Managing Social Anxiety at University

Article Contents

Topic: Managing Social Anxiety at University

Starting a university course is an exciting time for many people but can also be challenging. The change in your social and physical environment and distance from your friends and family can make it an especially difficult transition for people with social anxiety (SA). This page provides some guidance that might make managing this transition easier and reduce the impact SA may have on your education.

Choosing a course

There are numerous factors to consider when choosing a course to study, the most important being a subject you enjoy and the career path you want to pursue. SA shouldn’t prevent you from studying your preferred course.

However, it’s useful to be aware of the assessment requirements (for example delivering a presentation) for the courses you are considering. A course that has an assessment style that you find very difficult is clearly challenging, but perhaps a chance to develop a new skill. However, if it feels too hard, or if you need help to work through an issue, “reasonable adjustments” can sometimes be made. Remember, a main tenet of most SA psychological therapies, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), is to gently push through boundaries, not to take on challenges without adequate preparation and support. See the section on Reasonable Adjustments below for more information about what course adjustments might be possible.

It is worth noting that many universities are now also offering distance learning courses. This may be a suitable option for some if you want to progress in your education but do not currently want or feel able to relocate. The Open University remains the biggest provider of distance higher education in the UK, but it’s also worth looking at remote courses offered by other universities.

Disclosing a mental health condition

When you apply for a university course, either through UCAS or directly with the university, you should be given the option to disclose if you have a mental health condition, medical condition or other disability. There’s no obligation for you to share this information but doing so may help you to access the appropriate support promptly if you should need it. It may be worth disclosing a mental health condition even if you don’t have a formal diagnosis, as there is likely to still be confidential support available to you. None of your fellow students will know, unless you choose to tell them. Disclosure at an early stage may also help with requests for reasonable adjustment (see below).

Some people worry that disclosing a mental health condition might lead to their applications being treated differently, potentially resulting in rejection for more competitive courses. The Equality Act 2010 prevents institutions from negatively discriminating against people with mental health conditions in this way. If you are applying for a course that involves a work placement you may be asked to undertake an occupational health assessment before even starting the course itself. In many cases, this is done to determine if you will need any additional support put in place in any potential placement environment rather than to determine whether you are fit to work in general.

What to Expect in Student Accommodation

Adapting to living with a new group of people away from family can be a challenge for many people, regardless of whether they have a mental health condition. Most new university students seek accommodation managed specifically for students. These are often medium to large blocks of shared flats, where every student will have a separate bedroom (and often bathroom) but will share a kitchen and possibly other living areas.

The advantages of this type of accommodation are that they tend to be located close to teaching facilities and provide an opportunity to meet other new students. Also, because the accommodation is tailored and managed specifically for students, you are likely to be offered a tenancy contract that fits in well with the academic year. However, these environments can often be noisy, a little crowded, and may not always be an attractive option for students with social anxiety. It’s a personal choice with pros and cons. You might also consider finding alternative accommodation through shared-living platforms such as SpareRoom and university-run housing websites. You also may be able to find a suitable house or flat share situation with a smaller number of housemates who better fit your living preferences.

A common concern for students with social anxiety living away from home is that they may feel anxious around new people and may find it very hard to feel comfortable in certain situations. It can be helpful to remember that you are allowed to protect your personal time and don’t need to go to events that might be overwhelming. You’re also not obligated to spend time with people that aren’t similar to you – you will meet so many people throughout your time at university and will eventually find people you feel comfortable with. It may be useful to bear in mind that you are not obliged either to spend time with the people you live with or to socialise with those you don’t want to.

University is a time to learn about yourself and try to gently push through challenges – to find what works for you. It’s potentially a chance to spend extended time in company, work through self-help or CBT and get used to a variety of people and personalities. If you feel concerned about setting boundaries for activities you may not always want to take part in, it may be useful to develop your assertiveness skills, so that you are able to participate in a way that works for you.

Managing Homesickness

Homesickness is likely to affect most students during their university experience. For some people this may be relatively mild, but for others it may feel much more intense. A study conducted by university staff makes research-based recommendations on how these feelings can be prevented and managed, some of which include:

Do what you can to take charge of the situation and make your own decisions. Much of the feeling of homesickness can stem from feeling insecure in an unfamiliar environment without your support network immediately at hand. Feeling in control by making decisions on where you live, what you study, and what your day-to-day looks like can help to relieve some of the anxiety of homesickness.
Talk about your feelings. Homesickness in some form is experienced by most students and by opening up about your own feelings to trusted others. You may not only relieve them for yourself but also provide someone else with the opportunity to feel less isolated.
Stay connected with people at home but try to avoid making unplanned return trips. The more time you spend settling into your new surroundings, finding places you like and people you enjoy spending time with, the more you’ll feel at home.

