Mental Wellness Tool Box for New Students

What challenges will I possibly face?

After school term starts, some of you may fit smoothly into the University, but some may feel at a loss and need more time to adapt to this new environment. You may feel distressed facing the following changes and challenges:

• Lifestyle: In the past, you may have been well cared for by your parents. Now, you will have to try to lead an independent life and deal with various tasks and decisions on your own.
• Network of friends: On one hand, your social network continues to grow, and meeting students from different backgrounds and cultures will expose you to diverse values and lifestyles. On the other hand, you will be learning how to maintain your existing relationships.
• Hostel life: It may be your first taste of hostel life; you will have to learn to live with roommates with different habits and preferences.
• Social style: Your circles of friends may not be as stable as before; you may need to spend more time on your own and feel lonely.
• Mode of learning: The mode of learning and your approach to your studies are different from those in the secondary school.
• Intense competition: While you may have been an outstanding student in the secondary school, frequent comparison with your new classmates in this new competitive environment may affect your self-confidence.
• Personal goals: Having gained admission into the university, you may be wondering what should be your next goal, and feel confused.
• Family life: Your intensive study schedule and busy social life may have adverse effects on your family life and relationships.
• Societal expectations: Society’s increasing demands and expectations towards university students might be internalized as high self-expectation and self-criticism.

Tips for adjusting to this new stage in life

In order to be well-adjusted and enjoy your university life, you may consider the following suggestions:

+  Learning daily living and self-care skills

• Develop a balanced daily routine, ensure sufficient rest and have a balanced diet
• Gradually develop more self-care skills, such as learning strategies to manage your finance, self-care routines, and household chores.
• Acquire effective time management skills, allocate and plan your time appropriately among academic, family and social commitments

+  Enriching social skills

• Participate actively in at least 1 or 2 extra-curricular activities
• Expand your social circle and make new friends
• Discuss your needs and make compromises with your roommates to maintain harmonious and respectful relationships
• Continuously understand, get to know and appreciate yourself and others, in order to build good social relationship

+  Enhancing learning

• Seek guidance from academic advisors or professors regarding academic concerns
• Form your own study group to discuss homework, share ideas, and support each another
• Set learning goals to have clearer life direction and stay motivated
• Plan ahead and start early to prevent the dreaded last-minute rush before deadlines and examinations

+  Attaining wellness

• Develop effective stress management skills and enjoy appropriate leisure activities, such as sports, music, handicraft, etc., to maintain your physical and mental health
• Appreciate and accept yourself, affirm yourself on positive experiences or achievements, refrain from comparison and do not over-demand yourself
• Enrich your spiritual life, read positive and encouraging books and messages, ease up your life with fun and creativity

+  Seeking social support

• Actively seek help from family, friends, counsellors, etc., to be emotionally supported when necessary
• Actively reach out for classmates, tutors, professors, academic advisors, and Learning Enhancement Officer (LEO), etc., regarding academic concerns
• Actively approach hostel mates, tutors, or hostel staffs, enhance supporting network in hostel

+  Take care of your own mental health

The massive adjustment that comes along with university life can result in significant distress and therefore affect your mental health. According to the World Health Organization, a mentally healthy person can…

• Realize one’s own abilities
• Cope with the normal stressors of life
• Work productively
• Make a contribution to the community

Besides reviewing your mental health based on the above criteria from time to time, it’s also important to pay close attention to any signs of depression or anxiety. These emotional reactions can be common when adjusting to the university.

How well do you understand the current state of your mental health? New students are invited to complete a 5-minute online mental health questionnaire with immediate feedback to let you understand more about your mental health status.

Depression is more common than you might have thought — according to the Hong Kong Mental Morbidity Survey, 3 in every 100 Hong Kongers suffer from depression and the World Health Organization stated that approximately 280 million people in the world have depression.

In addition, everyone feels anxious in certain situations. In Hong Kong, an estimated 300,000 or 5 percent of the population could have experienced various types of serious anxiety problems, which affect their daily lives.

The above facts and figures suggest that depression and anxiety are not uncommon. They are like “emotional flu” and with early detection and active treatments (e.g., psychological and/or medical intervention), most people can recover from these mental illnesses.

Remember, no health without mental health. If you find yourself or your friends experiencing any emotional distress, please do not hesitate to seek help.

Emotional Support & Psychological Counselling Service

CUHK 24-hour Emotional Support Hotline : 5400 2055

WACC x TourHeart+: Chatbot, articles, webinars and self-help courses

Wellness and Counselling Centre, Office of Student Affairs

Tel : 3943 7208

Email : wacc@cuhk.edu.hk

Address : 2/F, Pommerenke Student Centre