Your first year of university is a stressful time. You’re facing challenges you’ve never faced before, with more independence than you’ve likely ever had. Because that independence is based on you moving away from home to live by yourself it also means you’re more isolated than you may have been before.
You will probably find that university can start to feel like a home away from home, but it takes time for that familiarity to set in, and it’s important to make sure that when you’re starting out you’re getting into good habits that will sustain you across three years (or longer!) of study.
Today we’re looking at the different ways of taking care of yourself in your first years, whether you’re moving into halls of residence in Edinburgh, the student accommodation Sheffield offers, or private rented houses in Southampton.
Be Sensible About Your Time
As a new student you have lots of demands on your time, from studying and reading in the library, partying with new friends, and throwing yourself into the clubs and societies that support almost every interest and enthusiasm you could imagine.
It’s important to use your time sensibly, and not pour it all into one thing at the expense of the others. It’s not inherently mature or sensible to spend all your time in the library studying: getting burned out by not giving yourself time to relax between study sessions is just as destructive to your psyche and success as drinking to excess, in the long run.
Try to make sure you’re splitting your time sensibly, giving yourself time to rest and disengage from your studies, as well as hitting all your academic milestones and finding some social or creative outlet as well. It might take some careful time tabling and self-control to avoid enjoying yourself too much at the expense of your studies but balance is possible!
Diet
The student diet is famously not the healthiest: pizza, takeaway and late night chips are some of the main food groups, supplemented by cheap drinks. It’s one of the traditions of student life, but it might not leave you feeling at your most energetic – neither is it cheap!
Try and take a little better care of yourself – build fruit into your diet, and cook for yourself occasionally. It saves money, and if you cook with friends it’s a good alternative to another expensive night out.