Mind your mind: Finding comfort in change with Liminal Wellbeing

Research in neuroscience and psychology shows that learning is profoundly affected by wellbeing and that wellbeing is positively impacted through learning. Our students at Learning in Residence (LiR) have been using the Liminal Wellbeing App to track their physical, emotional and social wellbeing whilst living away from home. Following an immensely successful trial in 2021 and incredible feedback from the students and staff at LiR, Liminal's wellbeing offerings are now being extended from the Liminal App and Management Platform to face-to-face workshops at LiR.

Developing positive relationships with students is at the forefront of LiR’s contemporary approach to boarding. This enables our students to feel valued, cared for, and listened to, cultivating a sense of belonging and connectedness within the community. It is these personal connections that allow meaningful conversations to occur, enabling staff to provide the highest quality care and support for our students.

Liminal Wellbeing supports students to reflect on and understand their own wellbeing journeys. The app acts as an additional support tool that empowers students with wellbeing strategies and offers a pathway for students to seek personal support from staff when life feels unstable.

Tyler Gavralas, Senior Residential Mentor (programs), spoke about how Liminal can benefit students in LiR.

How do we change the way we view wellbeing through informed insights?

Liminal acts as a gateway for students to pick and choose from a range of wellbeing strategies and see what works best for them. After a successful trial in 2021, Liminal has been included in our Residential Curriculum for 2022. Through the unusual times last year, remote learning and being away from family, students were able to tap into these insights on Liminal to articulate and improve their wellbeing.

In 2021, students completed a brief ten second ‘check-in’ survey every day. If students submitted low scores for their physical, social or emotional wellbeing, this would trigger a response from a senior staff member, who would check-in with that student and have a supportive conversation prior to school. Students now complete their check-ins once a week on a Wednesday, thus providing senior staff with informed insights about the cohort, allowing them to provide additional support where needed.

Other initiatives that we implemented throughout COVID were yoga sessions, HIIT sessions, cardio boxing sessions and gratitude boxes. At Learning in Residence, we want to provide students with the best opportunities and learning experiences possible. Although COVID prevented us from doing our usual activities in 2021, we found new ways to provide wellbeing support for students, for example, we arranged guest speakers who educated students on educational neuroscience, study skills and the importance of food and good nutrition.

‘In 2022, we are running community service programs, learn to drive programs, financial literacy programs, micro-credential courses and presentations by elite sport dieticians and sleep physicians’, says Tyler Gavralas. We’re looking forward to seeing what more Liminal Wellbeing can offer to our community in 2022 and beyond.

Here's what our students said about one of the Hurt Locker HIIT challenges they completed through Liminal:

Roman Smith: ‘I think the session improved my overall mood and it was satisfying to finish something challenging’.

Coby Burgiel: ‘I absolutely loved it. It’s a great way for me to stay fit and I felt so good once I completed the session’.