College and university can be a time of great fun and excitement – you make new friends, get to develop your knowledge and maybe even learn to live on your own for the first time before going out into the ‘real’ world. It may seem that balancing work and play is a piece of cake (at least it does in films), but for many students, life is not quite so easy in reality. The stress of dealing with the pressures of making new friends and potential feelings of loneliness this can bring on, trying to achieve good grades and trying to manage accommodation on your own for the first time can be incredibly detrimental to one’s psychological state. Of course, this is less often represented in films and TV shows about student life, but the reality for many students is that they face depression and anxiety throughout their studies. While there’s no easy answer on how to deal with these situations, there is a lot of emotional support available for those experiencing this situation.

The student services department of each college or university will have a counselling service available specifically for students who are dealing with these issues. The counsellors working within are trained professionals who are well aware of the demands that students are facing, and can provide a confidential listening service as well as advice and emotional support in how to deal with the many overwhelming aspects of being a student in a positive way. You should be able to find contact information for the counselling service online through student services. It’s worth making an appointment even if you feel that perhaps your situation isn’t ‘serious’ enough to seek this sort of help, as often just speaking with someone who is trained to listen can be hugely helpful.

If you’re a bit nervous about making an appointment to go in and speak with someone face-to-face, or are feeling particularly in distress at times when counsellors would be unavailable, there are also other services available to provide emotional support. Nightline, for example, provides anonymous and confidential support for students over the phone and operates at a huge number of universities and colleges in the UK. Nightline utilises the services of students who receive special training to provide emotional support, so the individual on the other end of the phone will understand and appreciate some of the stresses and experiences you’re going through. You can check out their website here to find your local service number.

Another option if you’re feeling depression or anxiety is to visit with an NHS doctor, either at your university’s health clinic or when you’re back home visiting family. Doctors are experienced in providing support in a wide range of situations, and will be well aware of further emotional support services that are available to help you through a difficult time.

While these are just a few of the many services out there and we can’t provide an exhaustive list, hopefully this post has given you a better idea that emotional support is available. If you feel that you’re struggling, it’s always worth contacting one of these or other emotional support services to see how they can help you. While there’s no simple way to feel better, the individuals working in these services are dedicated to supporting you through your studies, and they’re hoping that you’ll make use of them if in need.