contributes to both our own and to faculty well-being.
In order to integrate these into everyday life and forming habits, you should have a balanced timetable that allows for work, rest, social and other activities.
There are several Well-Being programs at our faculty and we would like to expand and improve them, for which we await ideas and feedback via a survey. The English language version of the survey is available here.
Be good to yourself and others!
Dr. Zsuzsanna Varga
Head of the PotePillars WellBeing concept