I ASKED for this???

Back in the 60s, a couple of psychiatrists took a look at a bunch of medical patients and tried to figure out if there was a link between their illness and the stress in their lives. Their study resulted in the development of something called the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale. Basically, the scale contained a list of stressful events.  The thing I always found interesting is that some of the items on the list are good things, things we celebrate and even work for in life.

What does this have to do with taming the College Beast, you ask? EVERYTHING. Because everyone knows that the Beast lives off of STRESS. It seeks it out and chews it up, shaking its wild head, tearing into the meat of life. The Beast eats stress for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And it is no better fed than your first year of college where stress is served up at every turn. Here are a few of the items listed on the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale that apply to the college experience. Take a look at this list and assess what these stress items have in common.

Change in living conditions

Change in residence

Change in school

Change in social activities

Change in sleeping habits

Change in eating habits

To quote--minus the profanity,of course-- the drill sergeant in the movie Forrest Gump:

“You're a …genius! That's the most outstanding answer I have ever heard.”

Yes, you got it right. Change. Change is really stressful and it is one of the biggest hurdles for first year college students.

Life can change quickly under miserable conditions. Perhaps our mom or dad loses their job or the dog we've had since we were five years old gets sick. Wham. Things are spinning. Life has happened TO us again. It's miserable, yes, but we often know how to handle it when life happens TO us. Plus, we don't feel shy about asking for support for the bad stuff. It's different though when we have worked hard for a happy event, like graduating from high school and achieving our dream of going to college. We only have ourselves to blame. We worked hard and what do we get for our efforts? Change.

The thing to remember is that really awesome changes, even the changes we asked for, are mega-stressful too. And, just like during the hard times, it's okay to ask for help and support during the amazing times. So who is on your support team? Make a list of people and let them know what you need. For you, that list might include a friend, a teacher, or your school counselor. :)

Ask for support even during the good times and you will have the Beast eating right out of your hand.