{"id":145149,"date":"2025-12-02T12:45:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T12:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.society19.com\/uk\/?p=145149"},"modified":"2025-12-02T12:45:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T12:45:19","slug":"what-to-do-if-youre-struggling-studying-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.society19.com\/uk\/what-to-do-if-youre-struggling-studying-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"What To Do If You&#8217;re Struggling Studying Abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">God, I got depressed in exchange. I went into the experience hideously unprepared &#8211; I brought my ticket the week before I left, did zero preparation and believed it would all magically come together. Trust me, it certainly did not. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I left the sunny shores of Sydney Australia for the four hours of light a day of Denmark. The instant seasonal depression was real! I\u2019d just come out of the busiest year of my life, had a packed social calendar and felt pretty comfortable in life. Turns out going halfway across the world with no friends or family was a pretty quick way to blow up all that. Within a few months, I\u2019d lost three phones, a laptop and my dignity. I\u2019d gone off my ADHD medication and made a speedy descent into quasi-alcoholism. Studying abroad got real dark, real quick! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">TBH I often wanted to throw in the towel and book a trip home before I went any deeper into the ongoing disaster that was the supposed \u201cbest experience of my life!\u201d Instead, I decided to keep fighting and ended up my time studying abroad pretty proud of myself &#8211; at the very least it taught me a hell of a lot. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Realise You\u2019re Not Alone <\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reality check, studying abroad isn\u2019t all pretty Instagrams and #livelaughlove for everybody. Many of us feel lonely and out of our depth &#8211; we just feel like we can\u2019t talk about it. So don\u2019t be afraid about being honest about how you\u2019re feeling. I spent so much time in a depression k-hole overseas because I was so scared of acknowledging I wasn\u2019t going great. Boring! It is only natural to struggle in a new environment, so go easy on yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pick Up the Phone<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Often, all you want to hear is a familiar voice. Thanks to modern technology we can now also see a familiar face. Honestly, it was phone calls with my mum that so often got me through a tough day studying abroad. I also relied on my friends heavily, who reminded me of all I had waiting for me back in Sydney. Most of all, keeping in touch with those you\u2019ve left behind is a great reminder that not a whole lot is changing back there &#8211; before you know it you\u2019ll be back so why not arrive with some great stories?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Make an Effort, Fix Ya Shit <\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It wasn\u2019t until I went travelling after my semester studying abroad finished that I truly felt my time overseas take flight. However, I wish I got there sooner. I should have looked harder for my type of people, moved out of this shitty room I was forced to share with a weird mute and made the choices that would have allowed me to carpe diem to the max whilst overseas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why Not, Take A Crazy Chance <\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My best memories are all the times I did take a chance, went to the party or got exploring the unfamiliar lands of Europe. Luckily, I got my shit together eventually &#8211; how else would I have discovered Berlin nightlife goes off so insanely that you can cook it up on TUESDAY!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Appreciate the Life Lessons and Growth <\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think every day you spend studying abroad you should remind yourself that this is the one chance you\u2019ll get to access everything this privilege offers. Looking back, I now see such an experience is often one of intense highs and difficult lows. But what really matters is how much I learnt &#8211; I wouldn\u2019t have the confidence to move cities after graduating and deal with adulthood as well if I hadn\u2019t spent time studying abroad. So sometimes the going gets a little tough, but at the end of the day it\u2019ll be worth it. Keep going!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What tips do you have for people struggling with studying abroad? Share them below!<\/span><\/h3>\n<h5><strong>Featured Image Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ulc.org\/ulc-blog\/loneliness-affects-health\">https:\/\/www.ulc.org\/ulc-blog\/loneliness-affects-health<\/a><\/strong><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>God, I got depressed in exchange. I went into the experience hideously unprepared &#8211; I brought my ticket the week before I left, did zero preparation and believed it would all magically come together. Trust me, it certainly did not. I left the sunny shores of Sydney Australia for the four hours of light a&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25292,"featured_media":145150,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1811],"tags":[10304,20509,8133,10526,11836,8413],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-145149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-study-abroad","tag-exchange","tag-mental-hea","tag-mental-health","tag-study-abroad","tag-studying-abroad","tag-travel"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What To Do If You&#039;re Struggling Studying Abroad - 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