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Beginning level 2 was slightly daunting as we were unsure what to expect. Unlike Level 1, we were aware of the impact Level 2 would have on our final grade. However, Level 2 was really good to further explore a lot of the concepts we had learned about in Level 1 and gain a more holistic understanding of psychology.

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What has it been like starting our final year?

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What has it been like starting our final year?

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Similar to Level 2, starting Level 3 feels slightly daunting. As it is our last year, we understand that we must work really hard to achieve the grades we are hoping for but we are excited to do so! We are also excited to study topics we have selected ourselves to enrich our understanding of topics we are more interested in. Outside of University, starting Level 3 has been exciting to move back to Leeds and catch up with friends.

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Q1. Do you think this definition captures well-being for students? What is contentious about it? What doesn’t fit with student life? What’s missing? How would you improve its applicability to students?

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Q1. Do you think this definition captures well-being for students? What is contentious about it? What doesn’t fit with student life? What’s missing? How would you improve its applicability to students?

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Q1. The World Health Organisation defines well-being as “positive mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” 

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Q1. The World Health Organisation defines well-being as “positive mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” 

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Our needs:

Good communication

Good social life outside uni

Good sleep pattern

Concerns:

Time management

Achieving top marks

Managing workload

Being able to achieve a good work/life balance

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Q3. The NHS have been publishing the following steps to well-being for many years: 

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Q3. The NHS have been publishing the following steps to well-being for many years: 

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• Connect with other people

• Be physically active

• Learn new skills

• Give to others

• Pay attention to the present moment

In your opinion and experience, are these steps useful to protect or enhance student well-being? What do you think needs to be amended / added to these steps to make them acceptable and effective for student well-being (consider hedonic and eudiamonic components)?

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Answer 3. in terms of hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing...

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Answer 3. in terms of hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing...

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Hedonia relates to immediate sensory pleasure, happiness, and enjoyment, while eudaimonia relates to the consequences of self-growth and self-actualization (Ryan & Deci, 2001; Ryff, 1989)

As hedonic well-being focuses on pleasure and avoiding pain, socialising and being active can act as a distraction to low feelings that may jeopradise well-being through releasing endorphins through excercise or just being physically distracted whilst interacting with friends or connecting with others. Simultaneously these external connections and activities can provide an individual with a larger sense of meaning and purpose which relates to eudiamonic well-being. Paying attention to the current moment is more closely related to improving eudiamonic well-being as feeling grounded and present can ease overwhelming thoughts

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Answer 4. Ideas to incorporate into our lives this year...

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Answer 4. Ideas to incorporate into our lives this year...

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Over this coming year, we feel it will be important to incorporate all six ideas into our lives. Although the final year of university is very important and we must remain focused, it is important to remain grounded outside of this to ensure good breaks from intense work and study time.

Social relationships are important and so failure to ground ourselves in reality outside university may have a significant impact on our emotional wellbeing and subsequently our performance at the end of Level 3. In alignment with this, it is very important to surround ourselves with good people who make us feel happy and comfortable in their company, ensuring the time we are not studying is spent with those who do not induce stress or unhappiness.

It will be important to boost our confidence this year to ensure we maintain a good level of emotional well-being are confident of our capabilities.

During university it is important to remain aware of our wellbeing and understand how we can improve this if it does decline. We understand wellbeing to have a significant impact on academic wellbeing as well as overall functioning and therefore, this year it will be important to properly understand the ways in which we can improve our own psychological wellbeing.

Looking after our bodies is super important to maintain a good level of emotional wellbeing. During university it can be difficult to maintain a healthy routine including eating and exercise. When we eat well and are healthy, the levels of wellbeing increase, therefore to continue to achieve the grades we want to and maintain good emotional well-being during university a good diet and exercise routine is necessary.

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Q4. In level 2 research methods, you undertook a qualitative assignment looking at how 4 students defined emotional well-being and how they maintained it.

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Q4. In level 2 research methods, you undertook a qualitative assignment looking at how 4 students defined emotional well-being and how they maintained it.

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The 6 main ideas were:

Ground yourself in reality outside university

Invest in yourself to boost confidence

Spend time with people who make you feel good

Create a routine to help focus on study

Become self aware of your well-being so you know when it is declining and can make adjustments

Stay healthy, eat well and do regular exercise

Which of these 6 ideas will you incorporate into your lives over the coming year and why?

