The poster above my desk tells me to ‘panic and freak out’. At the end of what is apparently ‘Freshers’ week’ (but is, in fact, a true Cambridge example of fitting what other universities do in a week into the space of about three days) I am standing at the foot of a mountain of essays, lectures and supervisions, and – more worryingly – thinking that the poster above my desk might be right.

Like many students across the country, I am stressed. Worries over Chaucer and medieval literature might have ruined my first week, and yet they haven’t yet ruined my term, my year or my time at Cambridge. However, for the annually increasing numbers of students who use the University Counselling service, these worries pose more of an issue.

As well as facing exam pressure, students must leave home for the first time, provide for themselves and lose the comforting structure of school or college. Meanwhile, the student is confronted by hundreds of new people, supposedly meant to make lifelong friends in a matter of days, whilst also finding themselves incarcerated alone with a pile of books in the silence of the library. It’s a stressful time for everyone and, unfortunately, only 3-10% of us will seek help, believing these feelings to be just another part of the Cambridge experience.

Last year, The Tab published three students’ experiences of issues such as depression, eating disorders and self-harm. These students deserve praise for talking about the issues they have faced, and yet in order for their stories to come out, their anonymity had to be preserved. There is still the continued reluctance to speak out about such matters in fear of judgement and misunderstanding.

Admittedly, the British are famous for their stiff upper lip and discomfort when asked to discuss their problems, but why, in a society in which 25% of people will suffer from a mental health problem at some point in their lives, do we find it so hard to talk about our problems and ask for help?

The answer is simple. We are too embarrassed to accept that we are struggling with our own issues when everyone else seems to be in the same boat, whilst students in particular fear scaring off new friends with their own insecurities. Students all over the country are told that these are supposed to be the best years of their lives and as a result, they feel pressured into enjoying themselves with the fear of missing out if they do not.

At Cambridge especially, we all push ourselves on a daily basis to keep up with the fast paced working environment that comes with the daily grind of one of the best universities in the world.

Freshers are thrown headfirst into a world of terrifying reading lists, new and abstract concepts, Saturday lectures and imminent deadlines. They are cajoled by tutors to make the most of their time here and are told by family and friends how lucky they are to be at a university where they can sit in ancient halls and learn from the best minds of the country.

Unsurprisingly, for some, it’s just a bit too much. As Fresher’s week fades into distant memory, another term of working hard and pretending to play harder awaits. So instead of relying on the advice of a poster, why not speak to someone first and stop attempting to ‘carry on’