Monday 10-10-2022 - 08:32

Picture yourself standing in the middle of a room full of people, yet somehow, it feels like you’re the only person in it. You feel like you want to shout out to the whole room, but not one person is listening or understands how you feel. Does this sound lonely to you? This is the reality for many students moving to university and away from home for the first time in their lives.

 

Let’s get one thing straight, students have it tough. Mental health affects everyone in many ways, these being good or bad.

 

There are a lot of different factors applying pressure to students when they first begin university. Some of these include having to make new friends groups and the assignments which get thrown about from day one. However, one of the biggest factors weighing on students when they first make that big journey into the world of university life is being without their family or home support systems for one of the first times in their lives. Sometimes people forget what a life-changing experience this can be.

 

One in three students report feeling homesick some of the time, while 29% worry about not fitting in at university.  

 

New students are also a lot more likely to experience feelings of loneliness, with 46% of students saying they feel lonely on a day-to-day basis. 

 

Moving away from home is hard. I moved three and a half hours away when I came to university and left all of my family back up in Sunderland. When I first moved here, I looked at it as being a negative thing. It was hard, really hard. Not having my support system with me on this journey was always going to be a tough task in the early stages. However, I found the best way to deal with this was to get involved with as much as I possibly could and talk. I found talking to new people the best way of dealing with how I was feeling. Just getting myself out there and making a random friend on the way back from a night out or joining the Facebook groups for the university. 

 

I suddenly started to realise that I could become my own person and be exactly who I wanted to be. I had not had the chance prior to moving away to truly be an independent person and learn all of the essential skills comfortably enough to live on my own. This was as simple as learning how long to boil pasta for, so that you don’t evaporate all the water and have it stuck to the bottom of the pan… no, that definitely hasn’t happened before. 

 

Being a student away from your usual home allowed me to express myself like I would never have had the opportunity to before. Being able to make memories with like-minded people from all walks of life, some of whom I probably would never have met if I hadn’t made this big step to come here. These are memories I will cherish forever.

 

I’m sharing my story with you to demonstrate that you are not alone. If you’ve just moved to Ormskirk and you’re feeling lonely, trust me - I know how you feel I can guarantee you won’t be the only person feeling this way. There are lots of ways you can combat loneliness.

 

If you feel like you don’t have anyone close that you can speak to, The Samaritans offer confidential support over the phone, and are available to just listen to how you feel. Elsewhere, you can find tips for tackling loneliness during those darker times from The Priory Group and the NHS.

 

It is also important to note that Edge Hill University also has a wellbeing service which offers in-person and virtual appointments. You can find more information and book an appointment here.

 

Moving away from home can be difficult for a lot of people, but it really can be the making of you. Sometimes that feeling of loneliness and isolation can not be helped, but as mentioned earlier, it is so important to speak up and ask for help. Remember, you’re never alone.

 

This article was contributed by Arts & Sciences President Jack Richardson.