Emotional Balance

College is a very emotional-filled time for most people. There are many excitements, but stress and the unknown can also cause sadness, hopelessness, fear, and feelings of being overwhelmed. The first step in finding and maintaining emotional balance is to identify the stressors of college life that can take such a toll on the emotions of a student. Some of these stressors, which can be positive or negative, may be:

• Leaving the familiarity of family and friends.
• Experiencing a new environment alone.
• Adapting to the natural relationship changes within family.
• Discovering the high academic demands.
• Finding financial freedom and responsibility.
• Developing a new and possibly very different social life.
• Being exposed to new kinds of people and concepts.
• Preparing for the future.

Because these demands on an emotional system can be very taxing, it is important to balance the emotions. By setting attainable goals (though not too low), learning to prioritize responsibilities, developing your time-management skills, finding ways to relax and unwind, and talking to someone about how you are feeling, you can minimize the negative impact that the strong positive and negative emotions have on your body and mind. Work hard to make many new friends, try to live a healthy life complete with a balanced diet and exercise, and give your body enough rest. These steps can help prepare you for living a life of emotional balance, something that is crucial not only in college but also for the rest of your life.