MY FIRST WEEKS OF UNIVERSITY | NOVEMBER 2018
You might think that I'm doing the whole University thing in quite a dysfunctional way; living at home and travelling EVERY day to University. I don't really drink, and have crippling anxiety some days, that I talk myself out of doing things. It's just the way my head works. But starting University I thought I would ease in to it, and slowly become more confident with it. I have, in a way. But I've struggled more than I had anticipated. Before starting University I used to watch vlogs on peoples days at Uni and dream of that being me, it gave me a romanticisation of University. It definitely isn't for everyone and I completely understand how people struggle settling in, and I'm living at home. I can't imagine being away from home at a University, I simply just don't have the confidence, which hopefully I would gain and will gain over the year.
I don't think I had anticipated how hard it would be. Usually, if you're one of those people that just gets on with things, and doesn't try to linger on how hard it can be, then I don't think you could imagine how hard it would be. Sometimes I am like that, I think the process of going to work and just getting on with things, to get things done etc, is how my mindset has being conditioned in to over the past year. But being a student can be overwhelming, and over the first two to three weeks I was coming home feeling so ill, with headaches and sickness because of anxiety and overwhelming environment it is.
I was also very nervous about not being able to meet any friends. I don't really drink, and I don't really go out simply because I don't enjoy it. It's not for me, and for some people that's hard to understand. But, anyway I didn't go out on Freshers. There's so much expectation over Freshers Week, and it being the best week and you're going to meet so many people. But as someone that gets very anxious in those settings, especially when you don't entirely trust or am comfortable with people you're with, it's very hard for me to do it.
A lot of people don't anticipate how hard it would be to go to University, and even moving there would be so much harder because you're away from everything and everyone you know and you're expected to just put yourself out there, besides how weird it is to do that.
My advice (even if it may not be that helpful) is to just go with the flow of it all. You don't have to be enjoying it all the time. You don't have to enjoy it at all. It's fine to not enjoy it, and it's fine to make the right decision for you. We are in a society that tells us what's the most preferable way to go in terms of the next step of your life, and it's not for everyone. Some people don't understand that everyone has their own visions of their lives, and everyone has their own problems that's deep inside of them and isn't easy to present outside of the body. That analogy is referring to mental illness. Since starting University, the matter of mental health in students is overwhelmingly large. I don't even go to that large of a University and mental health problems are a massive cause of dropouts, and I think it is down to obviously being away from home, the pressure of feeling like you should be enjoying yourself all the time, and the pressure from deadlines etc. I think that is part of the reason why I chose to stay at home, because if I was away from home, then I think I would probably struggle
Thankfully, my University has a specialist 'hub' and help for students with mental health issues. If you're one of those students that feels like they can't speak to someone, please reach out to one of the mental health charities that are available online. They can help you. Or reach out to someone around you, it may be very much the case that someone around you could be feeling the same way. Some of the people you meet that are living with you or are on your course can be some of the kindest people, and that may be something you've never really experienced because the friends from home don't exactly empathise etc, please reach out to someone, you never know how they can help you.
Well, it's safe to say the transition in to University can be hard. But I think it's helpful to think that you need to reach out to someone, otherwise how do you think they'll know what you're feeling.
On the other hand, it can be one of the most life-changing experiences.
Have a nice day!
Rose x
I don't think I had anticipated how hard it would be. Usually, if you're one of those people that just gets on with things, and doesn't try to linger on how hard it can be, then I don't think you could imagine how hard it would be. Sometimes I am like that, I think the process of going to work and just getting on with things, to get things done etc, is how my mindset has being conditioned in to over the past year. But being a student can be overwhelming, and over the first two to three weeks I was coming home feeling so ill, with headaches and sickness because of anxiety and overwhelming environment it is.
I was also very nervous about not being able to meet any friends. I don't really drink, and I don't really go out simply because I don't enjoy it. It's not for me, and for some people that's hard to understand. But, anyway I didn't go out on Freshers. There's so much expectation over Freshers Week, and it being the best week and you're going to meet so many people. But as someone that gets very anxious in those settings, especially when you don't entirely trust or am comfortable with people you're with, it's very hard for me to do it.
A lot of people don't anticipate how hard it would be to go to University, and even moving there would be so much harder because you're away from everything and everyone you know and you're expected to just put yourself out there, besides how weird it is to do that.
My advice (even if it may not be that helpful) is to just go with the flow of it all. You don't have to be enjoying it all the time. You don't have to enjoy it at all. It's fine to not enjoy it, and it's fine to make the right decision for you. We are in a society that tells us what's the most preferable way to go in terms of the next step of your life, and it's not for everyone. Some people don't understand that everyone has their own visions of their lives, and everyone has their own problems that's deep inside of them and isn't easy to present outside of the body. That analogy is referring to mental illness. Since starting University, the matter of mental health in students is overwhelmingly large. I don't even go to that large of a University and mental health problems are a massive cause of dropouts, and I think it is down to obviously being away from home, the pressure of feeling like you should be enjoying yourself all the time, and the pressure from deadlines etc. I think that is part of the reason why I chose to stay at home, because if I was away from home, then I think I would probably struggle
Thankfully, my University has a specialist 'hub' and help for students with mental health issues. If you're one of those students that feels like they can't speak to someone, please reach out to one of the mental health charities that are available online. They can help you. Or reach out to someone around you, it may be very much the case that someone around you could be feeling the same way. Some of the people you meet that are living with you or are on your course can be some of the kindest people, and that may be something you've never really experienced because the friends from home don't exactly empathise etc, please reach out to someone, you never know how they can help you.
Well, it's safe to say the transition in to University can be hard. But I think it's helpful to think that you need to reach out to someone, otherwise how do you think they'll know what you're feeling.
On the other hand, it can be one of the most life-changing experiences.
Have a nice day!
Rose x
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