Speaking up is the best thing you can do: Living with anxiety at uni

I wake up to my alarm at 7.30 so that I am not late for my lecture at 11.00 – this is my anxiety at university.

Feeling nervous before going to a party because I am scared people will judge me or not like me  – this is my anxiety at university.

My head swimming with all the things I have to do today: I must do 10 hours of studying today or else I am a failure – this is my anxiety at university.

Mental health experiences vary from person to person, but this is a snapshot of mine.

I didn’t recognise I had anxiety for a large part of my time at university, I just thought everyone felt like that but they were better at dealing with it. I had ultimately believed what society has been pushing down our throats in the media for years – I was just being dramatic.

I used to study for 8+ hours a day, even in first year

Before I was diagnosed, having anxiety at university really sucked. It meant a racing heart when I was faced with answering a question in a seminar in front of people I didn’t know. It meant crying in the library over essays because I had convinced myself I was going to fail, despite writing said essay weeks before the deadline. It meant my father having to pick me up and take me home for the weekend because I felt unable to look after myself. I was unhappy, stressed out and I didn’t understand how to cope with it.

After finally being convinced by my dad to go to the doctors they confirmed what I had started to expect. I have Generalised Anxiety Disorder which means I basically get freaked out by a number of different things, not just one specific thing like social activities or travelling. I am currently on medication to help with the battle I am continuing to fight. I am making progress and I have the University of Leicester to thank for playing a large part in that.

Talking about my anxiety is liberating! Mental health shouldn’t be a secret.

The uni has made huge improvements to its approach to mental health in the time I have been a student. The Student Wellbeing Services offer six free counselling sessions with amazing counsellors and its super easy to make an appointment – just email them. After these sessions are finished they can help you find more long term counselling / groups / self help resources. The union also holds a lot of events and has set up sessions where you can go and meet people going through similar mental health experiences.

Self-care is another thing that I now make sure I incorporate into my daily routine. Take a bath, go swimming, do a little yoga, paint your nails, watch your favourite film – all of these fall under that category. It’s ultimately all about making sure you love yourself as much as you give love to others. Uni can be stressful (understatement of the century) so even if you just give yourself 10 minutes of self-care every day, it is so important for your mind.

Treating yourself to tea and cake definitely counts as self care!

Anxiety is way more common than you may think and you are not alone in the way you feel. Talking about mental health is such an important thing to do because the more people understand it the more support can be given and the better we are all going to feel about it.

If you would like more information on the uni services go to https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/counselling OR if you want to get in contact with me you can go to my mental health and lifestyle blog www.completelyrambling.wordpress.com

Happier. Healthier. Stronger