Mental health
Living and studying in a new country can be hard, even if you’re excited about your new adventure! It’s normal to feel homesick or lonely. Some students may feel depressed. However, there are things you can do to improve your wellbeing.
Loneliness
New country, new course, new people – it’s not surprising if you feel a bit lonely when you start studying in New Zealand. This is a big change in your life and you might feel like there’s no one for you to really talk to.
When you feel lonely it’s really important to speak to others. Feeling lonely can make you lose confidence and so you end up even more isolated than before. It might feel really hard to do something about your loneliness, but taking action is the best way to make yourself feel more positive.
If you’re feeling lonely, there are lots of things to try:
- look after yourself – get enough sleep, eat well and stay active.
- communicate with your friends and family back home and let them know how you're feeling.
- connect with others – there are lots of students in the same situation as you and they’re probably hoping that someone will say 'hi' to them. Try to be the person who says 'hi' first!
- seek out people who have similar interests or enjoy similar activities, such as sport, cultural groups, meetups or volunteering. Don't be afraid to ask a teacher, student adviser or friend to help you sign up to a sports team, cultural group or volunteering programme.
- make an effort to talk to people and go to events, even if you don’t always feel like it.
- check out our suggestions for making friends in New Zealand.
Tip: Remember that developing friendships takes time. You might really be helping someone else, as well as yourself!
Homesickness
You don’t have to be far from home to miss your friends and family or feel out of place. Feeling homesick is a natural part of getting used to a new culture, a new environment and new routines.
Sometimes it’s hard to know whether you're feeling homesick. You might be sad and tearful, angry and anxious, or you might feel numb and unmotivated. Being homesick can make you lose confidence and you might feel like life in New Zealand is just too tough.
These are all normal feelings, which means you're experiencing what others experience, so try not to be hard on yourself. As time goes on, you’ll find it easier to adjust to life here and you’ll appreciate the differences to your home country.
If you're feeling really homesick, here are some things to try:
- remind yourself how well you’ve done – you’re studying in a new country – congratulations! It's a big challenge and you can’t expect everything to be like it is at home.
- making new connections with people really helps. Introduce yourself to people in your classes and study groups.
- you might not feel like exercising but it can help to lift your mood. Even a walk outside can help.
- keep in touch with your family and friends back home. Skype(external link that opens in a new tab), FaceTime(external link that opens in a new tab), Snapchat(external link that opens in a new tab), WeChat(external link that opens in a new tab) and WhatsApp(external link that opens in a new tab) make it easy!
- keep doing things you enjoy and stick to your regular routines to make sure you’re eating properly and getting enough sleep. Stay away from short-term solutions like alcohol or drugs.
Tip: Be kind to yourself! Everyone feels homesick at some point in their lives. This doesn't mean that you're failing. Remember, homesickness won't last forever!
Depression
Everyone has days when they feel like everything is too hard to deal with. If these feelings don’t go away and you feel there’s nothing positive about your situation then you might need some help.
Depression is very common, but it’s also often misunderstood. If you have depression you might:
- feel constantly sad.
- lose interest in your normal activities.
- cry for no obvious reason.
- feel annoyed, worried or anxious.
- have no energy.
- feel like there’s no meaning in life.
- have trouble concentrating.
- have trouble sleeping or eating.
- lack motivation.
- lose interest in seeing friends.
- have suicidal thoughts.
If you have feelings like this for more than two weeks you should talk to a friend, student advisor, teacher or doctor.It’s really important to do this as soon as you can so you can get help to feel better.
Tip: Sometimes asking for help can be hard, especially in a new country. Most New Zealanders are pretty comfortable talking about depression and mental health. A famous All Black rugby player John Kirwan wrote a book about it to let New Zealanders know that even an All Black can struggle with depression. You're not alone. With the right help, you will get better.
Getting help
If your feelings of homesickness, loneliness or depression aren’t going away, it’s a really good idea to talk to someone. Communicate with your friends and family back home and be honest with them about your feelings. Sometimes just having a long talk with people you trust can help you put everything in perspective.
If you’re not comfortable talking with friends or family, it can be helpful to talk to someone where you're studying (like a teacher, student adviser or lecturer) or talk to a doctor. They will be able to connect you with others who can help. All universities in New Zealand have confidential counselling services that are likely covered by your insurance.
There are also lots of community services that offer free counselling services that are confidential (this means that what you tell the counsellor is not shared with anyone else).
Service to get help
Here are some services you could try:
- 1737, need to talk? (external link that opens in a new tab)– free 24–hour phone or text counselling service with trained counsellors for anyone feeling down, anxious, overwhelmed, or depressed. Text or call 1737. If you're having trouble calling with this number, call 0800 1737 1737.
- The Lowdown (external link that opens in a new tab)– free 24-hour counselling for anyone feeling down, stuck, anxious or depressed. Phone 0800 111 757 or text 5626. You can also email or webchat.
- Anxiety New Zealand (external link that opens in a new tab)– free 24-hour phone counselling for people with anxiety or anyone feeling anxious. Phone 0800 269 4389.
- Samaritans (external link that opens in a new tab)– free 24-hour phone counselling for anyone feeling lonely, stressed at work or study, sad or depressed, or having relationship or family problems, or thinking about suicide. Phone 0800 726 666.
- Lifeline (external link that opens in a new tab)– free 24-hour phone counselling with qualified counsellors and trained volunteers for anyone who is feeling lonely, sad or bullied, having relationship or work problems, or thinking about suicide. Phone 0800 111 777 or text ' Help' to 4357.
- Alcohol Drug Helpline(external link that opens in a new tab) – free 24–hour phone counselling service with trained counsellors for anyone having problems with alcohol or drugs or concerned about someone else drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Call 0800 787 797.
- Healthline (external link that opens in a new tab)- free 24-hour phone service for health advice and information from a trusted registered nurse. Phone 0800 611 116. For health-related calls about COVID-19, call 0800 358 5453.
- Asian Family Services(external link that opens in a new tab) - free, professional and confidential support for people who speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai and Hindi languages. If you would like to speak with a qualified counsellor, you can contact the Asian Helpline, 0800 862 342 (available Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm).
Tip: Don’t forget to stay connected with your friends and family back home. You don't have to say everything is fine and you're having a great time – try to be honest. There is no shame in sharing your true feelings, we all need some help sometimes.
What to do in an emergency
If it's an emergency and you're seriously concerned about your immediate safety or someone else's immediate safety because you or someone else is harming themselves or others, phone 111 and ask for the ambulance, or go to the Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) of your nearest hospital. You can also call your district health board's mental health crisis assessment team(external link that opens in a new tab).
Sometimes if someone is feeling lonely or depressed enough they may think about suicide. If you've been having thoughts like this, phone Lifeline(external link that opens in a new tab) on 0800 111 777 or text 'Help' to 4357 any time.
This is free 24-hour service that is confidential (this means they won't tell anyone what you have said unless you want them to). If you're worried about a friend, this helpline can also help you understand how to help your friend.