The Mood Booster Podcast

45. Surviving or Thriving: Reflecting on Studenthood

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The Home of Wellbeing and Joy 

Welcome to Episode 45 of The Mood Booster Podcast. In this episode, we explore the emotional reality of student hood in 2025. Recorded with Josh Robinson, founder of the London Student Network, at King’s College London’s Entrepreneur Institute, this conversation focuses on identity, belonging, pressure, and wellbeing during one of the most intense life transitions. 

Studentship is often framed around grades and productivity, but for many it is a period of identity formation, uncertainty, loneliness, and comparison. Drawing on UK research showing rising levels of stress and loneliness among students, particularly in London, we unpack why so many students feel they should be thriving while quietly struggling. 

Using psychology and lived experience, we explore emerging adulthood, social identity, and the pressure to have life figured out too early. We discuss loneliness in dense cities, the impact of constant change on belonging, and the pressures created by academic expectations, career anxiety, cost of living stress, and comparison culture. 

This is a grounding and validating episode for anyone navigating university feeling unsure, overwhelmed, or stuck between surviving and thriving. 

🎧 In this episode, we reflect on 

  • Student hood as a period of identity transition
  • Emerging adulthood and why uncertainty is normal
  • Social identity, comparison, and belonging
  • Loneliness in London and the density paradox
  • The impact of transience on friendships
  • Academic pressure, perfectionism, and fear of failure
  • Career anxiety and cost of living stress
  • Finding balance between control and flexibility
  • Small, repeat connections that protect wellbeing 

    • 🛠 Practical Advice for Listeners 

    • Build micro communities through small repeat interactions
    • Lower the pressure to define yourself too quickly
    • Use grounding practices during periods of overwhelm
    • Reframe identity as flexible and evolving
    • Seek belonging through consistency rather than intensity
    • Borrow support rather than pushing through alone 

      • This episode is about normalising uncertainty, reducing self blame, and reminding students that thriving does not mean having everything figured out. Sometimes it means staying connected, staying curious, and staying kind to yourself. 

      📍 Pillars Explored 

      Community and Connection, Introspection and Inspiration, Wellbeing and Joy 

      📚 References Cited in This Episode 

      None LOL! 

      🔔 Don’t forget to follow and review, it really helps us grow 

      📲 Follow us for more: 

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      🌍 Website: www.themoodbooster.co.uk 

      🎥 Prefer video? Watch this episode on YouTube @TheMoodBoosterOfficial 

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      The Mood Booster PodcastBy Charlie and Marcus