5 Reasons A Struggling Student Should Reach Out

Opening yourself up to others can be a frightening prospect. Whether you’ve spent hours, days, months or even potentially years bottling up your issues, the thought of sharing them with another party is by no means appealing.

Perhaps you think that you’d be a burden on others? It could also be that you think that professional help isn’t for someone like you? Maybe the problems you’re facing aren’t ‘big enough’ for some expert advice? Well, you’re wrong!

Nevertheless, your friends, family and university faculty indisputably care about your wellbeing. No problem of yours is too big or too small for them. Here are 5 reasons you should reach out if you’re struggling at university.

Lighter Load

Students are always decent actors. After all, you can pretend that your mind numbing essay is no big deal! You can also act like you want to party three nights in a row, and tolerate annoying housemates. In the end, procrastinating is typical of the student; but it should never be done in place of reaching out.

The main reason you should reach out is that you’ll most likely feel better after doing so. It’s the oldest reason in the book, but often it’s also the most neglected. For many people, speaking about a problem gets it out into the world, as if expelled from their very being to some extent. Therefore, things can start to get better almost straight away from this positive starting point.

Health Benefits

Instead of getting issues off their chest, students will typically get off their face instead. You might get drunk excessively, or perhaps you’ll stay in your room. These might seem like common student tendencies, but if you do it in excess you can accidentally find yourself putting your entire life on hold.

You need fresh air, exercise and a decent diet at least once in a while. A delay in speaking up can cripple other areas of your life and prevent you from meeting your potential. There’s no good reason why you shouldn’t be your best you, so getting some support can actually help keep the rest of your life intact too.

Help on Campus

Universities can be a hub of pressure, whether the source is peers, parents or tantalising tutors. Exams, assignment deadlines, hours spent researching; it’s all a swirling world of stress that can quickly consume you. In the end, despite the sickening stigma, students do not have it easy.

Thankfully, help is never far away, and a quick stroll across campus can land you in an environment where your problems are both heard and addressed.  After all, there has been a sharp rise in mental health awareness across UK campuses, as more and more students come to the fore and discuss their issues with growing confidence. Ultimately, the available help is never far away.

A Wider Scope

When mental health services are lacking, frustration follows on. You may not want to go to campus for particular issues, and may desire a form of help that is disconnected from university life entirely. Additionally, if the wave of change hasn’t quite swept over your university yet, there’s always an alternative.

In the end, there’s always someone on-hand to talk to you. Services such as Samaritans are made up of compassionate volunteers, who will answer your call for help at any time. Each and every one of them is trained to listen to and help you under any circumstances with no judgement. In the end, their volunteering can remind you that the world genuinely cares about you, and people are willing to give up their free time to prove it.

A Shining Example

It can be easy to think that reaching out is a move that only helps you. It can be seen as an isolated, individual act. Of course, it’s completely valid to keep things this way if you prefer to be private, but if you’re prepared to loosen the reigns a little, sharing your experience can help others too.

If you have had a positive experience in gaining support, you can pass on your knowledge and wisdom. Other’s who might have been on the fence about seeking support might then have that final push to get it, solely because you decided to speak up. Ultimately, your bravery can be a source of inspiration.

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