How to look after your wellbeing at university: A student’s guide
Discover student Matthew's advice for learning to look after your wellbeing at university.
Going to university is challenging in many ways. For many people such as myself, it is the first time I have lived away from my family and been completely responsible for my time. Balancing my course and other activities can take its toll mentally and physically, and I have learnt a lot about how to look after myself. This allows me to have the most rewarding time at university.
Balancing many different activities
The most challenging thing about university for me is the number of different things going on at the same time. In any given week, you could be attending lectures, completing assignments, attending society activities, working a part time job and more.
I find it always helps to write things down on a notepad. This could be a structured to-do list or just writing down your thoughts and concerns as they come to your head. Putting things on paper helps give me clarity about whatever is going on. Talking to friends and family can be very helpful too. They can offer a different perspective which stops you from overthinking.
Support services offered at Birmingham
You can speak to your personal tutor about any academic or other concerns you have. Even if they cannot directly help you, they can signpost where the support is.
One of the ways to access support is through the School of Mathematics wellbeing team. You can contact them by email and book appointments with them. Since they are specialised to working with maths students, they understand the challenges faced through the course specifically. They can help you with short and long term difficulties – it doesn’t hurt to reach out to them if you aren’t sure whether to or not. The support they provide is not accessed by academic staff other than what is necessary for adjustments to assessments.
Additionally, there is a 24/7 confidential service called UBHeard: you can use this to speak to mental health professionals through phone or text at any time. This is very useful if you need some on the spot support.
I would also like to highlight the support offered by Careers Network, who have helped me massively with the challenges faced when applying for jobs.
Getting through busy periods
The periods of time I have found the most challenging are times with a lot of assignments due, and the exam periods. When there are a lot of upcoming deadlines, I have sometimes overworked, and become tired and frustrated. I will share two main pieces of advice I have benefited from which help me get through busy periods.
The first is to take a break and completely switch off from coursework/revision. It can feel counterintuitive to do this - I find it harder to make decisions about when I need to take breaks when I am tired or overwhelmed. However, when I have found the best balance, I have felt more energised to complete tasks. As a result, I tend to complete them more quickly and to a higher standard.
The second is to spend time with other people. This could be in person, or just a phone call, but I find it always helps. Don’t feel you have to organise an activity, some of my favourite activities during busy times have just been going to see my friends and having a chat. If nobody you know is available, maybe consider getting involved in a society activity or a social sports session run by University of Birmingham Sports and Fitness. This is trickier during the exam period where societies tend to have less going on, but during term time I find that being part of societies helps build up a routine for me.
University is always a learning curve, and nobody ever has everything completely figured out. Make sure to use the available support if you need it.