With planners in hand and a book bag full of freshly sharpened pencils, students make their way to campus for a brand new semester and a new year. Organization and health living seems to be a priority, but a healthy mind ranks even higher for many.
Eric Bloch, Auburn University Student Counseling Services psychologist, offered helpful tips and guidance on how to sustain a healthy mind and a solid sense of self at the beginning and throughout the semester.
Q: What are the most common hesitations and problems for students at the beginning of a semester?
A: "At the beginning of the semester there is a lot of excitement, people coming back after summer or winter break, seeing their friends again, seeing the town and getting settled back in. That being said, they know that stress is coming. They know what is going to happen. They know the semester is going to be hard. There is a mixture of excitement and trepidation, a little bit of fear and anxiety."
Q: What are ways to deal with the fear that comes with the start of a new semester?
A: "The best way is do to it coming from the front end. You don't want to put yourself in a position where you are in the middle of the semester and you are struggling and then you are having to figure out what to do. The best thing anyone can do is have a plan going in before the semester even starts. Know what you like to do, know what you do for fun and know what you do to relax and get that in your schedule before classes start. When you have tests and papers do you have a plan of how to handle the stress."
Q: What are practical steps to ensure positivity through the semester?
A: "Planning. I use my phone. You should put school schedules, test, classes and work in the planner so you can see it. Put in other activities as well. 'This is what time I'm going to work out.' 'This is when I'm putting the homework away to hang out with friends.' Those are the things you can do, make concrete steps to make things easy for you because when you are already stressed out you don't want to think about what your plans were to relax."
Q: What should you look for in an accountability partner to keep your spirits high and your mind on track?
A: "I would look for someone ideally in the same major, so their stress level will be almost the same. Then you are able to help each other out. Anyone who is understand, someone who knows you, who knows how you react to stress and how to calm you down if you are overwhelmed. They should know how to get you out of the bad mindset and get you out to do something that is actually fun or creative or relaxing."
Q: What are mental reminders to assist oneself in keeping a positive mindset?
A: "I think the most important reminders when you are in a bad place for any reason at all is remembering what's good in your life. When you are in a bad place you get tunnel vision and all you can see is what's going wrong. Take five minutes, take 10 minutes, take as much time as you can and think about the last thing you did that was fun, the last thing you were really excited about or enjoyed. This will recharge you a little bit."
Q: When worse comes to worse, what is the first move someone should make?
A: The first move is to ask for help. It can be from a friend, a parent, a girlfriend, boyfriend, professor, tutor or [counseling services]. We offer the professional side of the help, but help doesn't just come from us. Anybody is able to help. It is the first step and the hardest step. It's hard to say, 'Look, I need help.'"
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