Ways to cope as an international student who is staying in Nottingham during winter break

Posted on by healthyntu8

By Mrunmai Vinay Wakade, Final Year BSC Psychology (Mental Health) NTU Student

I remember spending winter break in Nottingham as a first-year international undergraduate student. It was my first time being away from home and most of my flatmates had gone back to visit their family. This was also coupled up with the corona virus epidemic. I was lonely, and feeling quite homesick. Here are some tips for ways of coping with loneliness during winter break!

  1. Find a good book and TV shows.

A good way to tackle homesickness is by distracting yourself with a good book and TV shows. During my 1st year, I discovered some amazing tv shows that helped me focus my energy someplace else. This was also a time period I discovered some really good anime and k-dramas, and was finally able to finish “Friends”! For those who want to get into anime and k-drama here are my recommendations:-

Anime                                                                                   

  • Attack on titan
  • Death note
  • Orange
  • Erased

       K-drama

  • Extra-ordinary You
  • Healer
  • Nobody knows
  • Tomorrow

2. Volunteer

This holiday season, you can start 2024, by giving back to society. One of the best parts about Nottingham and NTU is that there are many opportunities for volunteering. There may even be some local organisations and charities that may be looking for help on Christmas Day, such as soup kitchens or food banks. Thinking ahead to the new year, there are also loads of charity shops where you can volunteer and help out in the community. Some of the stores are:-

3. Go to events held by NTU Global Lounge

There are many students that stay in Nottingham during the winter break so Global Lounge run many events and have winter break opening hours! These events are fun way to get people out of their shells and socialise. I would recommend checking out NTU Global lounge social medias and keeping an eye out from your NTU emails! Find out more about the Global Lounges

4. Try out some exercise with NTU Sport

If you are someone who enjoys sports and physical activity, use the NTU Moves app to collect points to earn prizes! Head out on a walk around some of Nottingham’s green spaces such as Colwick Country Park or the Arboretum and earn points on your walk! Thinking ahead to the New Year, NTU Sport run many fitness classes and play for fun sports session! Download the “NTU Sport” app and check out all the fun taster sessions! There are a variety of fitness classes that include Pilates, spin and even Zumba!

5. Keep in touch with friends and family

Stay connected to your friends and family by having regular catch ups either through calls or video calls. If there are other students on your course who you know are staying in Nottingham over the winter break see if they would like to do something nice, like a walk around the Arboretum or the Christmas Markets. The Global Lounge is a great hub to meet any fellow students staying over the break.

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

Services and Support over the winter break
Support from NTU
Self-Care books in NTU’s libraries
Silvercloud: SilverCloud is our online system designed to help with a range of mental health issues.
Health and Wellbeing resources
NTSU Information and Advice service
Wellness in Mind: Advice and support for anyone in Nottingham experiencing issues with their mental wellbeing
Student Minds or Student Space
10 Keys to happiness
Mind
Papyrus
CALM

Leave a comment