College Student Stress During the Holidays
Be prepared for major college student stress and family structure change once a teenager reaches college age. Most college age children leave home for the first time and begin to experience what it is like to be free to make their own decisions in life. Many parents, at this time, experience separation anxiety. They know that they have to let go, and while some even look forward to this time, many experience the stress of time marching on.
As a young adult it’s an exciting time for the college student, but also a time of anxiety about the unknown. By the time the first holiday comes along there will be new and additional stress for the college student as they anticipate the holidays and returning home. This will most likely be the first time in several months both the college student and their families will each have their own expectations, and usually they will differ.
William B. Burns, director of counseling services at St. Lawrence University, states in an article entitled, Home for the Holidays: How College Students and Their Parents Can Survive:
“Parents often assume their student will spend significant amounts of time with the family, while the student has plans to spend every night visiting old friends.
“Another common area of conflict is parents’ reluctance to see the student as an adult and to adjust house rules to the new adult status felt by the student, and to the freedom the student has been enjoying since school began.”
College Student Stress When Parents and Friends Lives Move On
Not only is the life of the college age student moving forward during the months of separation, but the lives of parents, siblings and friends are also moving forward. When a college student returns home to find a different life than he or she left a few months back, that can cause great stress. It often takes some time for the student and others to adjust. While that adjustment is taking place holiday celebrations are often affected.
How Hypnotherapy Can Help a College Student Deal with Holiday Stress
Beth Snyder, a hypnotherapist in Florida, has stated in an article she wrote, Holiday Hypnosis! A gift to help you avoid holiday stress:
“Your subconscious mind is controlling your behavior 90% of the time. Your subconscious is designed to help you achieve what you believe you want, if you hold onto a belief that the holidays will be stressful, then that is what you will get and your subconscious will support you in that.”
When an adult or a young adult college student recognizes that they are not dealing well with the stress of the holidays they are giving themselves a precious gift when they seek professional help from a certified hypnotherapist. With my help college students will be able to put things into perspective. The earlier in the holiday season, or in the pre-holiday season, that help is sought the better. I can assist a college student in recognizing that adapting to change is a positive of adult life. As families and friends change and grow, precious traditions and rituals will often change as well. Learning to accept family members and friends as they are is a mature way of dealing with life. Most of all, hypnotherapy can help the college student know that they are not the only ones who are dealing with the stress of the holidays.
Contact today (510) 253-3549 for a hypnosis session over your next break to help to break the stress cycle.