Relationships

Growing up, we are part of a family, with different environments, and sometimes, we like to believe that ours is the perfect one. Once you go to university, you become more independent, you develop new bonds and relationships, and that might sometimes mean that you grow apart from your own family. Even though our closest family is there for support when we have a problem, we might feel like they cannot relate to what we are going through or that they might judge us, and that is when I would recommend asking a professional for advice.

All families have their own dynamics and when we realise that no one is perfect we might feel out of place and misunderstood. A Psychologist can help us find new perspectives and a healthier way of dealing with life.

Having good friends means having people to share both good and bad moments with us throughout life. On one hand, we should feel comfortable to share our feelings, and worries with them, ask for advice, vent and have deep talks. On the other hand, they are also the ones that make you laugh, have fun and that you share a deep connection with.

Friends are part of our lives in different ways. They can emotionally help us with a specific need or facing challenges. Friends listen and give advice, which can also improve our self-esteem. Our identity, beliefs and views of the world are heavily impacted by our friends and the social context we are part of, especially during our academic journey.

Having trustworthy, respectful and accepting close friendships will most likely have a positive on us, and can be different from the relationships we share with family members or romantic connections.

Strong friendships promote health and allow anxiety to decrease. Nevertheless, sometimes individuals go through rough patches with friends, and that is a normal part of a friendship too.
When we go through these difficulties with our friends, we can consider it as a growth opportunity of building stronger and deeper connections in the future.

Even when we have friends, we might, at times, feel lonely or that they are ignoring us or just not paying enough attention. If this situation and feelings sound familiar to you, speaking with a psychologist might be a good option, so you can understand what you are feeling and get support.

It is a big personal investment to go through university and live a full academic life. Studying requires time, motivation and a lot of dedication to complete demanding academic tasks. At the same time, our years at university are supposed to be of self-discovery and character building, of fun and of growing strong relationships with others.

Having love and affection in our lives affects our mental well-being, and it has an impact across all other life areas, especially when attending university.

If you would like to talk about your love life or if you don’t feel valued in the relationship you are currently in, you can seek a psychologist. Talking about your feelings, struggling to cope with jealousy, dealing with an abusive relationship or struggling to get over a breakup are fair reasons to talk to a psychologist who can help.

We all express ourselves in a different way, and this diversity improves our interactions and overall wellness.
Being sexually healthy is a physical, emotional, social and mental state of well-being.

It is very normal to have questions if you are planning on having sexual intercourse or if you already are sexually active.

SASNOVA have developed a protocol for scholarship students that focuses on women’s health and that has available both gynecologist and family planning appointments.

Below are some useful links in case you want to find out more information about sexuality:

• Sexuality Support Line
• Sexuality Support Line Instagram
• Portuguese Sexology Association

We all have preconceived ideas about ourselves and about others in terms of behaviours, traits and expectations, which are linked with gender roles, which may change according to the culture, society and/or historical context we live in. The concept of gender is also attached to relationships between men and women and is at the basis of other identity and gender expression related concepts.

Our gender is shown in the way we express ourselves, be it through our behaviour, looks (i.e. clothing), our verbal and body language. Gender expression is solely about what people can see by looking at us. Gender identity is the inward feeling of identifying as female or male.

These concepts are different from that of sex, which refers to the biological characteristics that define us as man or woman and the sexual characteristics, which are of a physical nature, that is, primary sexual traits, like internal and external genitals, and secondary sexual traits, which include muscle mass, body hair and how it is distributed, stature and voice tone.

Sexual orientation is linked with affection, that is, it refers to who people feel attracted to, either affectively or sexually, despite of what sex they may have. Sexual orientation may manifest itself in a continuum throughout one’s lifespan or it can also flow and change as time goes by.