Transitions for Wellbeing

Wellbeing is about feeling good and performing well.

There are two aspects to wellbeing (ONS, 2012):

• Personal well-being which is directly connected to people's thoughts and feelings about themselves which encompasses factors such as life satisfaction, good emotions  and a meaningful life.
• Objective well-being is based on notions regarding basic human needs and rights, such as having enough food, physical health, education, and safety.

Wellbeing, therefore, can be understood as the capacity to respond effectively to expected and unforeseen challenges in order to maintain health, happiness, and prosperity at work and in life.

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As international students move into an unfamiliar educational and cultural setting, this can have an impact on their wellbeing as it involves separation from the familiar things one knows, and the creation of new meaningful connections within one’s new environment. This transition can involve change and uncertainty, thus often evoking many strong feelings. Other things that can affect international students' wellbeing can be loneliness, the existence or absence of social support, as well as feelings of disconnection and miscommunication with the people in the host country.

However, there are things within our control that can have a positive impact on our wellbeing.

Resources that can help support your wellbeing in this process of change

Image Building communities of support through relationships Relationships are one of the most essential aspects of our life, yet we frequently overlook how critical they are for our physical and emotional health and well-being.	Image Mental health and international students Mental health involves our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing.
Image Self-reflection for wellbeing Self-reflection is a way of understanding ourselves better, which allows us to appreciate our own unique perspective better.

 

There's never a straight line to transitioning. There's never a straight line to moving into a new place. You see the rocks. When you're climbing the hill, they're not straightforward. They involve milestones and then you later get to the summit or you get to the top. You later go there and it's like-- It's a process to get into that top. For me, the movement, moving into a new place or transitioning into a new place and bringing in new things, it involves a lot of learning and unlearning. You have to get to that place and you have to start learning new things.

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Useful links

If you ever feel you need external support with your wellbeing, most universities will have a dedicated wellbeing service.

Wellbeing services - The University of Edinburgh wellbeing service.