Coping with Lockdown at University
By Bethan Collins
Living away at university can sometimes be difficult – being away from familiar faces like family and friends, having to cook, clean and look after yourself without any prompts when you might not be used to that, and having to cope with the workload of university itself. However, for students this year university is going to have some factors making it undoubtedly more challenging than it would otherwise have been, for example lack of in-person socialising. So, compiled here are some ideas to help you cope with being locked down at uni.
- Making Your Student Room More Home-y
Since you’re living at uni, it’s very likely that you’re going to be living in a shared house/flat. Due to this, it might feel like your only living space is your bedroom, which is why making your bedroom comfortable, cosy and home-y might be important during lockdown. A good way to do this is by getting some fairy lights, since they give off a warm light creating a very cosy effect. You can also get some candles (if your contract allows you to do so), this also might make you feel more at home if you’re used to burning candles in your room at home.
- Arrange Ways to Keep in Contact Digitally
I’m sure we all remember the pub quiz phase of lockdown back in March/April time. You could arrange to do this sort of thing with friends and family from home, that way you have a guaranteed way to socialise and some things to talk about. Lots of societies are currently doing zoom meetups and coffee social style calls where you can log in and just have a chat with some friendly faces. Even playing some multiplayer games on your phone could be helpful in making you feel like you’ve got something to do and people to chat to.
- Think of Some Themed Nights to do With Your House/Flat Mates
You could all take it in turns to make a meal ‘Come Dine With Me’ style and see whoever can come up with the best meal. You could decorate the house with a fun theme (Hawaiian, Halloween, 70’s) and all dress up and play some drinking games together. Themed movie nights are a good idea for this time of year, with lots of Halloween/Christmas films being uploaded to Netflix. You could even have a slumber party style night, where you all wear pyjamas and order some food in.
- Make a Bucket List of TV Shows, Films and Books You’re Interested in
You could make use of the library and check out some books that you’ve wanted to read for a while and work your way through some of those, or if you aren’t into reading, you could scroll through netflix and note down all the films and TV Shows you want to watch and number them. On days where you can’t think of what to watch, refer to this list and use a random number generated to help you decide what to watch for the day.
- Incorporate Things from Home If You’re Feeling Homesick
Being away from home for a while might make you feel homesick, especially if the option to go home isn’t possible for the time being. To help combat this you could cook a meal that you usually have at home with your family. You could also arrange a day one every week/every other week to look forward to having a good chat and catch-up with your family!
So, there are some ideas that might help you cope with lockdown at university. It’s also worth bearing in mind that if you are struggling to contact the university’s wellbeing services (wellbeing@swansea.ac.uk). The University and Student’s Union is currently hard at work making sure they have ways to support students coping with the current restrictions and circumstances.
Image: Getty Images
