Starting your studies at university is probably the biggest lifestyle change you will have experienced in your life so far. You move away from home, leave behind all your friends and family, and pretty much start your life again from scratch in an unfamiliar city. In addition to this, the style of teaching at university is so different to what you will have experienced in your academic life previously, so it is not a surprise that many students feel a bit (a lot) lost when they begin their journey at university.
Unfortunately, as you become a more experienced student, there is plenty more to worry about. These worries come in the form of stress about money (whether this be how you can afford to eat in the week before your next loan installment comes in, or just thinking about the mountain of debt your degree is racking up); balancing your time between study, placements, extra-curricular activities, part-time work; or fears about the mysterious unknown void that is our post-uni future. Essentially, yes university is an incredibly enriching life experience that I wouldn’t change, but it can undeniably be extremely stressful and anxiety-inducing at the same time.
The combination of studying at the most advanced stage of your academic life so far, whilst living independently, and trying to ensure that you are as employable as possible after you graduate can be extremely debilitating on your mental health and well-being, reflected in the statistic that more than one in four students have a mental health problem. I am a third-year student, and I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression at the start of my second year. I still struggle at times with the various stresses of uni life, but I have found lots of ways to help combat this. I will share my tips here for anyone who may need it, whether this be for someone with a diagnosed anxiety disorder, or someone struggling with student life more generally.
Find a safe/ happy space – When it comes to being anxious, location is so important. The mind links mood with location, so for example, if you spend lots of time in your bedroom feeling anxious, quite quickly this will not be a pleasant place for you to be. Find somewhere in your new city to go that calms you down if you feel overwhelmed – it could be a particularly scenic spot in a park, a favourite bookshop, or even a bar. Use this space to give your mind the change of scenery that it needs and take some time out from your worries. If you’re a fresher, and therefore new to your university city, finding your happy space is a great way to explore the city and start to familiarise yourself with your new surroundings!
Set achievable daily goals – Often the reason student life can be so stressful is because there is so much to think about and manage at once. A way to try and stop this from being entirely overwhelming, and causing a public meltdown (take it from someone who has cried in the library more times than I want to think about), is to break up everything you need to do into manageable chunks. Get into the habit of writing to-do lists for your day to days tasks – whether that be finishing your essay, or just simply to make sure you do your washing that has been piling up for weeks. Through writing things down you can check back and remind yourself that you know what you have to do, and are on-top of things, even if it doesn’t feel like it.
Use the university services available – It may seem daunting at first, but contacting your uni if you are struggling can be so helpful. There are many services in place set up purely to help with these kinds of issues, such as academic/disability support if you have a diagnosed mental illness, or counselling, where you can confidentially talk about anything from exam stress to personal life problems. Your particular school can be informed of any issues you have so the staff that teach you are aware and can treat you conscientiously.
Stay true to yourself – There is this idea that at University it is necessary to be social all of the time and go out constantly, and I think sometimes people feel pressured to do so. I think it is important to be true to yourself and how you’re feeling sometimes, and turn down an invitation to a night out when you have already been out for the last three nights in a row, haven’t slept properly in a week, and feel sick at the thought of having to drink any more vodka. I think this mainly applies in first year, but even then, after freshers is over the pressure to go out drops considerably, and you will find plenty friends that are up for a chilled night in watching Bake Off. Go out when you want to, and have a night in where you get a good night’s sleep when you want to – the important thing is you are doing what you want, not what you feel obliged to do. Pushing yourself too much can be really damaging for your mindset and your studies, balance is so important in uni life for your health and wellbeing.
Sources
https://yougov.co.uk/news/2016/08/09/quarter-britains-students-are-affli…
Edited by Niamh Perry