The Stress of College

Keep Yourself Stress-free

One of my biggest worries, when my kids left for college, was would they be able to handle the stress of college life. There are a lot of things to juggle when they are away at school for the first time. Besides the adjustment of living away from home, they are now dealing with classes, homework, and exams that are all heading them down the path for their future. Being able to cope with new situations, parties, new friends, can be a lot for many new college students. I encourage you to talk to your child often, even if they don’t want to, just to make sure that they are adjusting well no matter what year they are in. Thankfully, UMD offers different ways to cope with the stress of college.

At the University of Maryland, there is a Health and Wellness center that offers various consultations and services that help relieve the stress of college. This center offers individual stress management consultations that allow students to work one-on-one with a health education addressing issues related to stress. These appointments are there to identify sources of stress, learning ways to manage stress, goal setting, and skill-building.

Another service this center offers is relaxation training. Students can meet one-on-one with a health educator to discuss specific mind and body concerns and practice relaxation techniques. These counselors will teach relaxation techniques that will help students cope better with daily stressful situations. Some of the practices they will be able to learn are deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided imagery. Students should take advantage of these free services and make appointments by contacting the center by phone at (301) 314-8128 or emailing health@umd.edu.

UMD offers a great program for stress management called Wags for Wellness. Wags for Wellness is a program of the University Health Center that allows students to connect with volunteer therapy dogs up to three times a month right on campus. These visits are free to all students and are a great outlet for emotional wellbeing connecting you with loving animals while you wait to see your own family pet at home. UMD offers eight tips that work towards practicing self-care. Students can incorporate these tips into their everyday lives and can develop their own strategies that work for them.

• Seek out Healthy Supports
• Nourish yourself Daily
• Take a Deep Breath
• Connect
• Laugh
• Get Some Rest
• Treat Yourself
• Express Yourself

It is also important to remind your student of simple ways to prevent stress such as maintaining a good diet and Eating Healthy, sleeping enough hours, drinking water, and taking time for themselves. When my daughter complains that she is overwhelmed and stressed, I always make sure that she is eating and getting plenty of rest. Many times, we overlook the importance of this. Remind your students of the basic rules of preventing stress like avoiding procrastination and staying away from stimulants (drinking coffee and energy drinks to fuel late-night study binges can inevitably lead to a crash later on).  Of course, setting realistic expectations is also a wise way to decrease stress levels.

There is no doubt that UMD cares about the mental wellness of its students.  They realize that the college experience can be stressful and provide many ways to help. The key is asking for help and learning to work through it. And hey, a care package can always lift spirits!  Check out our blog on care package ideas here.

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