Looking after yourself is vital for success and resilience in accountancy exams and in your career long-term.
Wellbeing & mental health support.
If you’re struggling with your mental health during your studies or would like to improve your work/life balance, here are some useful websites for advice and support. Don’t forget to utilise your Employee Assistance Programme and/or contact your GP for specialist medical advice.
WorkLife Central.
Worklife Central delivers a carefully curated programme of online content across topics relevant for home life, work life and wellbeing. From imposter syndrome to developing sustainable financial habits, there is an array of support for both your career development and home life. There are also peer-support groups you can join - for example if you are neurodiverse, or a parent.
Sign up here for your 80% discount!
Create the free member account by registering at https://www.worklifecentral.com/account/register
Add the ‘Accountancy Hub’ subscription
ACCA Wellbeing Hub.
The ACCA Wellbeing Hub can provide you with a range of information and resources to help support your wellbeing throughout your ACCA journey.
Spa & Massage.
Treat yourself! We think you will like Spa & Massage - the perfect way to de-stress before an exam or to celebrate once you’ve completed your exam.
Get a £20 discount using our link: https://spaandmassagecouk.refr.cc/affiliate-123/u/hfgmacdonald?s=sp&t=em
Shout.
Feeling sad, worried or overwhelmed? Shout offers free and confidential support 24/7 via text. All you need to do is text the word ‘SHOUT’ to 85258.
Easy peasy!
Mind.
Mind provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
Their Infoline offers callers confidential help. Contact their InfoLine at 0300 123 3393 or Text: 86463.
Their lines are open 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays).
© Mind. This information is published in full at mind.org.uk
caba.
Caba work with members of the ICAEW community to ensure they have the right level of support or advice so that they can manage whatever’s in front of them and can thrive.
Caba support you if you are an ACA student, an existing or former ICAEW member or a close family dependent, whether it’s the everyday or the exceptional, expected or out of the blue, they’re there. Their support is focused around five key health pillars – mental health, physical health, financial health, legal support and career development. Check them out!
Samaritans.
You do not need to be suicidal to contact Samaritans. Samaritans are there – day or night, 365 days a year.
They offer a confidential listening service to anyone. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.
Ways to stay active.
Here are some easy ways to keep active during long periods of desk-time. We all know exercise is great for mental health and calming those exam nerves. If you have a long-term chronic health condition, check out Actively Autoimmune!
The Glow Space.
The Glow Spaceis a digital platform for yoga, meditation, quick and nourishing recipes, and weekly meal prep menus from Madeleine Shaw. Enjoy easy-to-follow Yoga & Pilates classes, mindful Meditations for busy minds and nutritionist-created Recipes with Balanced Meal plans to help you get organised and ready to Glow.
The Body Coach.
If you haven’t heard of The Body Coach, where have you been?
Joe Wicks’ Youtube channel offers lots of free HIIT workouts for durations as short as 5 minutes. His blog is also great for nutrition advice and wellbeing tips!
Perfect for study breaks, and you can do the workouts in your own lounge or bedroom!
FollowTheLitaTV.
Lita offers a range of HIIT training and full-body workouts via her YouTube channel, and no equipment is required for many of them. Her videos are great for building muscle, toning and working off that exam anxiety!
She also creates meditation videos and other lifestyle/wellbeing content. We love it!
You can try her paid app here.
Actively Autoimmune.
Zoe has multiple chronic illnesses and she’s created a platform which offers workouts, yoga and pilates classes for anyone with invisible illnesses.
Actively Studio is an accessible online Pilates studio designed for those living with chronic health conditions. Each class is led by a physiotherapist, with two levels of classes, Bed Pilates and Chronic Pilates, as well as a growing collection of Pilates minis, to help you find a level of movement that works with your body.
Yoga with Adriene.
Here at Accountancy Hub we’ve been a fan of Yoga with Adriene for a long time. Adriene has lots of yoga videos on Youtube; whether you want a high-intensity yoga session, a calming session before bed or specific yoga for back pain or stress, she has it all!
There is nothing quite like a bit of synchronised moving and breathing to calm the nervous system.
Couch to 5k.
This is a running app for complete beginners, and it’s completely free as it’s funded by the BBC.
In 9 weeks, it will take you from the couch to running a 5k and you can choose a celebrity narrator such as comedian Sarah Millican, Radio DJ Jo Wiley and more.
3 runs a week and you’ll be a runner in no time at all!
Apps to help you sleep better and de-stress.
Sleep is so important for consolidating knowledge and ensuring that you are fresh during the day for learning.
Insight Timer.
This app is completely free! Insight Timer is the app you need to build healthy habits and create a wellbeing routine that works for you.
It has the world's largest library of free guided meditations with 150,000 tracks from psychologists, spiritual leaders and mindfulness teachers.
There are thousands of free meditations, nature sounds, ambient music and bedtime tales to help you get a better night's sleep.
AND there are yoga and breathwork classes, as well as spaces and places to reflect, journal and track your feelings and thoughts.
Download the app here.
bettersleep.
The bettersleep app helps you fall asleep faster by drowning out distractions and understanding your sleep. Improve your bedtime routine and have a restful night’s sleep!
Use our link to get 20% off the bettersleep app.
Pzizz.
An app for napping! Pzizz helps you to quickly quieten your mind, fall asleep fast, stay asleep, and wake up refreshed.
It uses beautiful “dreamscapes” — a mix of music, voiceovers and sound effects designed using the latest clinical research — to help you sleep better at night or take power naps during the day.
Apps for women.
Tracking your periods, PMS symptoms and emotions can help you to understand your body more, which in turn can benefit your mental health.
Clue.
Clue is a period tracking app, a trusted menstrual health resource, and a thought leader in femtech.
You can use the app to track periods, ovulation & PMS. Discover patterns in your cycle that affect things like mood, skin, energy levels and much more.
The content is science-based and written by reproductive healthcare clinicians and science writers to provide people with essential, evidence-based education about health, periods, and sex via helloclue.com.
Give the app a go, we love it! Besides, 10m active monthly users can’t be wrong, right?
Natural Cycles.
Frustrated with the side effects that come with classic hormonal contraception? Natural cycles is a form of temperature-based contraception that's free from hormones and side effects. It’s just as effective as the contraceptive pill if used correctly.
Along with the app, you are given a thermometer which you use to take your temperature in the morning via your mouth. The app can also help you to plan pregnancy if you’d like.
Try their quiz to get started!
myPill.
This app makes sure you'll never miss a pill ever again! The app knows when to remind you to take your pill and you can snooze it, but it will keep reminding you. It will also let you know how protected you are, according to your pill taking history.
It will also predict your next period which is very useful! Even better though, the app reminds you when you need to call the doctor to get a new prescription or schedule a checkup.
Download the app here.