Working on your mental and physical health are imperative to maintaining and improving one’s well-being. Looking after your well-being has been an especially important priority during the last two years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. WildChina Education’s online well-being program helps students manage their anxiety and regain focus during times of turbulence.
With lockdowns keeping millions of people in their homes, symptoms of anxiety and depression have increased – especially amongst people with prior history of mental health difficulties (Andersen, Mary-Krause, Bustamante, Héron, El Aarbaoui & Melchior, 2021). The ramifications of lockdowns negatively impacting people’s mental and physical health hasn’t received the global attention that it should (given its severity), and is only more recently starting to come to light.
Currently, residents in Shanghai, China are still experiencing a city-wide lockdown that has kept its 25 million population at home. Lockdowns can be an extremely difficult experience for many to endure, especially amongst those who are accustomed to an active and sociable lifestyle. If this applies to you, then we cannot stress enough the importance of finding ways to maintain this lifestyle to the best of your ability, using equipment and tools you have in your home.
WildChina Education’s online well-being program is an opportunity for students and teachers learning online to take part in an initiative that helps offer respite to those currently in lockdown. Our online well-being program has been designed to help students and teachers combat issues that they are likely to encounter during this period. At the same time, the program has also been designed as a platform for students and teachers to socialize and keep themselves occupied during times where boredom and monotony can creep in.
Our motivations behind launching our online well-being program stem from promoting one of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals:
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
We understand that being limited to the confines of your home can make things challenging when it comes to maintaining one’s health and wellbeing. However, with the help of technology and some creativity, we’ve included activities within our online well-being program that anyone can do with little equipment!
Last week, we launched our online well-being program with Dulwich College Shanghai. Over 400 students took part, and felt much better after the experience!
For more information, keep reading to get an idea of what you can expect to learn during our online well-being program.
Survival Cooking
For students and teachers who were previously accustomed to ordering take-outs or going to restaurants, having to cook with unfamiliar ingredients may have been an intimidating learning process. Cooking is an important fundamental skill that everyone should be confident at, and lockdowns are the perfect opportunity to hone your cooking skills.
Our survival cooking course will teach participants to learn basic cooking techniques like how to choose ingredients, how to use leftovers and learn wholesome home style dishes, while thinking creatively about their resources and having fun with their friends.
Participants may learn (depending on what is available):
- Knife Skills – Learn various cuts of vegetables and how to use them in different cuisines.
- Basic Cooking Method – Learn different styles of cooking i.e. boiling, stir-frying, poaching etc
- Basic Ingredient Knowledge – Learn to pick the right ingredients, basic flavor profiles and pairings
- Basic Vinaigrette and Healthy Dressings- Technique & Storage tips
- Healthy and Easy Salads
- How to process and preserve fruits and use them in different forms in jams, preserves and smoothies.
- Learn to pickle vegetables and preserve them to use them as accompaniments of dishes.
Duration: 35 minutes
Tai Chi
We strongly advise students and teachers to integrate some sort of exercise into their current daily routine. An effective workout can last as little as 30 minutes, but will immediately put more pep in your step, pump up your endorphins, and overall make you feel refreshed and energized to take on the day.
Living in China, you commonly encounter communities of elderly folks taking part in Tai Chi during the early mornings. Why not take the time to learn about this traditional martial art in the comfort of your home? Our online well-being program introduces this form of effective exercise to our students.
Taijiquan was designed to be, and has proven itself to be, a very effective, practical, and methodical form of martial arts. In addition to being a fighting sport, Taichi channels and focuses the body’s Qi, making it ideal for meditation and mindfulness.
Duration: 30 minutes
Anxiety Workshop
Lockdowns are even more-so hard to accustom to for those living by themselves. You can begin to feel overwhelmed by a range of emotions, from loneliness to uncertainty and pessimism. This is completely normal, but at the same time it is also important for you to refocus and gain composure.
Our Anxiety Workshop represents one of the core aspects of our online well-being program. Indefinite isolation, panic over scarce resources and information overload can be a recipe for unchecked anxiety and feelings of isolation. This workshop intends to give participants the tools to decrease and manage anxiety during quarantine.
Duration: 30 minutes
Live Guided Meditation
Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation can produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress.
In the 30-minute session, participants will meditate together with our expert and learn to control their mind and relieve anxiety. Meditation is a simple yet effective way to reduce stress and gain introspection. All that is required is a little bit of space in your home.
Duration: 30 minutes
Virtual Scavenger Hunt
Virtual scavenger hunts are remote games where players scramble to find items or fulfill challenges before time runs out. For example, participants may have to retrieve their favorite mug or a baby photo to earn points. The activity helps exercise the mind by reinforcing problem-solving skills. Our guide will incorporate clues that set participants scrambling around to finish first.
Duration: 30 minutes
Getting to Know Rescue Pets
Every year pets are put down in different shelters, despite the amount of knowledge and awareness around adoption today. The benefits of adopting a pet can be life-changing. If you’re not in the position to adopt, you can also help animals in need by fostering, donating or volunteering.
In this session, participants will have the chance to learn about the stories and lives of a few star rescue pets and their owners. Prepare for cuteness overload!
Duration: 30 minutes
Blindfolded Tower Building
Teamwork is a valuable skill for participants to learn and will help them in many aspects of their lives. Our online well-being program has participants divided into groups of 4 and they have to guide a blindfolded member of WildChina staff through building a tower (with something delicate on top).
This game requires the blindfolded player to trust the other players. At the end of the session, participants will show their completed towers to the rest of the group at the end of the activity.
Duration: 30 minutes
WildChina Education is no stranger when it comes to designing and operating successful online programs for students to enjoy. Our online well-being programs are customized to fit our participating group’s needs, and sessions are designed to achieve specific outcomes. Don’t just take our word for it!
“Our programs aim to break up the stress and monotony of online learning for our students, helping them move their minds and bodies in unique ways, and giving them invaluable skills to deal with uncertainty and lockdown.” – Daniel Casey-Dunn (WildChina Senior Advisor)
We have been running innovative, custom- crafted educational tours since 2000 with responsible professionalism, and while maintaining an exemplary safety record. We are the curator of experiential learning experiences for the world’s leading institutions including Harvard, Stanford, Dulwich, Nord Anglia, Wellington, Harrow and many more. Our commitment to safety, sustainability, and creative high-quality itineraries has made us Asia’s oldest and most established leader in educational travel.
For more info about joining our online well-being program, Get in touch with us here.
And while you’re at it, subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more exclusive WildChina content!
References
Andersen, A.J., Mary-Krause, M., Bustamante, J.J.H. et al. Symptoms of anxiety/depression during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown in the community: longitudinal data from the TEMPO cohort in France. BMC Psychiatry 21, 381 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03383-z
