Lockdown Lowdown - Edition 3

LOCKDOWN LOWDOWN Bringing you the latest Long Road lockdown news!

KEEP IN TOUCH

SENDING VIRTUAL HUGS X Hello, from Long Road!

We've made it to week 3 of our college closure, which is also the first week of the Easter Holidays! While you enjoy a well earned Easter break, why not sit

Long Road Sixth Form

back and relax as you read this weeks edition of the Lockdown Lowdown.

College

@LR6FC

Make sure your keep in touch with your teachers, Progress Coach and us on social media!

@lr6fc Sending virtual hugs - Long Road x

enquiries@longroad.ac.uk

01223 631100

www.longroad.ac.uk

CALMING POWER OF REMINISCING ABOUT HAPPY TIMES A recent article by Emma Young You’ve just had a fight with your

Your brain needs help if it’s to quickly

partner or a confrontation with a

regain control. And, according to

colleague. Now your heart’s racing,

a new study published in Nature Human

and you’re struggling to think straight.

Behaviour, you can provide it by

What should you do?

thinking back over good times.

Psychologists are not short on ideas for

Mauricio Delgado and Megan Speer at

how to calm yourself down after a

Rutgers University, US, made 134

stressful experience. Seek out a friend?

volunteers feel stressed by videoing

Yes, there’s good evidence that can

them while they plunged their hands

help. But what if there’s no friend to

into icy water. Some then spent 14

hand? You could try to alter your view

seconds reminiscing about a positive

of what just happened from “Disaster!”

experience (like visiting Disneyland)

to “Not really so bad”.

while others reflected on an

If you are feeling stressed or anxious please contact a member of the welfare team on wellbeing@longroad.ac.uk and someone will call you.

emotionally neutral event (such as But it can be difficult to engage in this

getting luggage ready for the trip).

the surge observed in the neutral memory group. Thinking about happy

kind of “cognitive reappraisal” when you’re in the immediate aftermath of a

Afterwards, the group who’d recalled

memories, then, went right to the heart

stressful event – perhaps because

happy memories felt better, but not

of the physiological stress response.

acute stress compromises the neural

only that: the expected rise in their

circuitry that’s involved in emotion

levels of the stress hormone cortisol

To explore how, Delgado and Speer

regulation.

was only 15 per cent, on average, of

used the same technique as before to

CALMING POWER OF REMINISCING ABOUT HAPPY TIMES A recent article by Emma Young stress a fresh group of volunteers and

associated with increased activity in

combat acute stress at a physical level

then had them reminisce about their

prefrontal brain regions associated

is important, since there’s plenty of

own positive or neutral experiences

with emotion regulation and cognitive

research finding that people who tend

while they scanned their brains using

control – the same regions suppressed

to calm down physiologically soon

fMRI. The pair found that recollecting

by acute stress – as well as in

after stressful events are generally

good, but not neutral, memories was

corticostriatal regions associated with

healthier, both physically and

the processing of reward.

psychologically, over the long term.

“Engagement of cortical regions

There are a few caveats. This work was

previously linked to emotion regulatory

on healthy adults. People with

functions may be significant for

depression usually find it hard to recall

enhancing or sustaining pleasant

positive memories, so this technique

feelings during positive reminiscence,

may not work well for them. And it’s not

thus dampening the physiological

clear yet whether any technique that

stress response,” the researchers

makes you feel positive emotions would

concluded.

be effective or if there’s something

If you are feeling stressed or anxious please contact a member of the welfare team on wellbeing@longroad.ac.uk and someone will call you.

special about reminiscing.

The idea that thinking about positive past events, including achievements or

But this is at least a simple method,

successes, can help to improve

and one that in theory many people

ongoing mood and resilience to stress

could try.

is certainly not new. But showing that simply recalling happy memories can

"The best things about Long Road were the approachability of the teachers, and the academic and extra-curricular provisions.

STUART KEPPIE Long Road Alumnus, 2012 BSc Biological Science, University of East Anglia DPhil Interdisciplinary Bioscience PhD, University of Oxford During my time at Long Road (2010– 2012) I studied Biology, Physics, Mathematics and Computing.

work and advice on my personal statement helped me get to where I am today. I loved the atmosphere,

I thoroughly enjoyed my time and got a lot out of the experience. I found a particular affinity for Biology stimulated by the course content and the

The feedback on my course work and advice on my personal statement helped me get to where I am today."

provisions. The feedback on my course

enthusiastic teaching, which inspired me to continue onto a BSc in Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia. I am now studying for a PhD at the University of Oxford in Interdisciplinary Bioscience,

opportunities and mix of people at Long Road. Going to the gym, studying with friends in the LRC and getting involved with extra-curricular clubs sparked passions and good habits to which I now credit my success. I was given a strong academic foundation for university, and was motivated by those around me to become stronger and be better."

researching osteoarthritis.

Do you know an ex-Long Road The best things about Long Road were the approachability of the teachers, and the academic and extra-curricular

student? They can join our Alumni Community, simply visit: https://networks.futurefirst.org.uk/sig nup/longroad

PET EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK Working from home with our fluffy friends

Not everyone is feeling down in the

Toby is pictured here working as

dumps about being on lockdown. Our

Personal Trainer and assisting his

fluffy friends are loving the fact that

human in a home workout. Although he

we're working from home -and thy're

is a very active cat, you can see that

doing a great job of cheering us up

what Toby does best is offer moral

too!

support from the sidelines! Fun fact, he

PET EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK

Is your pet assisting you while you work at home?