Additionally, the following may help (presented separately as they are not part of the article cited above)

Journaling (writing about events and feelings) is also a great way to process how you’re feeling and record your progress while dealing with social anxiety
Learn more about social anxiety through self-help books or therapy to help educate yourself about SA and its complications. This will help you understand your triggers and how it’s impacting your life. From there you can identify small changes you can make to deal with difficult situations.
Don’t let negative thinking or difficult events bring you down. Reach out for help from family or online social anxiety discussion boards and forums.

Homesickness can be a very difficult feeling to manage, so if you’re struggling, do reach out to your university’s wellbeing services. (see “wellbeing” section towards the bottom of this article)

Making Connections at University

Don’t feel like you need to always stick with your flatmates and immediate coursemates to form friendships. They will likely be the easiest way to makes friends and connections, but your university’s students’ union will host student societies that may enable you to make connections with other students based on shared interests. You may also find mental health student societies that might help you to form connections with people going through similar experiences to yourself.

Also see our pages on how to make friends when you have social anxiety and online groups and forums.

Fresher’s week

Fresher’s week is the first week of university, typically before classes start. This is a time to make new connections, explore the campus, and adjust to your new environment. However, it can also be a daunting period for people with social anxiety. While many people associate fresher’s week with clubbing and parties, there are plenty of quieter events that go on during this time. If large social gatherings feel overwhelming, consider checking your student union’s website for smaller societies or gatherings. These can be a great way to meet others in a more comfortable setting.

If your flatmates invite you out to clubs and parties and this isn’t something you would enjoy, you might find a compromise by attending the pre-drinks without going to the club itself. Most importantly, don’t forget to prioritise your wellbeing. Fresher’s week can be exciting, but it’s okay to pace yourself and engage in ways that feel manageable to you.

Group Participation

Some students feel a lot of anxiety around the idea of participating in group discussions, often finding larger groups more challenging. Others find the intimacy associated with smaller groups makes them just as hard, or harder, than bigger groups. We have split some of the challenges students often face with different group sizes into the sections below.

Tutorials (small groups with a university tutor)

Your course may involve tutorials consisting of group discussions with a tutor and small number of students. It is unusual for grades to be affected by your performance in tutorial discussions, but participating and talking may help you to get more out of your tutorial sessions. If you find tutorials particularly challenging you may want to raise the issue with the university wellbeing staff (see the section below on reasonable adjustments). Some of the advice in the small group sections may also apply to tutorials you attend.

Group work (with fellow students).

Many courses require that students complete some tasks in groups. If you find the prospect of speaking in groups difficult, it may be beneficial to set yourself smaller challenges to begin with, for example by aiming to make at least one brief comment during each meeting. Sometimes you will be in a group of people you already know. Other times it may be extended group work with people you don’t know but, importantly, can get to know. General listening and conversation skills are likely to help you in these situations. It is important to try and be involved as much as you can. Asking or answering at least one question may ease your nerves and gradually increase your comfort level. It also demonstrates that you want to participate, despite not yet feeling able to speak for too long.

Another group strategy may be to try and aim your words towards a particular person, even if you know all the group are listening. It can be exhausting if we try to watch each and every participant’s body language to see if we are being accepted, judged or understood. Even though it’s hard to do, try to focus on what you need to say, direct the words at the person who last spoke or who is most relevant, and let your focus be them, rather than on everyone else. Be yourself as much as possible – pretending to agree with others or changing yourself to fit in can cause more anxiety in the long term. Being authentic, as much as we can, makes group participation more rewarding and could allow you to connect with people in your group.

If applicable, fully familiarising yourself with the material beforehand can help. Contributing to the discussion early may also help you feel more confident to say more later. Slowing down your speech and using breathing techniques (see grounding techniques to calm youself) can also help lessen the physical symptoms of anxiety.

Lectures

Depending on your course, attending lectures may be a significant feature of your university experience. Some students may find attending classes or lectures difficult regardless of the issue of ever needing to speak out loud. If this is the case, then it may be useful to consider starting by sitting near the exit of the lecture theatre or classroom so that you can leave if needed without drawing attention to yourself. However, as you get used to attending lectures you should try to reduce your reliance on these strategies to help you to further build your confidence.

You may prefer to go with someone you feel comfortable with or be brave and talk to some new people (how they are finding the course?). Try sitting near or talking to someone you think might be a friend, sitting nearer the front, asking a question out loud, asking someone to go for coffee after. As with all these things, try to gently push your boundaries.