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Answer 3. Our opinion on the NHS steps to well-being...

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Answer 3. Our opinion on the NHS steps to well-being...

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Although these steps play an important role in boosting morale and wellbeing, it is important to remember at times when feelings of well-being may be low, that taking time for yourself is the most important first step. Reflecting upon recent feelings and checking in on yourself is so important as it enables the individual to work out what steps they need to take. Once time has been taken to reconnect through relaxing, or enjoying hobbies then the steps such as connecting with others, being physically active and learning new skills can be attempted. Paying attention to the present momement can be difficult to achieve without practice, mindfullness techniques can be utilised by an inidividual to help focus on the now rather than feeling overwhelmed with other thoughts, which can easily happen as a student.

Well-being is not just mental, it also has physical elements. It is important for steps such as having a healthy, balanced diet and making sure the body and mind are fueled to be included in adivce for improving well-being. Feeling nourished will allow for steps such as partaking in physical activity and socialising to be more easily achieved.

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Q2.This is a validated measure of well-being for adult populations. Label these as predominantly relating to hedonic or eudiamonic well-being, and if they are primarily cognitive, emotional or behavioural (or interacting). Is this difficult? What aspects of feeling ‘well’ as a student is missing from this measure, in your opinion?

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Q2.This is a validated measure of well-being for adult populations. Label these as predominantly relating to hedonic or eudiamonic well-being, and if they are primarily cognitive, emotional or behavioural (or interacting). Is this difficult? What aspects of feeling ‘well’ as a student is missing from this measure, in your opinion?

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1. "I have felt cheerful and in good spirits" is predominantly related to hedonic wellbeing as it conveys feelings of pleasure and happiness and avoiding pain, focusing on cognitive and emotional aspects of well-being.

2. "I have felt calm and relaxed" is predominantly related to eudiamonic well-being as feeling calm and relaxed suggest feeling content with the current state of an individuals life cognitvely and behaviourally, hinting to ideas and feelings of self-growth.

3. "I have felt active and vigorous" can be associated to hedonic well-being as it involves immediate sensory pleasure thorugh seeking pleasure and enjoyment through getting active, this is a behavioural aspect of well-being but will influence cognitive aspects of well-being positively.

4. "I woke up feeling fresh and rested" is mostly related to hedonic well-being as it is related to immediate pleasure, waking up and feeling a sense of relief, which can be associated to emotional and cognitive well-being.

5. "my daily life has been filled with things that interest me" is predominantly related to eudiamonic well-being as this is associated with feeling fulfilled, suggesting self-actualisation. Where an individual has reached a point, cognitively and emotionally content with their current state.

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Answer 1. The world health organisation definition...

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Answer 1. The world health organisation definition...

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The definition provided by The World Health Organisation captures well-being for students in some aspects. For example, many students are in a phase of personal and intellectual growth so they are starting to realise their own abilities and potential. Students face a range of tresses from academic pressure and social challenges, so the ability to manage stress is crucial for their well-being. The reference to working 'productively and fruitfully' can apply to students academic work as success in assignments, projects and exams contributes to their sense of achievement and wellbeing. As well as the reference to 'community contribution' this aligns with students participating in extracurricular activities like being in societies, which can foster a sense of belonging and purpose. However, a few things are contentious like "normal stresses of life" as this phrase seems to downplay the extreme stress students often experience from the heavy workload. As well as the phrase "making a contribution community" could be considered contentious as the expectation to contribute to a community might add stress rather than enhance well-being. The definition also has parts that doesn't fit with student life. For example, there's a difference between academic stress and 'normal' stress. Students stress levels are often heightened due to the pressure of exams, deadlines, financial concerns and the need to succeed so for many these pressures are chronic, not 'normal'. The definition also assumes a level of work-life balance that doesn't exist in student life as students often juggle academics, part-time jobs, extracurriculars and social commitments, so this imbalance could make 'productive and fruitful work' unattainable at times. The definition lacks emphasis on emotional and social well-being, as things like friends, relationships, loneliness and homesickness are important to students mental health. It is missing importance of support systems, which are crucial for students. Finally, it is missing the aspect of failure and growth, well-being isn't just about success, but also about learning from mistakes and being resilient. So to improve its applicability to students it should focus on social and emotional well-being more, acknowledge coping mechanisms like time management and self care, recognise the role of uncertainty and not downplay the extremities of stress by calling it 'normal'.