Wellbeing activities at Cranfield

Attending to your mental and physical wellbeing whilst at Cranfield is key to creating the ideal environment for academic success. There will be times for us all when the mind needs peace and the soul needs healing, and outdoor and creative activities increase are known to have a positive impact on our wellbeing. Those happy hormones released by an energetic lifestyle will enhance your MSc student life at Cranfield.

Being a former sports enthusiast with a love for high adrenaline adventures sports, from rock climbing, indoor climbing, shooting, running and long-distance walking, it has always been my priority to keep myself refreshed and motivated.

My wellbeing supporters at Cranfield University

The presence and support of unlimited energy and resources provided by CSA and other societies like aeronautical, astronomical, autonomous, motorsport, and the Green Team was brilliant. It’s interesting and is going to be more phenomenal in coming years with numerous choices available for all students to make their choices for discovering more methods of playing and becoming creative. Choosing the appropriate activity is vital for a good wellbeing lifestyle. These societies are the backbone of wellbeing structure for me at university – friendly, caring, interactive, engaging and gave me such valuable informative and educational sessions online that informed me on cutting-edge, futuristic, technologies which resulted in good networking for a promising career.

Also special thanks to student intranet announcements from where I registered myself into the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) with student discount and became a member, I also donated £10 every month to the organisation who gave me information about bird-watching and study guides about birds in the UK and Cranfield. After being associated with RSPB, I started creating bird-watching videos and photography, it was an awesome experience looking at birds on our beautiful green campus and capturing their moments in all locations on campus from my android phone.

This is an activity that is close to mother nature, where you will find relief and experience, deep love and satisfaction by looking at those beautiful flights and the cute moments that I pictured in my albums on my social media accounts. Also, it was nice to explore this activity beyond campus in Bedford Park, Milton Keynes Lake, and in my recent first solo walk in England known as the Lea Valley walk, as I witnessed more bird species during that lovely experience.

The green walk organised by Becky Shepherd, who is in charge of the Green Team at Cranfield with Mr. Alan who is always a joyful one. Every time the walk is organised we walk the entire campus where we will encounter new birds and freshly grown flowers and other butterflies that are well maintained in the woodlands trial path and also in the surroundings of Fedden House and adjacent areas of Cranfield Airport, witnessing new, grown, beautiful flowers. The event of tree plantings that took place with joint activity with Bedford borough and other NGOs was also a beautiful mental wellbeing activity that made all of us so relieved and memorable.

Some of my most exciting wellbeing moments

One of that helped me to focus back on my studies during my MSc included the ‘dance challenge’. This was the first challenge that I took part in. I got down to the final three, where a short dance video of mine was created in Chilver Hall kitchens and was submitted online. This activity gave students the choice to showcase their dance moves and choose music of their choice to enter the contest.

Another was the Photography challenge; these challenges were announced on the CSA Instagram and other accounts, and I took part in the astronomical contest and campus photo contest and aeronautical contest. These competitions made me explore more of the local surroundings, looking into specific locations and even discovering new locations.

Nature walks with Sue Richardson taking in the beauty of Cranfield University. It’s in an area where, having its airport well maintained, biodiversity and green spaces, itself is a good place for good fitness goals as I used to walk every day and night exploring the campus. Enjoying the cold fresh air during brisk walking and sprinting is healthier and fascinating. I’ve also explored the suburban areas, from the CSA walks in North Crawley, Salford, Marston Moretaine, Cranfield village, Marston Forest and a spot where we visited Stewart by the lake, millennium country park, Bedford and Milton Keynes waterway, Marston thrift and Rectory wood. These locations are historic, have extensive grounds, water bodies and recreated grounds with excellent environmental conditions that not only are educational with wind turbine, soil enrichment technology, and lake rejuvenation schemes for students that provided me with a great sense of knowledge scientifically and socially, but also great relaxing moments for me and the group of students when we explored these areas as it was relaxing and mindful.

Eating delicious food on campus such as the food restaurants in CSA and especially in front of Stafford Cripps bring in such delicious and mouth-watering meals. Freshly prepared, nutritious proteins of various cuisines was a new experience to me as an international student, I got the opportunity to taste British cuisine and other different nations’ cuisines that were prepared every thrice a week with varieties and discounts. Mitchell hall has been so amazing for me in the entire student life as I regularly consumed healthy and tasty foods prepared for students with a combination of good meat, seafood, and vegetables with promising discounts on the weekends during the lockdowns.

Do the gardening in CSA. Gardening is a good stress relief activity and enhances skills for a good living, as it is informational about small size farming and using rainwater for watering those seeds and samplings. Events organized by the green team and Sue Richardson happen every Wednesday.

The well-being theme that was started by newly elected James and Ellie brought a new change in me with so many things that were available for students on every well-being Wednesday. A good team; coffee; an open discussion with anybody in the event; drawing; listening to music and being more creative by showcasing my skills in drawing – which I did twice – and also discussing with motorsport enthusiasts with a nice organic tea-time was amazing.

Taking part in CSA events and art; finding a treasure in the campus; pebble painting; promoted football nights with European and native British students on live football matches in the evenings with thrilling support and chores after the teams’ goals is a magnificent student experience on campus and promoting creative ideas in art events in CSA was another skill-based learning. Along with the above, chess, board games and dart competitions organized by Jack were another new experience for me here on campus.

Spend time with other cultures, in this university I met many students from different nationalities and spoke with them about their traditions and culture and listened to their music being played in open mic sessions that were online and flat-mate parties in Chiller hall with Chinese students Harry, Image, Alvaro and Juan Spanish and Jerome from south India. Tasting their cuisines and listening to their music cultural discussions with these students was a well-being heart-touching moment for me in that lovely accommodation.

Another new introduction to a good well-being week during my group project was learning European rugby which I never had seen or heard about that game before, I am so happy to meet many players from the European contingent in university who was so good in that game and was a new learning experience for five weeks of training. I am very thankful to research student Silvia Arpaio for promoting this sport on the campus as she has been a player of this sport from Spain.

Taking part in quiz events in space groups, sustainability teams and special events like climate hackathons as well as entrepreneurship events was also a great wellbeing activity that was educational in my career and also good networking with business and industry players as well as educational trips to RAF Cosford museum organized by Junaid and team was brilliant.

Having an evening coffee or chocolate shake in management building with students and staff in that lovely ambience, having pleasant conversation with business graduates and staff that is really a true English culture which I do every day on campus and will be doing it more.

Well, this is my wellbeing experience so far and please enjoy reading my blog with a nice drink with your friends and family wherever you are in this world and on campus.

Thanks for giving me this opportunity to express my feelings from this blog and good luck to all students and coming students and please do explore your student life at its best as it is the most golden and happiest days of your lifetime and I gotta take off now…