Being spilt with emotions and not sure how to feel
You’re in your first term within university emotions are all over the place and it’s coming up to your first break over the Christmas period, you’re not sure how you feel about it. Let me paint you a picture.
Christmas is approaching and your full of Christmas cheer and warm fuzziness. You have been meeting with your friends to take a brief break from assignment deadlines. Visiting the local Christmas markets and getting those last-minute presents for your family & friends. Seeing the local areas FULL of fairy lights just makes everything seem so magical and you’re really starting to feel “at home” here.
You’re approaching the first break, it’s over the Christmas period, you’re starting to feel a mix of emotions. Your looking forward to seeing your friends and family over the festive period but also sad to be leaving your new home as your just feeling comfortable with everything and everyone nearby.
Emotions are important, things to remember if this sounds vaguely familiar is:
- Your university family could be feeling the same – talk about it
- Your family back home are getting excited to see you return for a bit – talk about it
- Discussing how you’re feeling with everyone will help
- Your university support team will be on hand
Remember your practically living two lives.
The one in your home town with friends and family. Here you might be at your most comfortable, confident, possibly a little lazier more relaxed self, but everyone knows you for you and loves you all the time.
Then the university life (your home). Socialising with friends, meeting new people. Learning so much your brain might explode, studying so much your eyes hurt and constantly trying to make a good impression.
You have two different routines, switching and getting used to one or the other is also hard on you. It may take a couple of days to fully settle back in to either location. You will get so used to someone else cooking and cleaning up after you back in your home town, that when your go back to university it will be a shock to have to do it yourself again. The more you go back and forth the easier the transition will be. The university support teams can help if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
There really is no place like your home. So after visiting family and friends back in your home town returning to your home with your bed, your fridge and even your bathroom will feel amazing. Its ok to feel like this – there really is no place like home!
Some students have been known to go back to their university home slightly earlier. This is so they can adjust and settle back in. Ensuring they are back up and running with routines in full swing before the lectures begin.
Things to take away
Be kind to yourself, try to enjoy the best of both worlds. The fun and freedom at university, the place that you now call home. Ensure you also take time to visit your hometown and reconnect with the people you have there. They will miss you as much as you may miss them if not more. You left them to chase your dreams so enjoy some down time seeing them so they know your doing ok.
Don’t forget to talk to people about how you’re feeling on the run up to breaks, during breaks and certainly after breaks. BE KIND.
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