What you eat and drink can have a significant effect on your productivity and your mood.

Try to maintain a routine during periods of study. Stick to regular mealtimes if you can and take frequent breaks to eat and drink.

Try to incorporate healthy foods, including fruit and vegetables into your diet. For more guidance on how to eat well, see NHS pages.

What you drink makes a difference too. Make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day. Coffee can be a great way to take a break but too much caffeine can have a detrimental effect. Find more guidance on how to monitor your caffeine intake.

Alcohol can play a part in student life but drinking to excess can have a big impact on your physical and mental health. Find more information about how to monitor your alcohol intake. 

Being conscious of where your food comes from can also help you feel happier about your diet. Check out the University's sustainability pages for information about eating well to benefit yourself and the planet.

Shopping sensibly and cooking for yourself and friends can be a great way to eat more healthily and save money. If you’re feeling adventurous, there are cookbooks for cuisines from around the world available to borrow from The Hive.

Regular exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle and can also be an important tool in helping you to study well and improve your overall wellbeing.

To help you keep fit and make new friends, consider joining a local sports club or, if you are a University of Worcester student, sign up to be a member of a sports society.

If team sports aren’t your thing, why not exercise independently? Running and walking are excellent for clearing your mind while getting your daily burst of activity. Worcestershire County Council has compiled this list of circular walks in Worcestershire or, for something closer to home, why not check out The Hive health walk or the University mile?

Make the most of free online content designed to help you keep fit from home. The NHS website has everything from exercise tips to online fitness guides to keep you active and motivated.

Slower, mindful exercises such as yoga or pilates can be good for smaller spaces and might also help you relax. There are plenty of free videos available from the NHS or, if you fancy a wider range of tutorials, including office yoga, lunch break yoga and even chair yoga, try Yoga with Adriene.

Taking regular breaks from study can help boost your productivity.

Step away from your work to make a drink or snack, get some fresh air or chat with your friends. You will feel better for a break and may even return to your studies full of fresh ideas.

Too much time staring at your computer screen can make you less productive and using your devices later in the evening can affect your ability to rest. Try scheduling some screen-free study into your timetable.

If you find it hard to resist your devices before going to bed, try picking up a book instead. The Hive has a huge collection of fiction books to help your brain switch off from study.

If you’re struggling to sleep, find top tips for getting some rest on the University’s Live Well webpages.

Are you sitting comfortably? A healthy sitting position is not only more comfortable, it can also help you maintain a healthier posture for life. To find out more about sitting happy, check out the NHS advice on how to sit healthily.

If you are experiencing discomfort from too many afternoons spent hunched over your laptop, try looking up your options on NHS Choices or visiting our experts at the McClelland Centre.

The stress of studying, juggling work and a social life or living away from home can all have a significant effect on your mental wellbeing.

Eating well, taking regular exercise and getting enough sleep can all have a positive impact on your mental health, as can taking some time out to explore your surroundings or use your skills to give others a helping hand.

Speaking to your friends or to a tutor is a great start if you’re feeling overwhelmed. If you are a University of Worcester student, Fancy a Cuppa offers a drop in session for a free drink and informal chat.  If you don’t feel these options are for you, you could try the NHS list of mental health helplines.

Browse our Reading Well resource list to find books to help you understand and improve your mental wellbeing.

Student Minds and Young Minds offer dedicated support for students and young people and Healthy Minds offers local support in Worcestershire.

Apps can be a great way to stay on top of things. Try the SAM app or Catch It, or browse others in the NHS app library.

If you’re a University of Worcester student, contact Student Services for advice on a wide range of issues and information about the University counselling and mental health team.

If you need help now contact Samaritans or Papyrus. You can call Samaritans for free from any phone, any time on 116 123.

Even at the busiest times of year it is important to relax and unwind.

Check out what's going on your local community, it might surprise you. Did you know that The Hive has a year-round programme of events with something to suit every taste?

Craft can be a great, productive way to de-stress. Try knitting, sewing or origami to take your mind off stressful study. Get started with books on the Library Services catalogue and attend one of The Hive’s regular informal crafting groups for extra support.

Don’t have easy access to craft resources? Try online colouring, puzzles and quizzes for a bit of escapism.

Reading can be a fantastic way to unwind. The Hive has thousands of fiction books spanning a broad range of genres as well as access to online books, audiobooks and magazines.

If you’re in The Hive, head to level 0 to browse DVDs, Blu-Ray, graphic novels or take a break on one of our games consoles, complete with a selection of games.

Mindfulness may help focus your mind and relieve feelings of anxiety. Mindfulness just means paying more attention to the present moment. There are many different ways to practice mindfulness. Give it a go and see what works for you.

Volunteering your time to help others can be a good way to boost your mental wellbeing and will look great on your CV.

To find opportunities to get involved, head to our volunteering and work placements pages.

University of Worcester Students’ Union or local volunteering centres also have plenty of options for volunteering in the local community.

Volunteering your time can help you see yourself and your local community from a different perspective. Read Andrew's story about why he thinks everybody should be a volunteer.

Exploring your local environment can be a great way to give your brain a rest and see things from a new perspective.

If you can, try to get out in nature. If you have one, make use of your garden. If you don't have a garden, take notice of birds, trees and wildlife during exercise or even from your window.

Worcester is a rural city with the Wyre Forest and the Malvern Hills on the doorstep. Worcester also has plenty of parks and green spaces as well as the historic riverside where you can wander, relax and unwind.

Ask a Librarian is here to help with more in-depth research enquiries, referencing or getting to grips with online resources.

Anybody can use the askalibrarian service so, if you have a question, just ask!

The Library Services study skills pages, FAQs and blog posts offer lots of helpful hints and tips to help you get the best out of your research and writing skills.

The University's Study Skills site contains additional information to help you study smarter .

If you’re a University of Worcester student, the Centre for Academic English and Skills and Academic Writers in Residence can provide additional writing support.

Find a study space that suits your needs and has plenty of space for all your resources.

If you’re studying away from home, The University has a range of spaces, from shared to silent study.

Top tips from the experts: our talented Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy students offer some of their own top tips on how to beat the stress, stay healthy and Study Happy (video 5:35).

There are loads of helpful apps and plug ins to help make study easier for you.

Some apps, like Noisli, Coffivity, Forest and Cold Turkey, can help you concentrate.

OneNote, Office Lens and Google Keep are great for organising lecture notes.

Improve your time management with Alarmy and TomatoClock.

Make reading work for you with tools to change the screen colour, font size and shape, or even read texts aloud.