Welcome to The Lifestyle Lowdown, where our brilliant team of editors drop our weekly recommendations for how to spend your time and money in Oxford. 

Everyone finds their own way to create some kind of work-life balance, but we can all fall into the same comfortable, yet monotonous routines. That’s why we’re here to point you in new directions and share those things that can make your week a bit more of a treat.

This week, we’re focusing on relationships.

Long-distance Lunches

For all you warriors in a long-distance relationship at university: I know that evening debriefs are a classic part of the routine, but why not mix things up? Lately, when I take a lunch break from work, I grab a meal deal and run home so my girlfriend and I can indulge in a twenty-minute episode of trashy reality TV and eat on the phone. Some would call this co-dependent behaviour, but I wear that crown proudly. Our current obsession is Say Yes to the Dress.

Izzy (she/her), Senior Editor for Lifestyle and a Classics and French student at Somerville. I’m most often spotted running somewhere late carrying a bubble tea, or curled up sheltering from the Hilary term cold and darkness with the Animal Crossing soundtrack.

Wednesday Night Fever

If you’ve been looking for that niche way to avoid your Wednesday-night blues, bachata is the ultimate solution. For those of you uncultured in the Latin dancing styles, bachata (to me) is like an easier version of salsa, requiring significantly less hip movement and coordination. Ideal for a group of highly uncoordinated friends with two left feet. I took my group of friends this week to a free bachata taster at St Aldate’s and we have never felt the release of so many endorphins. Within 15 minutes, we were perpetually smiling, mildly sweaty, and strangely euphoric. Now we’ve decided to make it our weekly activity — Wednesday night is sorted.

Sophia (she/her), Junior Editor for Lifestyle and a Biochemistry student at Corpus. You can find me in the queue to buy cheese from the Covered Market for our Cheese Soc (6pm Saturday at Corpus, be there or be square xx) or in an unflattering lab coat with goggles. 

The Art of Communication

Relationships are hard. From the two long term ones I’ve had, I’ve learnt that, shockingly, honesty is the best policy when it comes to maintaining healthy connections between everyone involved. That isn’t surprising, I’m sure, but some of the biggest communication tips I’ve learnt over two and a half years with my current boyfriend are as follows. Airing out minor grievances will never end badly. Even if it’s hard in the moment, you won’t regret it later. It’s also important to look at any situation from all sides and make sure you understand where everyone is coming from, not just you. ‘Winning an argument’ means nothing for a relationship’s health.

Finally, always remember: if the parties in the relationship love each other and care about its health, there is always a way to make it work.

Lex (she/her). Avid philosopher and begrudging psychologist at St. Hilda’s. I’m primarily on the social media team at the Blue, but I could never abandon my beloved Lifestyle section either. You may find me wandering aimlessly around the city with takoyaki from Gloucester Green or working at my college bar. Or, more likely, I’m crashing out over my degree in my room. 

Degree introspection

The relationship between degree and student: mysterious and conflicting. After a year, most people seem to have taken one of two different stances: “I hate my degree and hate doing it” or “I love my degree, it is the most fascinating thing”. It is beneficial to ponder on which end you find yourself, especially if you’re closer to hatred. Oxford is not an easy experience, and sometimes you find you have lost your connection to your subject on the way to graduation. So, ask yourself: what brings you the most fulfilment while in this? What do you wish you could tell other people about your degree because you just find it so fascinating? I hope questions like these can remind you why you picked this degree and help you find your way back if you are feeling lost. 

David (he/they), Junior Editor for Lifestyles and Chemist at LMH. Likely eating a Korean corndog while avoiding going back to the library. Huge enjoyer of just seeing where the day takes me.