Blogs and Lifestyle

BLOGS & LIFESTYLE 22

Freshers’ Week soulmates: The lie

Forget the pressure to go out every single night of Freshers’, or the not-so-gentle encouragement to “Down it fresherrrrr” (a chant so common you’ll hear it in your sleep); for me, the most nerve-wracking expectation of Freshers’ week was that I would fnd the friends that I would bond with for life. My soulmates, the gals and guys who’d be there at my dying bedside 70 years from then.

I can guarantee that anyone embarking on the university experience will have heard this promise before, the promise of friendships that will last a lifetime. Perhaps for some of you this assurance of an immediate intimate social haven was a selling point. This, I was sure, I would fnd in that frst, intense, chaotic week of boozin’. And you know what? I do believe that I’ve found them – my soul sisters – I really do, but they are not the same people that I bonded with in Freshers’. In that frst week, you will probably fnd a group and cling on to them with the formidable clutch of FOMO (fear of missing out, for those who aren’t in the know), and that’s totally okay! I know people who did develop some serious sisterhood/brotherhood friendships in that short week, which is awesome, but save yourself some unnecessary stress and don’t enter Freshers’ like I did – with the weighty expectation of fnding the greatest friends in that time and

Image: clipart-library.com Image: people.howstufworks.com

absolutely crapping myself if I didn’t get along with everyone I met. The beauty of all universities, particularly a university with a diverse demographic like Leeds, is that there are so many potential friends out there and so many opportunities to meet them – if you put yourself out there. I was still making new friends right up until the end of my 1st year and I very much intend to be doing the same this year, and the year after that, and the year after that. Be open to friendships beginning, changing, disappearing and reappearing. Remember that almost everyone is nervous and almost everyone is a potential friend. Above all, be yourself, be honest and be kind, and you’ll fnd a way. Good luck, solider.

Beanna Olding

The ultimate hangover cures!

Phoebe Turner

This year’s Freshers’ Week may be a slightly different experience than previous years, but if there is one thing we can nearly guarantee, it’s the involvement of a hangover at some point.

From my trials and errors (many, many errors), I have compiled a list of some well-known hangover cures and assessed whether they truly cut it (or if they’re complete nonsense) so that you don’t have to! Water 8 Ginger Tea 7

Ginger has anti-infammatory effects, which can prove really useful in As simple as it sounds, water really is the basis of any good helping to reduce symptoms of nausea associated with a hangover. hangover cure. Sure, it’s not the most exciting cure on the list Using slices of ginger or ginger teabags over hot water, along with a and you’re probably going to need to drink a lot of it to relittle bit of honey to sweeten, makes this a really simple but effective ally start feeling better, but if there’s one thing you defnitely way of combating the nausea, and it’s pretty tasty too! need after a late-night drinking, it’s rehydration. I have found that a glass of water before bed then another in the morning Green Smoothies 0 normally sets the hangover recovery process well into motion, and even better it’s the cheapest and most convenient method. Whether they contain spinach, kale, broccoli or any other green Fry-up 6 vegetables, there’s no denying that these smoothies are packed full of nutrients and antioxidants, which in theory could help replace those lost during a long night of drinking. Despite this, I don’t Fatty foods sometimes feel like exactly what you need to perk think any amount of convincing could get me to drink another one yourself up again, and it turns out all the protein found in of these drinks again. Utterly disgusting, and zero hangover relief! eggs, bacon and sausages (and their meat-free counterparts) may actually be pretty helpful in getting you back on your feet Coffee 6 again after a rough night! This is possibly the most expensive and time-consuming option on the list, making it not the most Undoubtedly, a cup of coffee will wake you up enough to give you student-friendly option, and let’s be honest who really wants energy for the day but is likely to leave you feeling groggy, drained to cook a full fry-up while hungover? Though, it is defnitely esand unable to concentrate when you’re crashing from the caffeine. sential that you get some food in your stomach to make you feel Thus, I’d recommend coffee as a quick fx for those times you really human again. need to drag yourself out of bed for a couple of hours, but not if you have a full day of lectures ahead of you.

From shielding to uni life: How to

Image: Sky News

access support as a vulnerable student

Arriving at university for the frst time can usually be pretty stressful, even without all the added complications of coronavirus. Emma Ferguson speaks about her experience of shielding at home during lockdown and ofers advice to help at-risk students stay safe while studying.

