university and such :)
 

(don't actually think this is triggering, but want to be safe - just incase xx)

:whistling: hello!
going to university on the 4th October. moving north about 7 hours away from my family. really quite worried about it. about my scars and depression, i think i am going to find it really hard. feeling so inadequate and really worried about not meeting new people or not really being accepted. really silly, and i'm sure that everyone feels the same! but.... feeling sick with worry about it. also a little concerned that my eating disorder is going to become slightly more out of control as i wont have such a support network around me; will have more freedom. my mental health services are passing me over to durham so i will be having therapy whilst at uni.
another thing.. (so sorry for rambling) i dont drink alcohol. and i know that freshers week etc is very alcohol related. just not sure that im going to fit in anywhere. :blush: xxxx

I didn't drink when I first came to uni either... in fact the first alcohol I ever had was during freshers week :o
I do drink now... byy not much... and there are a fair few people about who don't drink at all... not all steriotypes are true :P

Try not to worry too much, the first few weeks will be the worst, after that it's much easier. Everyone will be knew and 90% won't know anyone, so you'll be able to join up with a group of people pritty quickly so as not to be alone.

not sure what else I can say really lol. I't natural to be nervous, I'm sure you'l be fine once you've got there and the excitment kicks in fully :)
and don't forget, your family and other friends are all only a phonecall away if you're ever finding it hard

Going to Uni is a scary experience but I think the lead up to it is far worse than actually getting there. When I started Uni, I remember unpacking everything and then just sitting on my bed doing nothing because I was too scared to go out and meet people. But it didn't take long for the girl who lived in the room opposite mine to knock on my door and drag me out to meet the rest of my floor.

You can enjoy fresher's week without drinking. The people off my floor (myself included) didn't do many of the fresher's week activities, we went to the beach and built sandcastles, watched films in each others rooms, stuff like that. There was sometimes drink involved but you won't be the only person who doesn't drink there.

It's good that you have therapy lined up for when you get there. If you are worried about your eating disorder maybe you could speak to your therapist and get him/her to help you devise a plan to try to keep it under control.

Try not to worry too much. You will enjoy it when you get there, just try to talk to people and let yourself be involved with things rather than hiding. Everyone is in the same boat when it comes to starting Uni. You will be fine *hug*

i'm pretty much just like you excpet ive nearly finished my 1st year.
i don't drink either, you can get round that just by avoiding places where people are drinking or even saying you have a liver problem or something medical so you can't drink.
it's great you are having therapy at uni. this is how i cope, i rely heavily on my psychologist.
also, even though you are far away from home (as am i), uni terms are actually really short once you get going in them so before you know it you'll be home again or people will be visitin during holidays. so even though you have more freedom it's not really forever so you still have to keep it together during term time.
my advice is go to therapy!! use it as much as you can to get as much support as possible.
any questions feel free to PM me :)

thank you so much for all of your replies. it's just nice to hear that i'm not alone. really hurt myself last night. :( cant find any other ways to cope with these huge mess of emotions flowing all over the place. even my distractions.. sometimes it is just too much to do anything like that. it's such a release. x

I know sometimes the emotions are just too much to take. It can feel like your suffocating or drowning. It's ok though. :) Tomorrow holds a brand new beginning and opportunity for you. I understand your concern about starting school. It can be scary and intimidating. Remember to keep in mind that a lot of people there will feel very similarly to you. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll find that you are about to meet some very interesting and important characters in the next chapter of your life. :) Good luck!
Much love,
Starla

Just a little thing about drinking. I don't drink. For health reasons. Very few people need to know any more than that about it. I go to parties where alcohol is served and I keep a glass of fizzy drink/soda pop between me and the rest of the room. I can smell the soda pop so the smell of alcohol doesn't bother me!

I've never drunk. I survived uni. I just had friends in a similar situation to me.

It sounds like one of your priorities is to set up a support network. This will probably mean getting your therapy set up, and acessing maybe the uni counselling in the meantime, and getting registered with a GP asap.

One thing I'd like to say is, keep in touch with people. Ring and email them as much as you need to. I did, and it helped a lot. I don't drink too much, and I hardly went out during my freshers week! We stayed in our corridor and drunk what we liked... me, diet coke lol!!! Ooooh... and I had a straw... (yes I'm a nutcase). But seriously, you'll get the groups that go out every week, even some that go out several times a week. But many people at university don't. But that isn't the stereotype. And so people think that uni = drinking. Not for a lot of people.
It's a big learning curve, but ringing home, emailing home, writing back home, can help enormously... and it's cool when you get post! I loved it! Try to enjoy your experience (easier than it sounds I know) and use the support network you already have. If you need a chat, or a ramble, PM me! I don't mind. Oh, and don't apologise for rambling - that's my job (apologising for rambling that is), hehe! xx