Groups, workshops and online materials for supporting wellbeing and study ability

For thesis-writing: Theses & Tomatoes on Mondays 

What: co-writing event 

When: Mondays at 10:00-11:30 (14.8.-18.12.2023)

Where: Zoom, link: https://aalto.zoom.us/s/65199051815 (Meeting ID: 651 9905 1815)

For whom: students completing their theses or research articles at Aalto University (Bachelor, Master, doctoral) 

Are you feeling stuck with your thesis? Or are you just finding it hard to get into a good writing routine? Maybe you are unsure of what the next step should be or how to get started on a new chapter? Do you feel lonely in your thesis work? Would you like to work in a shared space with others in the same situation? 

If you answer yes to any of these questions, you have come to the right place! Join a co-writing space, which will be organized in Zoom.  

The aim of this co-writing space is to provide opportunities for you to work independently on your thesis and on self-specified goals alongside others in the same situation, creating a shared experience. 

No enrolment is needed, just join Zoom and get your thesis moving. The seminar is intended for students at Aalto University completing their thesis work. 

We will start each Monday at 10 sharp with a short 15-30 minute introduction to or discussion on different topics (e.g., goal-setting, time-management, academic writing). This part is led by the host or invited guests. Next, you will get to set your own goal and share it with others, if you want. After that, it’s time for two 25-30-minute Pomodoros with a break in between. During the break, you can ask questions or we can all do break exercises together. The event ends with a “tip-of-the-day”.

These Aalto co-writing events are hosted by experts from Doctoral education services, Language center and Starting Point of Wellbeing.

The language of instruction is English but you are welcome to ask questions also in Finnish and Swedish. Joining the discussions and sharing one’s goals are completely voluntarily – if you just wish to join to work only, that is also fine.

Are you having trouble getting started with your studies? Do you struggle to establish routines? Does studying feel like a lonely task? Would you like to study alongside others in a similar situation? Join us for guided studying and pick up tips for more effective work during Pomodoro sessions!

Read more and get Zoom-links: Start your studies with Pomodoro | Aalto University

Read more: Beat the Blues! -events for Aalto international students (autumn 2023) | Aalto University

Mindfulness skills - Enabling sustainable wellbeing - workshop-series (Autumn 2023)

Would you like to develop your ability to pause and think about your relationship with yourself and others? What could sustainable well-being mean to you? What does it mean to you to live sustainably in this world? 

Come and practice self-listening, presence and compassion skills that enable a sustainable life. Mindfulness-training strengthens the connection to one's body and emotions, facilitates listening and conversation in difficult interaction situations, and strengthens the sense of connection to the world around us. The workshop series has 5 meetings with the following themes: 

1. Thinking – Cognitive Skills  
2. Being — Relationship to Self    
3. Relating  — Caring for Others and the World  
4. Collaborating  — Social Skills  
5. Acting  — Enabling change  

These group-meetings consist of mindfulness-based exercises and sharing of experiences. The themes of sessions are based on the Inner Development Goals -model. Meetings are held on Tuesdays 10.10., 17.10., 24.10., 31.10. And 7.11. at 14:15-15:45 in the Candidate Center in room Y115. The group is led by study psychologists Sanni Saarimäki ([email protected]), Paula Sjöblom ([email protected]) and Henna Niiva (henna.niiv[email protected]). You can sign up by filling out this webropol form: https://link.webropol.com/s/mindfulness2023  Maximum of participants (Aalto students) is 12. Language: English. 

Please notice that this mindfulness-workshop might not be suitable for people in acute crisis or with severe mental health issues. In case you are wondering if this workshop-series would be best for you, please feel free to contact us in advance to discuss confidentially.  

Mindfulness, breathing techniques and other practices help us calm our minds. Everything begins when we stop. The aim is to get in in touch with the present moment, with our thoughts and our body, but also with what is around us. It is very complex, on the other hand, very easy. This page offers you information and mindfulness and other practices to use whenever you need.

