One of the most difficult phases for many young people is living away from their family during university. In this phase, in addition to adapting to the university student routine, many also need to adapt to the student house, be for rent room or to live in a student apartment. This adaptation away from the family environment can impact academic life and life in different ways. mental health of university students.
A good study environment helps with academic performance | Photo: wayhomestudio/freepik.com
In addition to a good structure, with comfortable accommodation and that provide a good space for study, it is important to live in a peaceful environment and with people who share the same goals. It's easier to stay focused when the space and environment as a whole collaborate for it.
Find rooms for rent that spare the student from other concerns related to housing, such as basic monthly bills, can contribute to their well-being. In that case, the student housing da Uliving it is a good option. In addition to having housing made especially for students, it provides accommodation without extra bills, 100% digital rent and does not require a guarantor.
The psychologist and founding partner of 5WB Co-Responsible Development, Caroline Yu, explains how a student house, with adequate space and environment, can positively influence the life of a university student. Read the interview in full:
Living in an appropriate environment, in which the university student has everything he needs at his fingertips, can impact the mental and physical health of this young person in what way?
Caroline Yu: The physical environment can be considered as an extension of our internal environment. That is, we often project what we feel externally and vice versa. An environment that contemplates health positively, with spaces for dialogue, exchanges and experiences can positively impact the mental health of the residents of that space. The opposite can also happen. A tight space, without adequate lighting and with lots of noise can negatively impact any individual's mental and cognitive health.
For example: you must have gone to concerts or parties where the sound of the music was too loud and, after a few hours, you started to feel a slight headache. This is due to overstimulation. It is no wonder that many heavy machinery workers need to use protective equipment (including ear protection) – care within the worker's health area. There is an entire study area for this. It is not surprising then that there is a correlation, in fact, between the environment and a subject's physical and mental health.
However, I like to think that there is a certain difference between the term “space” and “environment”. The physical space is a space like any other and also depends on the interaction with the residents and users of the space to transform it into an environment. An environment that can become welcoming, conducive to studies and productivity, but also to fostering healthy relationships. At the end of the day, it's healthy relationships that can make a big difference in young people's mental health. And from that point of view, the student house can contribute a lot to the promotion of these meetings, in such an important moment of the young person's life.
When the university student lives close to the faculty and has access to activities and events with other colleagues, suitable environments for studies, - as Uliving offers -, can some diseases and/or disorders be avoided? For example, anxiety or depression?
Caroline Yu: I don't know if disorders or illnesses can be avoided, as this is not the real path to health: avoiding pain and suffering. Stress is, unfortunately, part of life as we live it today, with countless tasks to be done in one day, and worries of the days to come. And, having reactions that are consistent with the context is not a bad thing. For example: being stressed with a high load of studies is said to be a reaction within the normal range, as there is in fact a triggering stimulus. And, it serves as a warning to us that we are exceeding our limits - and the body is saying so. The same goes for a situation of loss or sadness – it would be fitting to manifest reactions of crying, sadness, apathy for a certain period. So, if the way is not to avoid pain, perhaps it is to learn to deal in a healthier way with pain that is not inevitable, so that it is not destructive in your process. More than the proper environment for studying, with people who have the same objective – passing the entrance exam or a competition, finding rooms for rent – there is a sense of care and community in environments with a common purpose, as is the case at Uliving.
Naturally, there is something in common in residents who seek this type of student house and this facilitates the establishment of affective bonds. Several studies show the importance and impact that affective bonds can have on our health and well-being. Those who demonstrate strong affective connections are less prone to general illness or cardiac symptoms, for example, than those with weak affective bonds.
Is it possible to maintain these affective bonds during social isolation?
Caroline Yu: In 2020, with the pandemic, we saw the importance of caring for our physical and mental health. But there was also enormous pressure on everyone, having to handle all the tasks fully, without showing weakness or a drop in productivity. How would that be possible or even healthy? This is an example of an inevitable reality. For many, this context was very distressing, and there was indeed an increase in the number of complaints and frames of anxiety and depression. Suddenly, we found ourselves unable to meet with loved ones, faced with a very uncertain health situation. All that was left for us was to learn to deal with this reality: many sought comfort in meditation, yoga, others in home exercises, hobbies, among other activities.
One of Uliving's major actions during this period was to continue promoting, online, the feeling of belonging and community. Even if in a virtual way, I believe that residents feeling welcomed, being part of a group that was learning to deal with the pandemic in various ways, could bring a feeling of subjective protection, of not being alone (alone) facing all of this . Being able to count on support in an institutional way is a great comfort for those who are suffering from anxiety or depression. Being in an environment that offers resources (not just material), but human resources, in the sense of bonds and interactions, have more impacts on mental health and well-being of a subject, of which we are aware or believe.
