The side of Uni no one talks about
- Unscripted
- Nov 14, 2022
- 3 min read
University is 9 times out of 10 a great experience for many of us, it has the perks of independence, having fun with friends and making lifelong memories, however along with all of this it does have its downfalls. Mental health plays a massive part in life, whether it's in a positive or negative way and when moving to Uni it can impact you even further.
Many people struggle with their mental health when they go to Uni, the newness of it all can be overwhelming. From being in a new environment to not having friends and family surrounding you it is a huge change for a lot of us and this can take its toll. Some people may suffer with it in the first few weeks of Uni whilst it might hit others later down the line but for the majority of us we will be impacted by our mental health. A sense of loneliness is one of the major feelings that can flood our brains with negative thoughts; as humans we were built to be surrounded by people and to interact with them, and when we do move to Uni we can be all alone.
In my experience I suffered a lot with being on my own and not being able to talk to people in person. My flatmates didn’t leave their rooms and even going down to the common areas of my accommodation didn’t help in the search to find people to talk to and build a connection with. There were people I spoke to on the first night I was there but it was hard for me to make conversation when my mental health was weighing down on me. The impact it had on me was scary, I didn’t eat for three days and was constantly upset; it was a strange feeling for me because I have never really struggled with my mental health before arriving at Uni. This abnormal feeling was something that I had never experienced, and it not only worried me but those back home as well. Luckily for me I had family members not too far away who I was able to go and talk to about my feelings and what was going on with me. This helped tremendously and together we decided it would be better for my mental health if I was to temporarily move in with them; so far it has worked a treat and I’m feeling a lot happier and mentally I feel brilliant, it has even got to the point where I am planning on moving back into my accommodation. Without the help of those around me I wouldn’t have been able to get to where I am now.
I am glad I sought out those who cared about me to get the help I needed and I truly advise anyone who feels the way I did to do the same. If there is one thing you take away from all of this let it be that if you are ever struggling with your mental health talk to someone, anyone; whether it be a friend or a family member, a teacher or a professional, please speak to them because being able to talk about what’s on your mind and what’s happening with you, will help. Take it from someone who went through it, don’t keep it to yourself, talk about it.
If you don’t know who to speak to here are a few links to online companies that have people who are there to listen:
©Lucy Roberts 2022
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