Serial Chillers & QuickPose – Wellness Wednesday Photos

On Wednesday 19 October, Fit for the Future ran not one but two events! And of course, we had a lovely day for the Campus walks too.

 

At 12 noon we had fantastic music from the Serial Chillers, a latin quartet. If you didn’t go to hear them you really missed a treat, they were fabulous!

 

Following on from this, we ran a series of ‘QuickPose’ drawing sessions, kindly facilitated by Grays’ School of Art.

 

Jonnie Milne, of Communications, has kindly sent us some photos he took of the day. Hopefully we will see more of you for the next Wellness Wednesday that runs.

Serial Chillers

QuickPose

Spectators enjoying the music

QuickPose

 

 

Lunchtime Jazz

Lunchtime jazz will once again take place on Friday 28^th October in the Amphitheatre, SIWB 12:00-13:30.

Scottish Jazz Awards finalists Rose Room will share their love of Swing music as they serve up their 1930s ‘Hot Club’ standards and Gypsy Jazz favourites.

Admission is free so come along and bring a friend (or two)!

For more information go to https://rgulibraryblog.wordpress.com/

 

Wellness Wednesday – QuickPose 19 October

I hope some of you have managed to participate in the Wellness Wednesday programme to date!

On Wednesday 19 October we will be running QuickPose. These are drawing classes kindly facilitated by Grays’ School of Art.

Two classes will run, each an hour’s duration – one starting at 1.30pm, the other starting at 3pm. These will be held in the Amphitheatre of the Sir Ian Wood Building.

Creating art is a great way to relax and relieve stress, whether you are gifted in this area or not! It provides a great distraction from your thoughts and allows you to push aside your worries by focusing on something entirely different. So don’t worry if you have never picked up a pencil or sat behind an easel before – the classes are for all!

It is free to attend and all materials will be provided for you. Registration is encouraged though – you can do this by emailing me or by calling me on 3050.

Also, the Campus Walks will continue each Wednesday lunchtime, leaving from each building at 12.30pm

If you would like any further information on this or any other aspects of Fit for the Future or Wellness Wednesdays, please contact me using the details above.

A Mindful Moment This Christmas?

Steve Smith, lecturer in Mental Health and Wellbeing, talks about how to take some time for ourselves in what can be a busy and stressful time.

 

I’m told that the lead up to Christmas is supposed to be a wonderful time; but for many of us it can be a very stressful time (possibly because it’s supposed to be so wonderful). For many of us the experience is one of dashing to shops, trying to keep track of ‘who wants what’ and ‘what have we still to buy’, planning get-togethers with a level of detail that would tax a military commander, and fretting that we somehow won’t live up to our own expectations this Christmas. These are often the signs that we have lost touch with the moment, with what is happening right now.

Fortunately, we don’t have to be in a temple or a church, or even a quiet space, to take a Mindful Moment. What is a Mindful Moment? It’s that time when we let go of all the stories we tell ourselves (usually stories about what we should do, or what we haven’t done) and bring our attention back to what is really happening right now. Getting caught up in the whirl and stress of these stories and the anxiety and panic they instil in us is the opposite of Mindfulness; is it too harsh to call that Mindlessness? If not, then how do we get from Mindlessness to Mindfulness? Take a Mindful Moment and take control of your mind again.

Next time you’re caught up in the Christmas Stress Zone in the middle of a busy shopping-mall, take a moment (you don’t even need to stop walking) and focus your attention on your breathing; in and out. Quietly tell yourself, “I am breathing”. On the next, slightly slower, breath; “I am calming”. On the next breath, “I am smiling”, and with the next breath, “I am back to the present moment”. That’s it, that’s all it takes to bring yourself back to what is happening right now. Forget about the stories, and remind yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing anyway, and repeat your Mindful Moment as often as you feel like it.

• I am breathing.
• I am calming.
• I am smiling.
• I am back to the present moment.

Have a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year.