A recent survey by the BBC Radio 4 has revealed that young people, including those at university, are some of the loneliest people in the country. Following this information, here are some top tips to help you deal with feelings of loneliness at university.

The first tip is to join some societies. Whilst this can seem daunting at first, the huge range of societies available at university allow you to meet a large amount of people who share similar interests to you. Additionally, most societies organise social events and also run weekly meetings, allowing you to create new bonds and spend time with new people. Whilst the initial step to joining a society can be scary, it is definitely recommended because you can make great friends as well as develop your career prospects.

The next set of tips relate to those times when you are feeling particularly isolated and alone. Loneliness can be difficult but the worst thing to do to combat this is isolating yourself in your room. It’s advisable to sit in the communal area of your accommodation, call a relative at home, visit a cafe or visit your university union where there will be direct support available to you if you are feeling lonely. This is particularly good at Leeds, as the help and support team are located in the foyer of the Leeds University Union building. Moreover, the Leeds University Union website is a great place to visit if you don’t have the confidence to visit the union as it contains lots of key information about dealing with loneliness. Finally, there is a great website called ‘The Big White Wall’ which also helps people to deal with feelings of loneliness when at university.

The final tip to dealing with loneliness is to get involved in volunteering, internships or a part-time job. This is another way to meet a range of new people, often from outside of university, which can also help you gain friends and enrich your experience as a student in this city.

Hopefully, the tips above are useful for anyone dealing with feelings of loneliness. There are many simple ways to combat loneliness and it is a completely normal thing to feel as a student at university. Nevertheless, you don’t need to continue feeling this way or deal with this feeling alone if you take these tips into consideration.

 

 

Jessica Farmer