Wellbeing

Hobby books

We have a selection of hobby/crafting books ranging from painting techniques, cycling lost lanes in the West Country, fixing just about anything, sustainable living, brewing beer and wine tasting, to making jam and designing that dress, and everything else in between.

See the full list.

Fiction books

Need a pick-me-up book? Don’t worry, we have you covered. Voted by readers as books that helped improve their mood, there will be something for everyone. Our personal favourites…

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman

The keeper of lost things by Ruth Hogan

A tale of the time being by Ruth Ozeki

Three things about Elsie by Joanna Cannon

See the full list.

Non-fiction

Are you struggling with stress or anxiety, or just feeling that life/work is too much for you to handle at the moment? Our Books on Prescription is a selection of self-help books to help you cope.

See the full list.

Fiction not your thing? Our non-fiction books cover topics such as the island we live on, inspirational stories of people finding themselves, poetry, history, or learn more about people living with Alzheimer’s or autism.

See the full list.

For those of you who still retain the ability to play old-style DVDs, we have a substantial collections of DVDs you can borrow. Most of these DVDs have a (sometimes tenuous) link to health themes, but we can guarantee they will make you think, re-evaluate what you thought you knew, or just feel better after watching them.

See the full list.

Video Games

We have a range of Play Station 4 and X-box One video games on loan from members of staff for you to borrow:

Virtual Reality (VR) headsets

We have two Quest 2 headsets available to loan and take home. They come pre-loaded with the following apps:

Wellbeing apps

Guided Tai Chi

Various Tai Chi inspired workouts in a range of outdoor locations. This app is not suitable for a seated position

Liminal

There are 4 elements to choose from: calming, energy, pain relief and awe. Once you are in one of these elements, select whichever option you want to try by selecting an option with the trigger button. We only have access to the free version, which allows us to choose up to 4 different options per week.

Tilt Brush

Create your own 3D masterpieces with this painting app.

Color Space

Similar to colouring by numbers, you select which elements are coloured in which colour. You can use standard colours, or use the advanced colour picker.

Puzzling Places

Complete these tricky 3D jigsaw puzzles – like no jigsaw puzzles you will have tried before. You can pick the size of each puzzle from 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 pieces. We recommend you start at 25 until you get your head used to it.

Games

Beat Saber

This is a really fun game that can be a surprisingly good workout if you opt for the harder levels. The aim of this game is to hit the blocks when they reach you with two different coloured lightsabres. The blue light sabre is in your right hand, the red light sabre in your left. As the blocks come at you, you need to match the block to the colour and swipe in the direction indicated by the arrow, hitting them in time with the music beat.

Superhot VR

This is a fight game where you are alone, outnumbered and outgunned. You have to take out enemy targets using guns and other weapons. Time only progresses when you move, which allows you to assess the situation in slow motion.

WARNING:  This is a physical game, make sure that you have left at least half a metre between yourself and any objects in your safety boundary to prevent injury.

Medical apps

Human Anatomy VR

This is currently only available in demo mode with access to the human skeleton. It enables users to view the labelled human skeleton in 3D and pull the skeleton apart and put it back together again. The other elements are not available. We are reviewing whether to purchase full organisational access to this app.

VRPatients

This app is currently only available in demo mode with access to three scenarios. It allows the user to provide care to a patient from paramedic assistance through to hospitalisation. We are reviewing whether to purchase full organisational access to this app.

We have several jigsaw puzzles that have kindly been donated to us.  You are welcome to borrow these and return when you have finished. These do not need to be checked out.

Tucked away in a corner of the library’s quiet space is the library’s wellbeing space. Here you will find the fiction books, hobby books, DVDs and video games. There are also colouring sheets and jigsaw puzzles.