Cultura-On-the-Go: Wellness and Health in the UK
Dec 01, 2022
CulturaGo create country-specific online cultural preparation courses to guide students, interns, teachers, employees and curious travelers, and give them greater insight into what to expect from the culture of their destination. Our courses focus not only on topics like etiquette and communication but also focus on learners' specific identities, how they may be perceived in the country and also how best to look after their well-being.
We are happy to introduce Cultura-On-the-Go, our series of mini lessons that highlight our unique predeparture materials, showcasing them in an easy to navigate, compact format.
In our first installment we are showcasing a lesson from our Introduction to UK Culture course, Module 3: Thriving as a Student in the UK.
Take a look!
Wellness and Health in the UK
Module 3: Thriving as a Student in the UK
Moving abroad, starting a new program, being in a completely new environment. These are all exciting experiences, but they can also be a source of considerable stress. Make sure you are taking care of yourself while in the UK, both physically and psychologically.
Studying is important and should be your priority, but you should not sacrifice your overall health in the process. A healthy mind in a healthy body, as the old saying goes. That includes, not only engaging in physical activity, but also nourishing your body and allowing it to rest by not depriving yourself of sleep.
If you have never lived on your own, cooking for yourself may feel overwhelming. Your university will have a cafeteria but be careful, because not all options are exactly the healthiest. Just remember to include your 5 a day portions of fruit and vegetables. Here are some student-friendly recipes for you to experiment with:
- Student recipes | BBC Good Food
- 68 Easy student recipes - delicious. magazine
- 35+ Quick and Easy Student Recipes For One
Resting is the key not only to your physical and learning performance, but also to your health overall. Your brain needs time off to let all the new information you come across cement. Staying up all night before a big deadline sounds like a good idea, but it can take up to a week to recover. Instead, try and plan your study time at the beginning of the term, and allocate slots of your time to every subject.
Your study is your main occupation, and you should treat it as such. If you are working alongside your studies, you may be restricted by your visa to a maximum of 20 hours of work per week during term time. It is worth remembering that this is a limit, not a target. Think carefully about how the time commitment of working will affect your studies.
If your visa is longer than 6 months, you will have to pay a yearly ‘healthcare surcharge’ of £150 before you come to the UK. It is a big upfront cost, but remember that you are now entitled to use NHS services, including:
- Emergency treatment
- Diagnosis and treatment from a primary care practice (your GP)
- The NHS 111 online and telephone medical advice service
- Family planning services
Not all hospitals or care providers are part of the NHS! Being charged for care you thought would be free is a nasty surprise for anyone!
GPs (General Practitioners) are a good first port of call for any health problem. GPs are local, generalist doctors. They can prescribe medicine and arrange referrals to more specialized care through the NHS. To access their care, you will need to register online without proof of address, immigration status or ID.
If you are struggling with the challenges of your new adventure, and need support for your mental health, your university will have some services in place that can help with that. Most institutions have on-campus mental health counselors. Meditation and yoga classes are often offered as well, as a non-medical way to help students manage their anxiety.
There are other organizations dedicated to supporting students, especially with regard to mental health:
- Student Minds, for example, shares other students’ experiences of mental health difficulties and resources for improving it.
- The UK Council for International Student Affairs is a great source of information and support for international students.
- Nightline is a listening and information service operated by student volunteers who provide confidential, anonymous support to peers outside of normal working hours.
Next Lesson >
We hope our Cultura-On-the-Go mini lesson has sparked your curiosity.
If you would like to know how you can integrate CulturaGo’s online cultural preparation courses into your curriculum, study or work abroad experiences, get in touch or book a demo call.
Or, if you'd like to purchase the course, click here.
We also have a FAQs page to answer some of your more urgent questions.
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