10 September 2024
Looking After Your Mental Health At University
My name is Freya, a Marketing Campaign Assistant at RateMyPlacement.
For many, university can be an exciting but daunting chapter of life. Thinking about all the opportunities and experiences you’ll have is going to be a huge plus, but this can become slightly overshadowed by anxiety.
Here are some ways you can help manage these fears to allow yourself to have the best time at uni.
- Missing friends and family
- Making new friends and keeping up With old ones
- Breaking bad habits
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Missing friends and family
Almost everyone I spoke to at university in my first year shared the common fear of really missing friends and family and worrying about the amount of time away from them. Especially if they’re living away from home for the first time.
I thought a lot about how I would be able to make friends and change my habits of seeing family every day, as I had previously lived at home.
The best advice for this is:
- Try and understand that loads of people are in the same boat. You’ll most likely not know anyone there and that’s ok because neither does anyone else!
- Consider what you can do to give yourself home comforts, even something as simple as a warm cup of tea in the evening or joining a dog walking society if you are missing pets from home.
Making new friends and keeping up with old ones
Try pushing out of your comfort zone as much as you can by going to freshers’ fairs, meeting accommodation house/flatmates, and attending societies (this in particular even if you decide not to go in the long run, you’ll meet some amazing people).
ON THAT NOTE… don’t be afraid to ask for people’s social media. Everyone will be doing the same thing. If it doesn’t even go beyond an add or a follow, that’s okay. But you don’t want to regret not being able to contact a potential new friend.
Scheduling when you’ll next talk to or meet loved ones from home is also a really good way to put your mind at ease as you know you’ll be talking to them soon and have something to look forward to if you are struggling.
You might even end up going to the same university with some of your friends from home. While it will be nice to see familiar faces, don’t let that accidentally stop you from meeting new people. Maybe set a date in a few weeks to get together and talk about all your experiences so far.
It’s finally here, move-in date secured. Heres…
Breaking Bad Habits
For many, university is the first time being independent and self-reliant, so enjoy it! Make sure to look after yourself and become your own accountability tracker.
If you find yourself getting into the habit of not going to lectures for example, I would suggest at least trying to go to the library or leaving your accommodation during the week (not just leaving to go food shopping or for a sweet treat).
I joined university slightly later than everybody else and I was afraid everyone would have already made friends without me.
Throughout your time at university, you’ll find that friendship groups and people individually are always changing and evolving. I found that simply just saying yes to every social opportunity offered to me was helpful as it pushed me out of my comfort zone and exposed me to new people and situations.
One thing I love about university is that, unlike high school, there are no “popular people” (there are literally thousands of people at uni), so you can start fresh without judgment.
Never do anything that makes you feel unsafe or pressured. If you’re able to, try and excuse yourself to leave or reach out to anybody else, university officials or safety officers for support in your situation.
More on mental health and what you can actively do to look after yourself
Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help
If you are finding you are struggling, even in the first couple of days, and don’t know who to turn to, remind yourself that there is help and support out there.
Universities will have support initiatives and professionals that will be able to help you, don’t be afraid to ask! There is nothing wrong with asking for help from a university.
You definitely won’t be the first or last person to ask for support, you are not alone. Even an email to the relevant team is a great step towards getting support.
Universities will always have services for you if you’re not doing too great and need a little help. Here are some of those:
All in all, university can be the best three years of your life. Just remember that you’ll ALWAYS have people around to support and guide you—just reach out!
