Caxton House Holds De-stressing Month Events on Southwark Campus

On Southwark Campus during 8th April to 3rd May? Spare a few minutes to de-stress!

Caxton House / Confucius Institute for TCM launched its annual de-stressing month events on Southwark Campus last Monday 8th April.

In the weeks leading up to the exam weeks in May, students and staff members are usually beginning to feel the pressure. To help relieve stress with engaging activities then becomes particularly important in maintaining good mental health and restoring a mindful state of mind. After the successful completion of last year’s wellbeing and engagement series in May, Caxton House / CITCM is organising various cultural and wellbeing workshops for a second time.

Dozens of students and staff members participated in the free drop-in calligraphy, music, baduanjin stretching, and origami. The attendees thoroughly enjoyed themselves and felt rejuvenated. Some students, who intended to join only for a couple of minutes to try writing with a brush, found it so relaxing that they stayed until the very end. People who learned to play guzheng (Chinese zither, a traditional string instrument) showed off what they had achieved by posting their own videos on social media. One staff member expressed her gratitude for the qigong stretching session and said that she felt utterly relaxed and ready for bed. Attendees of origami workshop proudly took their finished work away.

Caxton House Team hope to see more students and staff members take part in these activities as they continue for another three weeks until 3rd May. In addition to the usual Monday calligraphy and music workshops on Mondays (12:30-1:30pm) in the Hub, the qigong stretching sessions on Tuesdays (3-4pm) and Thursdays (4-5pm) in LSBU Active, and origami workshop every Friday lunch time in the Hub, plaza dancing sessions will be held this Wednesday 17th April (12:30-1:30pm) at Student Life Centre. A second dancing session will be on Wednesday 1st May (1-2pm) in LSBU Active. Join us to shake your stress away with simple moves to rhythmic tunes.

As the de-stressing month aims to improve attendees’ mental health, we are also raising money for Student Minds with a charity sale of Chinese artifacts. Student Minds is “the UK’s student mental health charity with a goal to transform the state of student mental health so that all in higher education can thrive”.