After months of summer heat, quiet hallways, and semi-empty parking lots, the Cal Lutheran campus is busy once again. The new semester brings promise, excitement, and change. Lots of change. Maybe even a daunting amount of change if it’s your first semester at college or your first semester here at Cal Lutheran.
Change can be scary which is completely natural and normal. It’s the unknown which I like to call it the “what’s behind the door” moment in a horror movie. Sometimes it’s not the actual change itself that is the overwhelming part, but the anticipation leading up to it that can make you feel anxious. However, sometimes we can mentally prepare ourselves for what might be behind the door. I know that when I came to college, for example, I spent all summer talking to family and friends imagining the idea of it. I researched the campus and looked up future classmates on Instagram. I also spent hours watching vlogs on YouTube of students living their day to day life on campuses around the country preparing myself for what it might be like.
Every semester when we come back to college we all have some degree of change as it’s a new start. It might be your living situation and your roommates, studying abroad, a new job, classes and professors, joining a new club, the list is endless. What’s more, it doesn’t matter how many times you may have started a semester, going through the same process every year, there will always be to some degree a bit of anxiety. Particularly in the fall semester as we’ve been at home for the most part having slower days.
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This is one of my favorite quotes “the only thing predictable about life is its unpredictability.” We should embrace change as it’s one of the only things that will forever be consistent in our lives. What’s more, change doesn’t mean something bad is going to happen, more often than not, change means something good is about to happen.
However, if you are feeling overwhelmed, here are some ideas to help you cope:
- Talk to a friend or a family member
- Focus on the positives of the situation
- Eat well, sleep well and exercise regularly
- Have time to yourself
- Keep routine and be proactive
College-related change can be difficult and even trying at times, but know that everyone has experienced that feeling and understands to some degree what you are going through. Don’t be afraid to talk about it, sometimes it can actually help you feel better about it.
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