Keep well

Keep well covers sleep, sexual health, nutrition, alcohol and drugs, movement and exercise, and health literacy.

Online resources

Sleep

• See our infographic on some of the reasons why you might be sleeping badly.
• Read Te Whatu Ora's recommendations about why good quality sleep is essential for your health and wellbeing.
• Explore contemporary expectations about sleep, the effects of inadequate sleep, and what you can do to optimise sleep.
• Sleep guided meditation using ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) with relaxing sounds of nature.
• Read Healthify's tips to help improve your sleep with a ‘sleep tips tracker’ to see which tips work for your sleep.
• Take a quiz and learn how to get better quality sleep from Small Steps.
• Try out the Pzizz app to help with sleep, naps, and focus by tracking your sleep and using music and guided, meditative ‘dreamscapes’ to maximise restful sleep.
• Try listening to Spotify or Youtube playlists of nature (Spotify / Youtube) or white noise (Spotify / Youtube) to help you sleep.

Sexual health

• Watch a video from Villainesse about consent from the REAL Sex Talk series.
• Reaching out for help if you have experienced sexual violence.
• Worried if your body is normal or not? Check out the Labia Library to see how diverse labia look or the Burnett Foundation Aotearoa for diverse penis shapes and sizes.
• Read the Light Project about how porn affects body image and attitudes and beliefs about sex.
• Read about preventing STIs from Just the Facts.
• Read about long-acting reversible contraception for females
• Learn about different methods of contraception from Family Planning.
• Find out more about rainbow rights, takatāpui, and intersex at Rainbow Youth
• Read about Safer Sex for Rainbow Youth from Health Navigator as well as accessing PreP from the Burnett Foundation Aotearoa.

Nutrition

• Find a Fruit and Vege Co-op near you in the Wellington region to access fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables for $15 per week.
• Sign up for the VUWSA Community Pantry for free food parcels.
• How to read food labels when you’re shopping.
• Learn about portion sizes and how to estimate them.
• Find food ideas and tools, easy, fast and affordable recipes, and links to your local vegetable market.
• Read about mindful eating and how to implement it in your life, alongside intuitive eating, to develop a positive relationship with food and eating.
• Watch Disorder from the Outlook for Someday about young New Zealanders who have experienced eating disorders.
• Read about why strict diets aren’t always the answer and why developing a healthy relationship with food is important.
• Explore the ROAR and EDANZ websites for information and interactive features about eating and body concerns.
• The Easy Eat Diary app, recommended by Healthify, helps monitor food intake for energy intake and exercise.

Alcohol and other drugs

• Learn about standard alcohol drinks and legal limits.
• A straight-up guide to safer using from The Level.
• Tripsit Drug Combinations table to avoid mixing drugs and Drug Interaction Checker for prescription medicines.
• Pill Library from Know Your Stuff NZ to identify drugs sold as MDMA that are harmful substances.
• Watch a video to understand when alcohol and drug use become a problem, from Villainesse.
• Online tool from Safer Gambling Aotearoa to find out if your gambling is becoming a problem.
• Complete a drug self-assessment test from Care New Zealand when you’re not sure if you should get help or not.

Movement and exercise

• Check out University Recreation Wellington for fitness classes, gym memberships, personal training, sports, and more.
• Find walking and biking trails in your local area to get active outdoors.
• Check out Nuku Ora for active health and wellness, including home exercise options.
• Read about how regular exercise is good for your body and your mind.
• Learn how to be sunsmart and protect your skin and eyes from the New Zealand sun’s damaging UV rays. Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap

Health literacy

• Read about Ask Me 3, three simple questions you can ask to help you understand your consultation with your GP or nurse.
• Read Te Kete Haerenga – Your Journey to Wellbeing Kete an online self-management tool from Healthify for long-term conditions.
• Find out about patient rights from the Health and Disability Commissioner.
• Apply for the University’s Student Hardship Fund for medical and dental costs, disability, or temporary illness.
• Accessing after-hours medical help in person.
• Accessing after-hours medical help over the phone at Healthline.
• Read about being smart with your medicine to use it safely.
• How to order a repeat prescription from Mauri Ora before your medication runs out.

Wellbeing Workshops

A range of Wellbeing Workshops are available in person and on Zoom to help you improve your health and wellbeing while studying at university.