Stephanie’s advice: seeking online help at uni
A bit about the author:
' My name is Stephanie, 25, I have just finished an MSc in Clinical psychology and I aspire to being able to help as many people as possible. My interests are neurology, mental health and child development. I have a blog about mental health you can check it out at:
stephaniewetherhill.wordpress.com'
There is an abundance of help on the internet. This is just as well, as starting university is a stressful yet exciting time. Yet the whole process can induce behaviour and thoughts that aren’t helpful. So if telling your flatmates about your condition is too much too soon after starting university, then there are a few things you can do which may help reduce your anxieties.
Becoming a part of an online community has been the best thing I have done recently. Although I do not have OCD, it has taught me a lot. I have learned that belonging to a supportive network of people is the next step to feeling better about mental health difficulties. I understand that it is often difficult to tell people how difficult life may get, however, online this doesn’t seem to be the case. I have found that particularly on sites such as Twitter, the online community is usually very open, accepting and honest about mental health. There are several charities that are promoted through twitter and the work they do is broadcasted worldwide.
Additionally, blogs are good ways of finding people out there who may have the same difficulties – I find that people are more likely to talk about how they overcame those struggles. These sorts of perspectives are like gold dust.
Why is it that people open up like this on the internet? I personally think it is due to the online persona that one can create. ‘Hiding’ behind a computer screen, it appears that nobody judges you on the posts you might put up. I certainly haven’t had negative feedback, which is very reassuring and encouraging. I certainly do not suggest that negative feedback does not exist – it does and we need to be careful of negative posts and take care of ourselves – but usually, for a change, people keep it to themselves. It is an entirely different community. This in its self rests a lot of anxiety.
If not already, I would recommend students to start an account on such sites as twitter and Instagram for one purpose and one purpose only: getting used to talking about difficult circumstances. I find that once a difficult situation is out in the air, not only do you feel better inside, but you are instantly open to a number of opportunities which may help. If you already have a twitter account, start another and maybe obscure your identity and solely use it as a self help toolbox. It might just get you through a difficult and turbulent time more productively than you would have done if you had of gone it alone! There are a number of charities who post tips for getting through difficult times, so even if you don’t actively participate, it is nice to see what advice is available.
Instagram serves a different purpose. Rather than expressing ones world through words, pictures are just as powerful. They often give valuable insight as to what it is that others find therapeutic, how they might perceive their world and what might be around them that is stimulating. It doesn’t need to be pictures of yourself – particularly if you prefer to stay anonymous – it can be images of anything you find interesting or useful. There maybe a few things there that might inspire!
Birds of a feather flock together, and usually it’s not difficult to find people of the same nature and same interests. They usually use social networking sites for the same reason. This is comforting, for me at least. It has been one of the best decisions I have made for myself for numerous reasons, of course I was nervous that I wouldn’t be accepted and that my input would be meaningless. In reality I do not feel like this at all and this is completely owed to the kind souls that keep a very good thing going. They keep each other safe and positive through online communities and if there is anything worrying or overwhelming about starting university, I would definitely recommend getting involved with this. Every move is a stepping stone and if all it takes is a few comforting words from complete (but understanding and trustworthy) strangers then I can only see this aspect of online sites as a good thing.
Read about the OCD Action Youth Network, or find out more about staying safe online, on the BeatBullying website.