Public Speaking and Presentations

Many people with or without other social anxiety symptoms find public speaking very difficult. There are many written and online resources and guides available that can be used to develop strategies for making this easier. For most people, however, the most effective way of developing confidence in public speaking is to practice. If you need to give a presentation for your course, look for opportunities to practice with smaller supportive audiences. This could be with coursemates, friends, family, and possibly staff from your university’s support services.

There are also organisations such as Toastmasters, created to help people practise public speaking skills in a supportive environment. Many people start going to Toastmasters because they have a fear of public speaking, so if you are anxious most people there will understand how you are feeling. People of all ages join Toastmasters clubs, which can be found at many locations in the UK. There are a few specialist Toastmasters groups including at least one (in London) for social anxiety, but it would be best to look for a local club that you can commit to attending on a fairly regular basis. See the Toastmasters UK website for more information: www.toastmasterclub.org.

If you have concerns about your ability to deliver a presentation and feel you may need some additional support, please see the section on reasonable adjustments below.

Exams

Most people find exams stressful, but people with social anxiety may find that the exam environment presents additional pressures relating to their academic performance. Some students can find it difficult to be in a public space that they can’t easily escape from or may have concerns that their anxiety symptoms may draw attention to themselves. Depending on your specific course, you may find the exam environment at university significantly different to those you have experienced previously. However, if you have concerns over your ability to manage these situations, you may be able to request that individual adjustments are put in place, such as being able to take exams in a smaller room or the option to take rest breaks.

See the section below on reasonable adjustments for more information about these types of arrangements.

Accessing Wellbeing Support

Some universities may offer specific support for students with social anxiety, but you may have to seek it out if it isn’t offered in the ways you need. Each person with SA is different and each university may differ in how easily SA support is offered or accessed. Most universities have dedicated wellbeing teams whose role is to support students experiencing difficulties with their mental health during their course. The support available will vary between universities but may include professional counselling and other forms of 1:1 therapy, mentoring, workshops, and access to subscription-based wellbeing apps. For example, face-to-face peer support group with fellow students – or access to various other support mechanisms. Many universities also have a ‘Nightline’, a confidential night-time call and text service that can offer listening support and signposting. It’s best to find out what help is available as soon as you feel the need, so you are aware of how and where to get help from the earliest stage. You might also want to consider our pages on online support groups and discussion and if this might be a good time to work through “guided self-help” or NHS CBT therapy.

Reasonable Adjustments

Studying at university can provide valuable opportunities to develop confidence in a range of situations that you might currently find difficult in a safe and supportive environment. However, there may be times when your course requires you to do something you currently do not feel able to do. In these situations, it should be possible to request that a ‘reasonable adjustment’ is put in place.

‘Reasonable adjustments’ are described in the Equality Act 2010 as changes to usual ways of functioning that employers and service providers (including education providers) may need to put in place to ensure that service users are not disadvantaged due to a disability, mental health condition, or other medical condition. In universities, a reasonable adjustment may be put in place to ensure that you are not put in a situation which is likely to cause your mental health to deteriorate and that your mental health condition does not unfairly disadvantage you in assessments. This could involve having an alternative arrangement for delivering presentations, such as presenting to a smaller group or independently to a tutor, or a formal notification for your tutors that you may need to take breaks from teaching sessions.

If you feel that you may need such an adjustment to be put in place, you should seek to make this known to the university’s student services or disability support team as soon as possible. If you indicate on your UCAS application that you have a mental health condition, then the relevant team may reach out to you to discuss any additional support you may need. In some cases, you may need to provide documentation such as a doctor’s note for an adjustment to be put in place.

Disabled Students Allowance

Students with a documented mental health condition who are eligible for a maintenance loan from Student Finance England can access additional funded support through Disabled Students Allowances (DSA). DSA can provide funding for additional costs you may incur specifically as a student with a mental health condition or other disability. For students with mental health conditions, this will usually include funding for assistive software, possibly including text-to-speech, speech-to-text, notetaking and mind-mapping software, support towards purchasing a new laptop if you don’t already have anything suitable, and funding for 1:1 specialist mentoring. More information about eligibility and how to apply can be found on the DSA website

Is Social Anxiety a Disability?

“A mental health condition is considered a disability if it has a long-term effect on your normal day-to-day activity. This is defined under the Equality Act 2010. Your condition is ‘long term’ if it lasts, or is likely to last, 12 months.”

Please see this link – When a mental health condition becomes a disability – GOV.UK