Benefits of Calmness: mindfulness and other calming practices for You | Aalto University

The Best Thing Today is a podcast series hosted by the psychologists at Aalto University Learning Services. In the podcast, the psychologists casually talk about wellbeing topics – ranging from student wellbeing to the wellbeing of employees.

The podcast discussions revolve around issues that are familiar in an academic environment, such as how to find motivation, how to manage time and stress, and how to recover. You’ll also get to hear how the psychologists take care of their own wellbeing.

Aalto University's psychology podcast in Finnish is called Paras hetki päivässä.

You can find the podcasts here.
In English: https://www.aalto.fi/en/podcasts/the-best-thing-today-podcast-series
In Finnish: https://www.aalto.fi/fi/podcastit/paras-hetki-paivassa-podcastit

Have you considered what studying means to you, what is the best way for you to learn or how you can make your studies run smoothly?

Study skills consist of a number of areas, such as the management of study methods, self-management, acting in a community and regulation of personal emotions. Study skills are something you can learn, and these pages include ideas for developing your skills as well as links for sources of additional information.

Study Skills | Aalto University

Mindful Tools for Stress Management

Feeling stressed or anxious? The self-study m
aterial will help you to learn how to

• be here and now
• observe our thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations more clearly
• be more self-compassionate
• reduce stress

When  facing difficulties we many times try not to notice them. Handling stress becomes easier when we approach difficulties rather avoiding them and learn to recognize when we start to feel stressed or worried. With practice it is possible to become less reactive and more free with our responses to the stressful situation.

Mindfulness is a state of open attention on the present. It’s living here and now. Mindfulness involves nonjudgmental conscious awareness of one’s feelings, thoughts and surroundings. Our mind often wanders to the past or to the future. Mindfulness skills will help you to focus on the present moment.

You'll find the material in MyCourses https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/view.php?id=23144

Career Planning Exercises

https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/view.php?id=19069

Objective

This self-help material is designed to help you to process the key elements of career planning individually. 

Instructions

The sequence of exercises is numbered. You can do them in the same order or you can choose only the ones that appeal to you most and seem to help you. Having completed an exercise, reflect the results. What do the results of that reflection add to your self-awareness, your current thinking and goals of a good future as an individual and as a member of a society? How can you use the results? What will you do next?

How to get started

1. Log in to MyCourses with your Aalto user account
2. Enroll for the workspace by following these instructions.

Time to Get Cracking – 3 week Self-study material on time management for students

Time management and learning to use a calendar sound boring and tedious and are often seen as being in the same category as managing your personal finances. Why spend time learning something like that? Do these sound familiar to you: ‘I know how to plan, but the problem is putting the plans into action!’ ‘I do make plans, but I just don’t have enough time to do all I should!’ This self-study material focusses on these two common issues: having too much to do and having trouble getting things done.

Time management is not just about taking care of responsibilities. It helps you see what you really spend your time on and why. The underlying question is a fundamental one, maybe the most important question for us as human beings: how do you spend your limited time on this Earth? Your calendar says a great deal about what you actually spend your time on. Does your calendar reflect your values and the things you hold dear? Does it take you towards something meaningful? If not, what do you think should change?

This self-study material offers you opportunities to:

- look at your time use as a self-management skill

- learn to make schedules and stay on them

- learn new skills and review what you already know.

Going through this self-study material and doing the related tasks will take you about 3–5 hours. To make the most of it, you should spread the tasks over several days. Reading on time management without taking any action is the same as reading a healthy eating guidebook without changing your diet at all or talking to a personal trainer on a regular basis without ever going to the gym to try out the programme. Please take time to also do the exercises included in this material.

Self-study material can be found here: https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/view.php?id=23146

Materials for Stress-management

Self-study material can be found here: https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/view.php?id=26879

Self-Study Material: ABCs of getting things done

Do you delay and postpone completing some tasks? Do you feel you might procrastinate? Don’t worry! You probably are quite a normal university student: almost all university students procrastinate at times. However, if procrastination bothers and you would like to learn more about getting things done, hop onboard to learning through these online materials!

Self-study material can be found here: https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/view.php?id=34368