I was going to write a very doom and gloom piece about my final week of university, but decided that rambling on about that for 500 words or so, wouldn’t be enjoyable for anyone. Instead, this week’s blog is going to be on 7 things I’ve found enjoyable during lockdown. After 6 weeks or so being stuck at home, I’ve managed to find some small things that make the days a little bit more bearable.

With the help of my friends, each week on this blog I’ve tried to tackle some of the major parts of a uni student’s life but recently this has gone to pot. In the midst of this pandemic, productivity and motivation are things that a lot of people are lacking, whilst anxiety is at an all time high. This week I’d like to talk about some of the things I’ve learnt during this time, about life and the important things that make it up.

For this week’s post it only seemed to fitting to stage an interview with myself, in honour of these times of social distancing. Everyday there are peaks and troughs and whether you live alone, or with housemates or your family, it is easy to feel lonely in these times of never-ending news and panic. For our NHS workers and those working in critical roles such as supermarkets, social distancing isn’t a choice they can afford, but the rest of us, it is a necessity. So, over to me…

Sarah is a third-year student, who took some time out to travel for a year before starting uni. Throughout her time at uni, she’s realised the importance of taking time out for yourself, when everyday life can get a bit too much. Without further ado, here are Sarah’s thoughts on self-care…

Annie is a third-year english student, two months away from leaving the uni bubble. She is the perfect person to talk about this week’s theme of friendships with, because as she says so herself, she’s had to kiss a few frogs to be able to make the genuine friendships that she has. In this Q&A, she shares her experiences of leaving home for the first time, the realities of friendships in your 20’s and her tips on finding the right people for you.

Jo is a third-year Publishing and English Lit student, who also doubles as a superwoman. She has a part-time job, an insane work ethic, and is also one of the kindest people I have ever met. In this Q&A she opens up about homesickness and balancing uni, whilst trying to go home as often as she can. Homesickness can be a common feeling experienced by students, but can also be very isolating because it’s not something people tend to talk about in fear of being ridiculed. But it happens and we should talk about, so over to Jo…

Josh is a third-year law student, who is currently studying on a year-abroad in Vienna. In this Q & A he talks about his experiences and shares a positive outlook on stepping outside of his comfort zone, and trying something new. During his time at university, he has made a great group of friends, became a committee member of a law society, and has loved the city he has predominantly studied in, so taking on a year abroad wasn’t something you would necessarily expect him to do. But, he has embraced this rare opportunity, and he’s thriving…

Lotti is a third-year english student, who’s been in a long-distance relationship since she started Uni. Before that, she worked and went travelling, and has the Instagram to prove it. Lotti’s beau is a science teacher, so between them, have a busy lifestyle, but still find time to see each-other as regularly as they can.

Amy is a third-year combined Publishing Media student, who commutes to Uni everyday. Whilst being at Uni, she’s had a steady part-time job, visited Thailand, Venice… basically she’s travelled a lot, but still finds time to sit down and answer some of my questions. This week’s blog post is a short Q&A about managing workload and that commonality that all students share: stress! Each week a different piece of a Uni student’s life will be covered, whether it’s workload, relationships, friendships, etc. There is no definitive guide of managing these things, but all we can hope for is finding an imperfect balance.

Around four years ago, I first started blogging when I thought I wanted to study Journalism at university. Now in my final year of studying Publishing at Oxford Brookes and writing this blog for a module, I have come full circle and have started to reconsider that journalism is perhaps something I could see myself doing.