Emma Ferguson

In mid-March of this year, I rushed home from Leeds to Belfast, before the university had begun closing.

I sufer from a congenital heart-lung condition which, among other things, means that I am more susceptible to colds and fu, and take longer to recover from them. In the three months before lockdown, I had been labouring with an infection, meaning that the risk to my health increased as my immune system was already compromised. For this reason, I decided to leave my studies early and fy home. I arrived home on 15th March, and by the 18th, the university had closed completely.

Having come home, I was able to recover, and by May, I was feeling more like myself. By this time, I had received three letters from diferent medical authorities advising me to stay at home and shield.

For everyone, and particularly those who have been shielding, the lockdown has been a difcult time for our mental health, sense of general well-being and security. As restrictions eased, I have found various points for anxiety - one of these being the apparent lack of care taken by the general public to maintain social distancing.

In Northern Ireland, where I live, I was advised that I could begin easing my shielding from 6th July and could stop shielding by 31st July. Meanwhile, by 13th May, people were being allowed out for unlimited exercise. Non-essential shops were opening by 15th June and by the 22nd, travel to Spain was allowed, without UK tourists being expected to quarantine upon their return. By 23rd June there were talks about lessening the social distancing requirement from 2 metres to 1 metre.

All the while, I wasn’t supposed to leave my house.

Whilst the regulations rolled out in Northern Ireland and England difer slightly in chronology, these dates are still representative of many things returning to ‘normal’ for the majority of people, while others were still shielding.

This isn’t supposed to be a tragic story. I appreciate the need to boost the economy; however, for those who were shielding, it seemed as though we were being forgotten. It was difcult for me because while I was the person required to shield, my mum, brother and boyfriend all remained at home with me, limiting their contact with others and keeping strictly to social distancing when seeing friends protect me. Because we were one household, it was as though we were one person sufering from the same condition. Meanwhile, outside of our bubble, people were beginning to relax about regulations and create a space I was apprehensive about entering.

What this has taught me is that people very quickly forget about problems that don’t relate to them. My family took the guidelines seriously because they knew frsthand what a lapse in judgement might mean for me. As we all return to university, at-risk students will have to advocate for themselves in an unfamiliar setting and with unknown people. While I’m sure many will have chosen to remain at home this year, I have created a list of ten tips to help advocate for yourself at university - whether online or in-person - to aid the transition back into fulltime education:

1. Get in touch with charities that support people

with your condition. If you feel like the university or government response is lacking, make sure that you are in contact with, or looking at the materials created by your charity to see what support and advocacy they ofer.

2. Get hold of a sunfower lanyard. They are available in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and many more shops and are becoming a universal symbol increasingly in the UK for someone’s non-compliance with mask rules due to medical reasons.

3. Contact the university disability services. Disability services are there to advocate on your behalf and put in place relevant measures to make sure you are not set at greater risk or disadvantaged due to your health condition. While you should be automatically referred to them if you applied to Leeds and flled out a Disabled students allowance form, it’s still worth fnding out who your designated contact is and introducing yourself to disability@leeds.ac.uk.

4. Stay aware of the counselling services available on

campus. If you are feeling very anxious about your health during this time, there are various services available to you. These include the Student Support Ofcer in your school, The Chaplaincy (chaplaincy@leeds.ac.uk) or the Union’s Student Counselling and Wellbeing service (scw@ leeds.ac.uk).

5. Contact your GP. If you are coming to Leeds, make sure you are registered with a GP in the City.

6. Use the Anxiety UK website resources. They have a section of their website dedicated to corona anxiety and have lots of free resources to help dispel any fears you might have.

7. Speak to your tutors. It may feel awkward bringing up your medical condition with your tutor; however, in my experience tutors are very understanding and appreciate the heads-up.

8. Feel free to ask for extensions or go home if you

need to. No work for your degree is worth risking your health over.

9. Finally, make sure you surround yourself with people who take your health seriously and do not put

you at risk. While we have to remember that we cannot eliminate all risks; by taking steps to protect yourself as much as possible and making your situation known, you can rest in the knowledge that you have done the best you can to stay as safe as possible.