Chillax
A realistic Guide to life at UCLan - written by students!
by Gillian Rabbett, BA (Hons) Public Relations and Marketing, 3rd year, aged 21
If you ever get to feeling like you are going to disappear under piles of text books and notes, it’s probably time you took a break... maybe had a Kit-Kat!
Life at university is busy; you’re juggling your studies with settling in and making new friends. Perhaps you have the added pressures of living away from home and maybe even part-time work. It’s only normal that you might feel overscheduled, tied down and fed up every now and then.
But there are plenty of ways to help you deal with the stresses of university.
Having good time management skills and planning ahead for your assignment deadlines is essential to preventing you from feeling overloaded. Staying up all night to finish an assignment is sadly something that I am not a stranger to! But it’s not something that I would recommend. Managing your time well at university is an important skill, one which you might not learn until you’ve spent the night in the library! But everyone has their own way of working; some students are motivated by a little added pressure.
When planning ahead, be sure to schedule in some time to relax! Take a break and do the things you enjoy. The UCLan campus is close to town, so go for a walk and enjoy some retail therapy. Or if that’s not really your thing (boys), you could join the gym or have a kick-about with your mates at Avenham Park. Exercise is a great way of relieving stress. Why not try some relaxation exercises? You might even be interested in taking up yoga, which is available at the Foster Sports Centre.
Some stress can be healthy; it motivates us to work harder. Just remember to stay positive. If you are experiencing a more serious type of stress, there are people at university that you can talk to.
It’s important to make time for the things you enjoy, and to maintain a balanced lifestyle by both eating and sleeping well. Everyone experiences some sort of stress at university, but it’s how you manage it that makes the difference.
