WMHD: Struggling with my mental health as an international student

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Navigating the Challenges of an international student

Today is World Mental Health Day, so our Student Mental Health Champions have shared their thoughts and experiences around mental health to help raise awareness. Check out our other WMHD blog written by Beth too!

By Jelly, a Human Resource Management MSc NTU Student

Due to the ever-growing market of technology, almost everyone these days occupies their lives with it. Which includes from using technology to socialise, entertainment, boost productivity and every part of our lives and it causes our mind to be full instead of being mindful. As international students, we are required to leave our home country and try to adapt here. Everything here is entirely new, including the culture, the people, the food, and every aspect you can possibly imagine.

There is a mindfulness course from NTU that I have been attending and there is a lot to learn from it. It is very important to be mindful as a student because there are a lot of duties we must fulfil in daily life. There can be too many distractions and we forget what is happening to our mind. By being mindful it increases yourself awareness. Your own behaviour and self-awareness could be improved by being mindful. My definition of mindfulness would be being present all the time by not regretting the past and not worrying about the future. By being present and enjoying the present, it increases my daily happiness, functionality and productivity. I can take care of myself by using tips from Healthy NTU’s SharePoint and also joining wellbeing activities provided by the university, they can also be very helpful to connect with like-minded people.

When I first arrived in the UK for up to four months I was scared to ask for help. I never felt like I fit into the lecture room. In socialisation, I feel like I was alone and not fitting in with the community. I just kept asking myself what is wrong with me. In addition, I failed two of my exams. I was full of negativity and always felt that I was not good enough. I was very reluctant to ask for any kind of help. It was even hard for me to approach the lecturers when I needed help, and it was very scary. Only after I failed my exam did I start telling myself that I need to seek help. The first thing I did was ask student service for help and I took some counselling sessions. I felt like it was way more helpful to open and talk about my problems to a counsellor than an ordinary person. It soon made me realise that it was not that scary to talk to people. It gave me strength to talk to people and ask for help when needed. Later, when doing my coursework, I realised that I could take extensions as I needed, and it was helpful. I went to the global lounge and made more friends and the feeling like the odd one out slowly faded away. My department from university was also very supportive when I asked for help.

The journey of one year for my master’s degree at university was awesome and full of unforgettable memories with friends. Without support from the university, it would be tough for me to adjust here and cope with my study as well. I explored various ways to adapt to this foreign experience, and although it was challenging, I learned that progress is possible as long as I keep trying. I have got lots of encouragement to take part in university activities such as student navigation roles, student mental health student champion and I am grateful for all of these in my life as new experiences. I just want to say it is okay not to be okay at some point and please do seek help from others if needed.

For help, advice and resources whilst studying at NTU, take a look at the following for sources of support

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