Every year our campus overflows with new students. Do you ever wonder what life is like for them? Can you take yourself back to your freshman year and remember all the thoughts going through your head? Different places, new faces, and not any family in sight. All of these components can lead to homesickness, which causes stress. Common symptoms of stress overload can be body aches, skin problems, and extreme changes in behavior. Changes in appetite can also occur which can result in an eating disorder, malnutrition or obesity. Other serious signs are sleepless nights and drug and alcohol abuse.
Students have foundways to cope with stress and anxieties of homesickness.
Jasmine Herron, a freshman, states that she really likes PV but she misses her friends back home because it is hard to make friends with other girls in her building, but realizes that as long as she makes school her first priority, everything will be alright. She did admit that Panther Week helped her adjust to college life.
There are many ways to cope with stress. A local psychologist, who wishes to keep his identity confidential, outlines techniques on how to lessen day -to- day stress: waking up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning will give you more time to gather materials needed for school, be prepared to wait in long lines especially at the beginning of a semester, try not to associate with people who worry too much because they will inevitably cause you to do the same Keep your house and school materials organized so you can find needed items quickly, don’t agree to tasks you don’t have time to complete and, last but not least, do not procrastinate. Don’t put important things off until the last minute. These are all helpful tips that will help students deal with stress.
If you are dealing with homesickness, call home and talk to friends and family who love you. Involving yourself in activities and surrounding yourself with people you enjoy will make the transition to college life much better. Take care of yourself, stay up on your school work, and surround yourself with good people and adjusting to college life will be a breeze.