Thoughts of a foundation student

The induction fortnight is flying by. I will be officially beginning my course next week so I have been spending the past couple of days trying to prepare myself for study. I have studied other subjects before, but not anything so expressive and personal to me.

I have moments when I feel completely overwhelmed. I try to create and my mind is blank. All I am able to write about is how much I like writing, and how much I am enjoying college life.

Getting a support structure in place has been my main concern this term. I mentioned previously that I have been recovering from an illness. And although I feel like I am doing better, I am still very aware that I am not as resilient as I was a decade ago. I always considered myself an organised and enthusiastic person but my ability to concentrate has changed over the years. Now it takes me longer to understand a concept or read a passage of text. Comparing myself now to the person I used to be knocks my confidence.

When I applied to my course I filled in a disability support form. I cannot remember if I asked for any reasonable adjustments, but I do remember stating that I wanted to make my tutor and the department staff aware of my mental health condition. I found this useful for starting a conversation with the Learner Support team. From there I created a Wellness Recovery Action Plan and downloaded the OCAWellbeing app. I hope I will not need to use it, but I feel more secure knowing I have identified risks to my health and actions to follow if I begin to feel worse.

Another thing that I have been doing is making a study plan. I did some of the exercises on Bloomsbury Skills for Study, and the Getting ready for academic study module prompted me to reflect on my behaviours. It turns out that I do not always recognise stress! I was surprised to find that out, though it does explain why people keep asking me if I am getting enough rest and relaxation. 

Although this post may sound all doom and gloom, I feel more ready for the next academic year. I feel like I have a safety net in place so I can focus on being creative and getting the most out of my college experience.