For Middlesex University product design student Andres Yousif-Romero, his first year got off to a difficult start. “Within four days, I felt like I was about to have a breakdown. I was just crying in my room,” he says. “I had been working in a security job during my gap year and someone had a heart attack and died. The whole trauma of it just came back to me.”
He saw a sign about counselling drop-in services on campus, and walked in a few days later. “I was really nervous. I asked to speak to someone and I just started crying for ages. They offered me a block of 10 sessions. I realised that the more I talked about it, the better it got.”
University of Leeds student Sofia Smith*, 20, also found starting university hard. “There’s massive pressure to immediately make friends and go out tons, but it can be a struggle. You see everyone around you having great fun with people they’ve grown close to so quickly, and it is disheartening.”
Before long, she was submitting nearly every piece of work late and struggling to stay healthy. “It’s just easier to put in a pizza and sit on the sofa when you’re done with work, as you’re pretty exhausted, mentally and physically.”
Experiences like this are not uncommon. Going to uni can sometimes feel overwhelming, and students may need support, but help is at hand. Universities are increasingly aware of the importance of student mental health, and many are investing in more staff. “Services are much better known now than in the past, thanks to the work of personal tutors and students’ unions,” says Manuel Souto-Otero, professor in social sciences at Cardiff University. “There’s less stigma.”
Many of the usual uncertainties around starting university have been exacerbated by the pandemic. If you’re feeling nervous about being away from your support network or finding new friends, Student Space offers support services and covers issues such as social anxiety, improving your sleep and managing screen time. If you need more help, you can reach out by texting “STUDENT” to 85258 to start a conversation.
On campus, most institutions have a range of help on offer, such as counselling services, wellbeing provisions, funding advisers, careers and employability teams, and disability services. “These services and staff are available to students all year round, and we offer face-to-face appointments as well as online appointments using Teams if preferred,” says Louise Gill, wellbeing adviser at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.
If you’re unsure who to turn to, students’ unions are often a good place to start, especially if they run a student advice service, as specially trained advisers can help you out and direct you to the right place.
Getting involved in an activity can also be beneficial. Connecting with people who share your experiences and being part of a community – especially through joining campaigns such as those for students of colour, LGBT+ students, disabled students, women students and trans students – can have a positive impact on mental health.
For Yousif-Romero, being part of the rugby team helped him: “They were like an extra family to me,” he says.
Gill recommends taking a holistic approach to physical, emotional and mental health from the outset. “Consider the demands of your academic studies, allowing time for exercise, social connections, hobbies and downtime, as well as self-care like sleep routine, nutrition and physical health.”
Talking to peers can also be beneficial. Although this isn’t always easy, and Smith found that a lot of the talk around mental health tended to be a bit jokey, such as laughing over having had a “breakdown over uni work again”. Serious discussions do take place, but she found these were often when people were intoxicated, as they were more likely to open up about how they’re feeling.
Michelle Lewis, head of student support at Falmouth University, thinks this is still a step in the right direction. “The most important thing is to talk about it,” she says. “Peer networks in university accommodation can provide support.”
If you have experienced mental health difficulties in the past, you may want to consider engaging with the wellbeing services early on to familiarise yourself with the support available so that you feel able to access services should there be a need later. New students are also encouraged to register with a local GP and make use of local NHS mental health provisions. “It’s important for students to remember that if they experience mental illness and are registered with a local GP, they should be able to register with their [education] institution’s disability services in order to access tailored support with study,” says Sara Khan, NUS vice-president for liberation and equality.
For Yousif-Romero, talking has made a huge difference, and he’s looking forward to the future. “I’d like to say I’m fine now. Just because you’re having a bad day or week, it’s not the end of the world, and it can get better,” he says. “I can’t wait for next year, it’s going to be a good one. I want to be a student forever.”
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