Life is one big transition.

It’s been just over a year now since I made the move to Stirling. This time last year I was finding my way around a brand new place that was 170 miles from where I had spent the first 18 years of my life.

But now I’m coming back to a place that I love; where I’ve met the most incredible people and had the most amazing experiences.

If someone had told me two years ago that I would be where I am today I honestly would never have believed them. I was scraping my way through my A-levels due to ill mental health and I was so lucky to actually manage to get through them.

Moving away was the break I desperately needed. But leaving behind the support system I fought so hard to get was terrifying. I never thought I would manage without them. But then I realised that almost every single person was in the same position. Starting uni was the most terrifying but exciting thing I’ve ever done.

Joining clubs and societies played a huge role in helping me settle down. Joining the Musical Theatre Society helped me meet some of the best friends I could ever ask for, and it helped to massively boost my confidence. Since I joined I’ve been able to start singing and performing again, which I never thought I would do. I’d finally found something that I adored doing and a place that I felt I fit in. There’s so many societies at university that everyone can find one that they would be interested in, and if not then you can always set up your own.

I still have my battles with my mental health. Just because I moved to uni they didn’t magically disappear. But I’ve found a lot of others who are in the same situation. I’ve built myself another support network at uni that is just as amazing as the one I had at home. There’s plenty of people to help, personal tutors, mentors, counsellors to name a few.

I was never sure whether I could be trusted to live away from home without someone watching me, there was always a constant fear that I would relapse back into what I’d fought so hard to overcome. But that didn’t happen. I realised that I’m strong enough to keep fighting and not go back. Uni taught me that I can get through a bad day using what I’ve learned in the past.

This is the best that I’ve felt in a very long time. Things aren’t perfect but they never will be. The transition can be hard, no one likes change, and its such a huge leap. But it’s so so so worth it and eventually you reach a point where it feels like this is the way that its been all along.