Whether they're helping you

is called Toby as he has extra toes on

revise, or lazing on your laptop, we want to know!

Email your pet photos along with a short description including

To keep everyone smiling we will be

each paw!

their name and age to

afutter@longroad.ac.uk.

sharing a Pet Employee of the Week every Friday on our Instagram page

A big thank you to Sports Manager

@lr6fc. Make sure you follow us to see

Matt for introducing us to Toby, we can

the weekly winner and runners up!

see he's working hard with you!

We will be posting our winning Pet Employee of the Week every Friday on our Instagram account

@lr6fc Meet this weeks Pet Employee of the Week, Toby...

QUARAN-TEA Spill the tea Write us an article on

SPILLING THE TEA ON THE BEST WAYS TO GET THROUGH LOCKDOWN Lockdown life can be pretty boring.

Thursday to make your contribution!

what you've been doing during lockdown!

It can be about any topic, as long or short as you like and include

Of course, you've got your online classes to keep you busy - which we're

We'll be asking for recommendations

sure you're totally sticking to your

on things such as....

timetable and asking for extra work,

Books

right?

Films TV Shows

photos - whatever you've been up to we want to hear from you!

Head to our Instagram page every

But when you're not busy studying,

Music

being stuck in the house all day can be

Recipes

pretty dull.

Games

Email

afutter@longroad.ac.uk to see your work here in the Quaran-tea!

To try and keep us all entertained, and

Want more? Write us an article on what

stop us from going to stir crazy, we're

you've been doing during lockdown,

asking YOU for your recommendations

share the short story you've been

on different activities to keep us all

working on or give us a preview of your

enterainted whiole we're in lockdown.

poetry! Whatever you've been up to, email

afutter@longroad.ac.uk to see

your story here in the Quaran-tea!

QUARAN-TEA SPILLING THE TEA ON THE BEST WAYS TO GET THROUGH LOCKDOWN This week we've been asking you for Book

Spill the tea Write us an article on

recommendations. So sit down with a cup of tea

what you've been doing

and cosy up with a good book.

during lockdown!

A big thank you to everyone on Instagram who

It can be about any

got involved!

topic, as long or short as you like and include

Book Recommendations: 'The Red Queen' - Philipa Gregory 'The Fire Maker' - Peter May 'Wuthering Heights' - Emily Bronte 'Memoirs of a Geisha' - Arthur Golden 'High Society' - Ben Elton 'Me Before You' - JoJo Moyes 'The Bletchley Girls' - Tessa Dunlop 'The Librarian of Auschwitz' - Antonio Iturbe Wolf Hall trilogy - Hilary Mantell 'Catcher In The Rye' - JD Salinger The Hunger Games - Suzanna Collins 'Of Mice and Men' - John Steinbeck

'A Secret History' - Donna Tartt 'Gone' - Michael Grant Harry Potter - JK Rolwing

photos - whatever you've been up to we want to hear from you!

'Riders' - Jilly Cooper 'Love, Simon' - Becky Albertalli

Email

afutter@longroad.ac.uk to see your work here in the Quaran-tea!

STUDYING FROM HOME - STEPS TO SUCCESS Studying and working from home, it's pretty strange for all of us! To try and help you out we will be sharing a studying from home tip every week to help keep you on thew path to success!

Remember, if you're struggling with studying from home you can contact your teachers and Progress Coach for individual advice,

Do you have a tip for studying at home? Let us know!

Email Abby on

afutter@longroad.ac.uk to share your advice

LOCK DOWN - GLOW UP USING YOUR EXTRA TIME TO GLOW UP YOUR SKILLS Being in lockdown is giving us all lots of

April is Stress Awareness Month so

extra time during our day. But just

we're looking at the different skills and

because you're at home doesn't mean

techniques you can use to manage

you have to watch Netflix all day

your stress. For more information you

(although we know it is tempting).

can click here to visit the Stress Management Society website.

Are you learning a new skill while you're in lockdown?

Have you found a great resource?

Share it with us! Email afutter@longroad.ac.uk

#LongRoadLife

INSTA LIKES AND INSTA LOVE Spreading likes and love on social media

Make sure you follow us

As well as sending you this newsletter,

But it's not all about us, we want to

we will also be spreading the love over

know what you're getting up to! Make

@lr6fc

on our Instagram account!

sure you use our hashtag -

#LongRoadLife and tag @lr6fc in your posts

We're going to be posting different

posts and stories so that we can share

activities on our Instagram for you to

you on our Instagram feed!

and stories so we can

take part in. So take a break from

to get involved with our lockdown activities!

Use

share them on our feed!

#LongRoadLife and tag @lr6fc in your

studying and follow us on Instagram

@lr6fc to get involved. Share the Insta love with us! Use our Instagram feed and stories as a

We're all about fun and positivity - you

base for connecting with

can use the opposite page to reflect

other students and

on things you are grateful for and start

applicants.

spreading that positivity.

APRIL 2020: EDITION 3

LOCKDOWN LOWDOWN B R I N G I N G

Y O U

01223 631100

enquiries@longroad.ac.uk

www.longroad.ac.uk

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N E W S

Long Road Sixth Form College

@LR6FC

@lr6fc