Attending university can become highly overwhelming for many students, for multiple reasons. The excitement of meeting new people, exploring and living in new places and the given workload may seem like too much to handle all at once.
Within my own experience, this was definitely the case. This lead to me often feeling lost and confused, adjusting to my new life away from home. One thing that helped me find my way at university in the first few months was me taking time to look after my own wellbeing. This can easily be forgotten about in the excitement of uni!
In this blog, I will talk about some of the things I did in my own experience to protect my wellbeing, helping to keep me balanced, in a hope someone may find it as helpful as I did.
1. Activities with friends once a week
Throughout the year, I made sure to see my friends for a fun activity at least once a week. We’d go shopping in the town centre, host movie nights, or simply have a picnic near our accommodation. Just to take time away from any academic stress for a few hours.
I also loved making friends through society events during the week. Every week I could see people who I shared common interests with, giving me a fun time each week to socialise outside of academic hours! These days slowly become my favourite times of the week. I knew I always had something to look forward to within the week. This meant my motivation was higher and my mood was overall better.
By creating this time to see friends weekly, not only did I manage to add fun into my week but also it created a space of comfort and support. This helped me hugely in my first year!
2. Revisiting hobbies
Another thing I often did to protect to my wellbeing whilst at uni, was the revisiting of my old hobbies. Whilst completing A-Levels, the amount of spare time you have is extremely limited, with many hobbies often being pushed to the side.
However, at university, there is much more free time available, so why not dive back into your old interests? For me, I was able to discover my love of reading. I felt so much joy to rediscover one of my favourite things to do, and actually having time to pursue it.
Hobbies can range from all sorts of things, like playing your favourite sport again or gaining back a creative spark that you lost. This allows you to, again, take time away from academics and also the social life of university. You can truly take time for yourself to do something you really enjoy. You might even find out something new about yourself!
3. Calling home
Whilst this one may seem obvious, a call from home is something that can be extremely beneficial in the protection of wellbeing. Whilst it may be easy to get tied up with life at York, a friendly face or familiar voice can be extremely comforting. For me, calling my mum and sister often was a huge part of looking after my wellbeing. Connecting yourself with home can be a great way to ground yourself and also get caught up with what is going on at home. Even a ten-minute phone call can not only be beneficial to you, but it will also put a smile on the face of the person on the other end.
Overall, taking time for simple wellbeing habits helps you build a more balanced university experience. University is an amazing place to discover more about yourself and discover who you are as a person. It becomes all the more possible through a work-life balance.
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