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depression, social anxiety and stress from university

Im a first year at uni and exams have been coming up. In the first semester of university I tried as much as I could to make friends, hang out and socialise, but the more I tried the more tired I would become. I'm an introvert, and being out and interacting with people was draining. Throughout first semester, I would succumb to just staying in my room, resulting to me missing a lot of lectures and tutorials. It was a painful feeling, me being lonely and home being such a long way from here. I would stay in my bed and be on my laptop to suppress all these thoughts. I miss my parents and siblings, I miss my friends back at home. As my exams approach I've been trying to cram everything but I just started crying due to the stress. I am most definitely failing a module but the others are okay I guess. I don't know what to do anymore, I thought at university I could change my way of life, change who I am as a person but no. I feel pathetic and at the lowest point of my life. Im just ranting right now, but I have no passion in my course hate my accommodation and am just overall so down
Original post by Anonymous
Im a first year at uni and exams have been coming up. In the first semester of university I tried as much as I could to make friends, hang out and socialise, but the more I tried the more tired I would become. I'm an introvert, and being out and interacting with people was draining. Throughout first semester, I would succumb to just staying in my room, resulting to me missing a lot of lectures and tutorials. It was a painful feeling, me being lonely and home being such a long way from here. I would stay in my bed and be on my laptop to suppress all these thoughts. I miss my parents and siblings, I miss my friends back at home. As my exams approach I've been trying to cram everything but I just started crying due to the stress. I am most definitely failing a module but the others are okay I guess. I don't know what to do anymore, I thought at university I could change my way of life, change who I am as a person but no. I feel pathetic and at the lowest point of my life. Im just ranting right now, but I have no passion in my course hate my accommodation and am just overall so down


Start seeing the doctor and uni support services. (on a regular basis.
See if you can make some adjustments to change the way you feel, but you do sound very homesick.
Its worrying if youve missed a lot of work, but you can still catch up.


Ultimately if you cant see it working then id why:

Homesickness and you away from home.- move closer or to home.
MH- get help from GP, support services and counselling.
Unable to build social skills or life.- improve social skills
Wrong uni.- change uni
Wrong course.- change course

Work out what it is and if it can be fixed.

I have some helplines if you need them as well as various links to articles on anxiety, stress, depression and self esteem.

That's how I would start to address the situation.

You can change things but you have to id where the issue is and then be prepared to put effort into sorting it out. It may take time. A lot of the time people with such issues dont talk to people or seek help, they hide in their rooms, suffer in silence because they think they can cope and end up following a strategy that makes things worse.
(edited 4 years ago)
Reply 2
OP, when do you have your exams ? are they tomorrow? a week away? a month away?
Dont stress one bit about exams, just do as much as you can now and know that you will most likely get a 2nd chance regardless in the summer and it its probably going to be uncapped resit as of being year 1 and even if it isnt 1st year does not count towards your final grade so as long as you pass this year youre good, just be sure to be on top of your work in the next years either by lecture recordings or acc going to lecs

As of your social situation, try to be happy with what you have and ofc join clubs youre interested in from 2nd sem where you will likely find your type of people but dont beat yourself for not having many friends. Also try get a part time job you might find some through there
Me too love. My mental health had finally reached a good stage before i got to uni, but it all fell apart. Now im lying here anxious as hell to go back up to uni tomorrow morning, dreading seeing my flatmates who dont care about me and exclude me, dreading deadlines and lectures... just wish i could start uni all over again, somewhere else. With different people...or just stay at home. I hate feeling like this. I thought uni was supposed to be the best years of your life.
Reply 5
I'm introvert, too
University is very precious time. What's your ambition?
What do u major in? Do u attend academic group in your university?
(edited 4 years ago)
Reply 6
Original post by 999tigger
Start seeing the doctor and uni support services. (on a regular basis.
See if you can make some adjustments to change the way you feel, but you do sound very homesick.
Its worrying if youve missed a lot of work, but you can still catch up.


Ultimately if you cant see it working then id why:

Homesickness and you away from home.- move closer or to home.
MH- get help from GP, support services and counselling.
Unable to build social skills or life.- improve social skills
Wrong uni.- change uni
Wrong course.- change course

Work out what it is and if it can be fixed.

I have some helplines if you need them as well as various links to articles on anxiety, stress, depression and self esteem.

That's how I would start to address the situation.

You can change things but you have to id where the issue is and then be prepared to put effort into sorting it out. It may take time. A lot of the time people with such issues dont talk to people or seek help, they hide in their rooms, suffer in silence because they think they can cope and end up following a strategy that makes things worse.

thank you so much for the advice, i've booked an appointment with a student support centre and im going to explain everything going on. I hope this can heal overtime but changing university and course is still in my mind
Original post by DR.DOOM
OP, when do you have your exams ? are they tomorrow? a week away? a month away?

i have an exam tomorrow and the rest of the 2 weeks :frown:
Original post by Anonymous
Me too love. My mental health had finally reached a good stage before i got to uni, but it all fell apart. Now im lying here anxious as hell to go back up to uni tomorrow morning, dreading seeing my flatmates who dont care about me and exclude me, dreading deadlines and lectures... just wish i could start uni all over again, somewhere else. With different people...or just stay at home. I hate feeling like this. I thought uni was supposed to be the best years of your life.

i feel the same way... i had a false sense of university being where i could improve on myself and reflect on what i can do, but its doing more negative than positive
Original post by shebk
I'm introvert, too
University is very precious time. What's your ambition?
Are u boy or girl? What do u major in? Do u attend academic group in your university?

im not sure about my ambition, i rushed into uni and never gave a second thought

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