So, we have finished the first five weeks of university and have had enough time to settle in and meet the people you now seem to suddenly spend all of your time with. By now, we’ve even had enough time to reminisce on old memories. Having survived the first five weeks, I have very mixed emotions as I’m sure some others do, but I am loving the university experience as a whole and I’m very grateful for where I am and what I’m doing. However, the combination of now having to deal with a long-distance relationship, missing my friends from home and my workload piling up around me is starting to stress me out a little! A long distance relationship is a lot harder than I had imagined, going from seeing one another pretty much every day to only once a fortnight is hard. It’s emotional and you come across all sorts of issues you never believed you would, but at the same time it can make you stronger as a couple just don’t forget to take time out for this too.
Keeping in touch with your friends from back home is also important, even when most of them are also off doing their own things, but these are the people you most likely spent your school and college years with and the people you have developed strong bonds with. Coursework is also, of course, a huge contributor to our stress levels; it’s all part of the experience and it’s what you’re at university to do, but as long as you can handle it calmly it will be fine.
Don’t stress! I’m sure there are many others in similar situations to me which means you need to take some ‘me time!’! Take out an evening of your week or even just a couple hours of your day; make a cup of tea or hot chocolate (or any other preferred beverage), get your favourite food, put on your favourite TV programme and just cosy up in your bed. Try to forget about the world! Put your phone on silent for a little while and have a little cry if you need to. Don’t let the outside world influence you for this little moment in time, honestly it does wonders! I also find that sitting down and writing is such a therapeutic yet calm way of letting out your feelings. Open up a blank Word document and type away to your hearts content (or get a pen to paper if you prefer). No one ever has to see what you write as it is just purely for your benefit.
Either way, the message is that throughout this crazy whirlwind that is university, don’t let things bog you down enough to forget to take time out and just relax. It’s important to make sure you get this time or else there is chance you will lose your sanity!