Take a breather

A sensory space is a place to relax, unwind, revitalise yourself and have some relief from sensory overload.

They provide sensory-based experiences to both stimulate and calm your senses with lighting, music, colours, aromas, tactile materials or interactive objects.

We have a sensory space on campus available to students and staff:

  • 4 First Walk

Our sensory space

As a student, you can experience added pressures and stress, especially during exam time or when completing assessments. You may feel overwhelmed or anxious and need a place to relax and decompress.

Our sensory space provides a safe and inclusive environment where you can unwind with the following activities and items:

White noise machine: Relax to the steady hum of the white noise machine.

Slime: Release the tension by playing with slime.

Kinetic sand: Feel the satisfying texture of kinetic sand.

Ear plugs: Take a moment to tune out with our noise-cancelling earplugs.

Aromatherapy: Decompress with the calming scents of aromatherapy.

Tea and coffee: Help yourself to a free cup of tea or coffee.

Music: Settle into the soothing sounds of ambient music.

Colouring Books: Calm your mind with artistic expression.

Weighted blankets: Relax under the comforting weight and cozy texture.

Fidget spinners: Free yourself from anxiety and restlessness with a fidget spinner.

Depending on your personal needs, we offer an activity to soothe every sense.

Sensory overload

Sensory overload is when your five senses are overly stimulated and taking in more information than your brain can cope with. Sensory overload may leave you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, irritable, stressed, fearful or panicked or may trigger symptoms such as restlessness, physical discomfort or an urge to cover your ears or shield your eyes.

Any person can experience sensory overload to varying degrees and every person’s triggers are different. However sensory overload is more common with neurodiverse people and people who experience other health and mental health conditions.

Recommendations

We'd love your feedback on how we can improve the experience. If you have ideas, please share these with us by filling out this short survey.