Mental Health Resources & Support

Fall Semester 
 

September Stressors 

• Homesickness, especially for those who have never lived away from home.
• Fears of inadequacy or not fitting in. 
• Longing for the strong friendships left behind at home or in high school. 
• Getting to know new people, making college friends, and finding an initial niche (someone to go to meals with, someone to hang out with). 
• Ending summer romances or maintaining long-distance romantic relationships. 
• Adjustment to living with roommates. 
• Learning to take care of daily personal needs without parental direction or support: organization, laundry, expenses, eating well, health care, adequate sleep, housekeeping, responsible socializing, etc. 
• Challenges of managing freedom. Making lifestyle decisions regarding drug and alcohol experimentation, morality, class attendance, and social pressures. 
• Learning time management and dealing with the college work load, which is often surprisingly more than that of high school.

• Academic demands increase prior to Thanksgiving break; poor study and time management skills manifest themselves. 
• Consequences of poor judgment during early semester may arise (remorse over sexual behavior, notices about academic deficiencies, campus judicial system, etc.). 
• Mid-term pressures may weaken one's immune system: colds, stress-related illnesses arise. 
• Mid-term grades are issued. 
• Some first-year students may experience depression and increased anxiety because adjustment seems too slow. 
• For student and their families, Thanksgiving break is often the first extended trip home from school.

November - December Stressors 

• For first-year students, the novelty is wearing off. They may begin to realize that life at college is not the ideal they imagined. Old problems may continue, and new challenges are added. 
• Roommate and social tensions may arise prior to vacations. 
• Colds, stress-related illnesses increase. 
• Most first-year students have an initial group of friends; others experience tension as friendships shift to other groups. Some may question college choice as loneliness and adjustment are still an issue. 
• Financial strain because of planned holiday gifts and travel expenses, funds from parents and summer earnings may have begun to run out. 
• Between semester employment search begins. 
• Extracurricular time strain: seasonal parties, social service projects, and religious activities divert student energies. 
• Pressures increase as final exams approach and papers are due. 
• Roommate and social tensions increase as all students are under stress. 
• Romantic relationships: deciding how to weather the month-long separation.
• Pre-holiday worries, especially for those who have concerns for family, those who have no home to visit, and for those who prefer not to go home because of family conflicts.   

Spring Semester  

January - February Stressors 

• Readjustment to school and again being away from home security and friends. 
• Seasonal depression and lethargy are at their peak due to weather, darkness, lack of outdoor activities, isolation. College has lost its novelty. 
• Friends experience loss as some students don't return. 
• Colds, flu, and snow days may interfere with academic performance.   

March Stressors 

• Social scene picks up; decisions increase about drug and alcohol use, morality, and time management. 
• Academic pressure may begin to mount because of procrastination, difficulty of coursework, and lack of time. Stress exhaustion or depression may occur. 
• Mid-term exams and term papers are all due at once. 
• Roommate and social tensions may increase as all students are stressed. 
• Spring Break decisions, money issues, job or peer trip plans must be made. 
• Students want and need time to play or catch up academically. Spring Break provides needed relief. 
• Determining whom to room with and where for the fall semester are of great importance and may cause stress. Roommate tensions may escalate. 
• Mid-term grades are issued.

April Stressors 

• Many students experience optimism because the second semester is perceived as on the "downhill slope." 
• Spring fever sets in: students want to play and socialize. 
• Academic pressures continue to increase; papers and exams are piling up. 
• Colds, allergies, stress-related illnesses increase. 
• The full activities calendar invites participation and challenges time management. 
• Summer job and housing pressures begin. 
• Frustration and confusion may develop because of decisions necessary for choosing a major, pre-registration. 
• End of the semester nears; sadness begins due to anticipation of separation from friends for the summer or due to graduation. 

May Stressors 

• Final exams begin; pressure to finish incomplete work. 
• Plans for summer school, travel, work, housing, must be in place. 
• Roommate and social tensions may arise prior to vacation. 
• Sadness over leaving friends, deciding the destiny of romantic relationships for the summer. 
• Worry over facing conflicts at home with family, making the transition back to living at home. 

1. Get Involved - Involvement in college activities such as clubs, sports, student organizations, or other activities that take place outside of the classroom can help you feel as if they are a part of your environment. College involvement can also help relieve some of the everyday stress associated with classes and studying as well as meet and interact with new people on campus.
2. Stay Positive - Maintaining an optimistic attitude and interacting with others who have a positive attitude can help when feeling overwhelmed by meeting new people, adjusting to new professors, studying, and college life in general.
3. Go to Class! Attending classes is one of the most important student responsibilities. Your academic success and successful time management is dependent upon good attendance. 
4. Party Smart - While partying within reason is to be expected, it is important to do so wisely and safely. Excessive partying can interfere with academic performance. It can also be dangerous. Try to keep partying to the weekends or nights when you do not have class to attend the following day. 
5. Stay on Campus When you Can - When possible, stay on campus. Submerge yourselves into the college experience can allow you to develop independence and autonomy.
6. Eat and Sleep Well - It is important to make the effort to get a full night's rest and to eat healthy meals for your academic and physical health. 
7. Practice Good Stress Management - Stress is an inevitable part of college life. Learn how to manage that stress so that it does not interfere with your education or affect your health.
8. Communicate Productively - New college students may feel uncomfortable when it comes to communicating their needs. Be assertive with others so that your needs are met but do so in ways that respect others and their differences.
9. Maintain Healthy Relationships -  Maintaining a healthy relationship with both new and old friends who support you is important. Put effort into resolving conflict in ways that honor yourself and others. 
10. Stay Focused - Academic life requires you to focus and concentrate. Work to avoid and reduce things that interfere with your concentration. 

• Purchase an organizer/planner.
• Identify the task and what you might need.
• Appropriate work space.
• Correct tools.
• Make note of your "best" or peak time of day.
• Be disciplined about distractions.
• Put things away when you're done.
• Planning
• Think through the steps of the task before you begin.
• Set specific goals. 
• Make an overall plan or outline. 
• Evaluate how you will spend your time and if this is the best way to complete the task. 
• Create a realistic daily and weekly schedule. 
• Be realistic about time - people often underestimate how long things take. 
• Allow time for unplanned/unscheduled activities. 
• Don't plan to do more than you can do. 
• Prioritizing 
• Big picture first - details later.
• Prioritize daily and weekly activities. 
• Monitor your activities. 
• Do only what's important. 
• Stay focused. 
• Take responsibility for each delay.   

• Set your room up with something familiar from home. 
• Make an effort to talk to someone new. 
• Try to leave your door open sometimes when you are sitting in your room; someone might pass by and say 'hello.' 
• Get into activities which build up a storehouse of good new memories for you. 
• Talk to someone else about how you feel - any new student will probably feel much the same as you do. 
• Invite a friend from home to visit, sharing with them aspects of your new life at college eases the transition. 
• Respond to the invitations of others to places or events where you will meet more people. 
• It is hard to let go of home, but calling home too often in the first few weeks may prolong homesickness for you. 
• Recognize that this is a grief experience. Have a good cry; it is nothing to be ashamed of, when you're really feeling down. 
• Jot down thoughts, experiences, and dreams in a journal, and try to make some sense out of the different pieces. 
• Be kind to yourself - it is okay to miss home and perfectly normal. After all, you have spent most of your life there until now, so tears can be cleansing. 
• You can get help to work out creative ways of dealing with homesickness from the counselors in the Student Personal Counseling Center (SPCC).