Life and study balance

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How the Library can help

It’s important to balance studying with taking good care of yourself, whether that’s finding the time to make healthy meals, take some exercise, or just have a laugh at a television comedy programme. On this page you’ll find resources that will help you get that balance right.

Spaces

The Library Wellbeing Zone is on Level 1 of the Headington Library. It's a place to take a break and relax, complete with colouring books, a jigsaw and the Wellbeing Book Collection, which has a wide range of books to help you manage life at university.

If you've used the Wellbeing space, we'd really like to hear from you.  Fill in our feedback form.

Harcourt Hill library also has a wellbeing space, and we hold wellbeing titles at our Swindon library. Remember, you can place a hold on any book and collect at the campus of your choice.

Headington Library JHBB wellbeing space with books, jigsaws, beanbag seating
Wellbeing space in the Headington Library

Resources

Library resources that can help you with life/study balance

  • Ckbk: 1000 cookbooks: Recipes from top chefs and food-related books. Create your own account to save recipes in collections.
  • Box of Broadcasts: an archive offering over 45,000 TV and radio programmes covering all genres.
  • Factiva: an international news database providing an archive of 10,000 sources from 152 countries in 22 languages. It covers national and local newspapers and magazines.

Resources lists

  • Wellbeing at university: This reading list aims to offer you support for your wellbeing during your time at Brookes University. You will find resources to help with self-care, mental health problems (including stress & anxiety) and study skills. Many of the books on this list are personal accounts of mental health problems which you may find trigger difficult emotions. Please seek help immediately from our Wellbeing service if this happens.
  • Stress Less: Resources to help students manage stress and to support well being and good mental health. Created for the Brookes SU Stress Less campaign.
  • Study skills: Managing yourself and your time: Useful books, support and web links
  • Reading and viewing for pleasure: This page highlights a selection of library resources that you can access for free when you need to take a break or want to follow your own interests, including the Library’s collection of fiction and non-fiction reading and the online resource BoB that lets you catch up on TV, radio and films.
  • Neurodiversity resources: Neurodiversity definitions vary, encompassing some or all of the following: autistic spectrum conditions, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, Tourette's syndrome and a number of other developmental and mental health conditions. This list links to resources covering lived experience as well as further information and guidance.
  • Living in Oxford: Useful information for all who are living or studying in Oxford
  • Sustainable living: This list focuses on resources that can help you make practical steps in your daily lives towards a more sustainable future.
  • The Digital Capabilities list has a Be Well section