University can be a stressful time for any student. Looking after yourself and managing your time effectively are absolutely vital to your wellbeing. Whether your problem is big or small, it can be difficult to keep up with your work and that is when it is important to reach out.
Olivia Johnson
Fashion Business & Promotion BA(Hons) Graduate
Although I am usually good at managing my time and looking after myself, in my final year I found myself struggling with stress and anxiety about my Final Major Project. In the midst of a global pandemic and a cursor blinking in my face with a 3,000 word essay to write, I felt quickly overwhelmed by my work. I wasn’t handling my time well and everything felt a lot to handle. It was all just a bit too much!
Reaching out
In my second year, I had also felt similar to this; it was my first assignment back after summer and the stress of the project was causing me to get migraines. At first, I tried to ignore it. Pushed down the feeling and tried to crack on with my work…but I did everything but work. Procrastination became my worst enemy: scrolling, eating, sleeping, walking. I tried to do everything but the thing that was causing me stress – my uni work! With my deadline looming, I decided to reach out to my personal tutor and ask for some advice. She directed me to the Mental Health and Wellbeing team who were more than happy to book me in to speak with someone about how I had been feeling. I filled in a quick form and they set me up with an appointment for the following week.
At the appointment, a wellbeing counsellor listened to my concerns and talked them through with me. I might sound cliché, but it really felt like such a weight off my shoulders to just speak with someone about it. After the session, I felt much better and could carry on much more efficiently with my project.
Not matter how small the problem
Honestly, I hadn’t considered speaking with the wellbeing team before because I didn’t think my problem was that important. I thought “counsellors are for much more important matters, not my silly stresses”. It wasn’t until my tutor told me that they would be happy to help no matter what, that I realised I could reach out. In hindsight, any problem that is affecting your life or work is very important, regardless of how ‘silly’ or ‘small’ you think it is. So make sure to go speak to someone no matter how you are feeling!
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Feeling resurfacing
So not even a year later, I find myself feeling the same way with my Final Major Project, but this time I felt worse. I was anxious about getting my project perfect and it was affecting all areas of my life. I knew I needed to reach out to the Mental Health and Wellbeing team again. This time, I had two appointments with the team; one general ‘get it off your chest' kind of session and another more in-depth appointment. In my first appointment, we discussed how I was feeling, what I thought was causing it and the counsellor asked a few questions about me and my life.
In the second appointment, I went into more detail about what was affecting me, and we discussed coping methods and resolutions to my problem. It was reassuring to talk with someone who understood how I was feeling and who could give me some practical steps to help me through it. Together we made a plan to combat my stress, as well as, a realistic timetable for me to finish my project on time. After the second session, I felt a lot more confident to carry on with my work and to start implementing my plan. Although I didn’t need another session, the team still keep in touch via weekly newsletters and the counsellor provided their email so I can always get in touch again if I need to. The counsellors were really easy to talk to and I felt supported throughout the entire process.
If you are a BCU student and you’re struggling, please reach out. The mental health and wellbeing team are there to help you and they are more than happy to talk through any problem – no matter how big or small! You can register for an appointment on iCity, or if you want to be able to speak with a member of the team before registering you can email them or call them on 0121 331 5188.
