{"id":6059,"date":"2021-09-07T11:00:17","date_gmt":"2021-09-07T11:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.exeter.ac.uk\/accommodation\/?p=6059"},"modified":"2024-02-20T10:13:29","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T10:13:29","slug":"guest-blog-settling-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/accommodation\/guest-blog-settling-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest blog: Settling in"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span>Good morning all!<br \/>\nToday we have a guest blog from Residence life team member Helen Anderson.<\/p>\n<p>Not long now until arrivals! We\u2019re really looking forward to welcoming you all\u00a0\u2013\u00a0to help you prepare,\u00a0here are our tips on settling in.<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span>Personalise your room<\/span><\/b><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>All our rooms have the basics you need for study and life in Exeter\u2026 but to really make your room into your home, you\u2019ll need to personalise it a bit.<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Of\u00a0course there are some things that aren\u2019t allowed (like candles\/incense, or sticking things to the walls\u00a0with tape or\u00a0blu-tack) but there\u2019s loads you can do to perk up your room. Photos from home, posters, cushions, throws, plants, art, rugs \u2013 you name it!\u00a0We recommend involving all your senses \u2013 think about the kinds of smells, sounds and textures that will make your space feel comfortable. Once you spend some time getting your bags unpacked, your things all put away, and those\u00a0finishing touches arranged,\u00a0you\u2019ll most likely find that your room will feel much more your own.\u00a0<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span>Introduce yourself\u00a0to your neighbours<\/span><\/b><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Once you\u2019ve moved in, it\u2019s time to say hello to people in your flat or corridor. A packet of biscuits can help to break the ice \u2013 or why not make a sign to hang on your door handle introducing yourself? That way anyone else arriving\u00a0will know you\u2019ve moved in.\u00a0<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Bonus points if you can start to introduce people to one another, or to interesting things you\u2019ve discovered on campus or around the city \u2013 sharing your knowledge to help other people settle in, too.\u00a0<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span>Get out and about (if you can)<\/span><\/b><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If you find yourself feeling a bit unsure, it can be tempting to stay in your room rather than venture out \u2013 but we\u2019d really recommend\u00a0exploring your surroundings a bit. There are tons of\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.exeterguild.org\/freshers2021\/portal\/\"><span>events<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0in\u00a0Freshers\u2019\u00a0Week and beyond \u2013 why not try something new? Throughout the year you\u2019ll have the chance to get involved in\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.exeterguild.org\/societies\/\"><span>societies<\/span><\/a><span>,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sport.exeter.ac.uk\/studentsport\/about\/\"><span>sports<\/span><\/a><span>, and\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.exeterguild.org\/activities\/community-volunteering\/\"><span>volunteering<\/span><\/a><span>, and the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.exeter.ac.uk\/accommodation\/students\/currentstudents\/residencelifeteam\/\"><span>Residence Life Team<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0run regular drop-ins and events throughout the year.\u00a0Starting to make connections with the people and groups around you is an important in settling into a new place.\u00a0And don\u2019t feel limited to campus-based activities \u2013 connecting with the local area is great, too.\u00a0<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We know some of you may need to quarantine or self-isolate, and of\u00a0course that means spending\u00a0time in your room. If that\u2019s you, check out the info\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.exeter.ac.uk\/coronavirus\/self-isolating\/\"><span>here<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0for more ideas on how to keep yourself occupied while you isolate.\u00a0<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span>It takes time<\/span><\/b><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s\u00a0really normal to take a while\u00a0to settle in.\u00a0Friendships take time to form, and your mental map of a new place isn\u2019t drawn overnight. All these things grow bit by bit \u2013 please don\u2019t panic if you find you\u2019re feeling unsettled to begin with. You won\u2019t feel that way forever.\u00a0<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>During\u00a0Freshers\u2019\u00a0Week\u00a0the\u00a0days don\u2019t have much structure \u2013 which\u00a0can make it harder to feel settled. If you\u2019re\u00a0staying up late, getting up late, eating lots of junk food, maybe drinking more alcohol than you do at other times\u2026 you may find that you don\u2019t feel 100%. (Shocker, we know.) If that\u2019s you,\u00a0we recommend you have a couple of earlier nights, eat some vegetables, do some exercise, and just generally try to\u00a0practice really good\u00a0self care.\u00a0Things should start to feel a bit more normal when your timetable kicks in!<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If there\u2019s anything you\u2019d like to talk about, please do reach out to\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.exeter.ac.uk\/accommodation\/students\/currentstudents\/residencelifeteam\/\"><span>Residence Life<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0\u2013 or follow us\u00a0on\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ExeterResLife\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/a><span>,\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/exeterreslife\/\"><span>Instagram<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@exeterreslife?\"><span>TikTok<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0for more tips from the team.<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Residence Life Helen<\/span><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Good morning all! Today we have a guest blog from Residence life team member Helen Anderson. Not long now until arrivals! We\u2019re really looking forward [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":343,"featured_media":6060,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[709,595],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Guest blog: Settling in - University Living<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/accommodation\/guest-blog-settling-in\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Guest blog: Settling in - University Living\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Good morning all! 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