Oh the summer blues, its more common than you think. Whether you've just finished your A-levels and anticipating the start of university, or you've just finished your first year and you're eager to see friends from home only to discover those friendships have changed since secondary school. Maybe you're feeling lonely. This sense of crisis can be an opportunity for some self-reflection. Have you been holed away too much?
What can students do to fight the summertime blues
- Take some time to look into doing extracurricular activities that might be meaningful and rewarding both in your community at home this summer and on campus beginning in the autumn.
- Consider getting involved in activities without being accompanied by people you know so you can be more apt to meet new people you would not have met otherwise.
- Consider applying to opportunities within leadership roles to experience a sense of real contribution. You have the chance to shape your campus when you return, and to shape the community you are in!
- Check out the available resources we have now so you will have them in place when you return to campus. Bucks Students' Union provide many resources to support your intellectual and emotional well-being.
- Commit to turning off your phone at least an hour every day. The immediate gratification you get from a cell phone distorts your ability to find important answers from within. Experience the world outside your phone.
- Journal. Write your feelings down. Make lists of what you are grateful for and what you envision and hope for going forward
- Building up a portfolio/CV can also keep you occupied and can help raise your professional online profile. If you want to impress potential future employers, this is a good thing to do. It can also make you appreciate the knowledge and skills you’ve learnt at university. Whilst creating a portfolio of work may sound like a lot of effort, it can be very rewarding if you show off the range of skills you have. Plus, when you graduate, you can spend less time building a portfolio from scratch and spend more time looking for your first full-time job!
Did you know-
We have our very own dedicated team of advisors at our Advice Centre, who your VPEWs, Harry and Beth, will be working closely with throughout the year.
They'll be here to listen to any concerns, issues you might have, with anything from financial problems to personal problems, they're the experts on advice.
Reach out to them at suadvice@bnu.ac.uk.
Or visit, https://www.bucksstudentsunion.org/support/advice/ for more info.
Bucks Student Podcast - An intro into mental health at uni
Tune into episode 3 of the Bucks Student Podcast where Harry and Beth give a brief talk about mental health at university.