Last Sunday, I had spent the day beginning the daunting task of packing my belongings to be opened again on August 22, 2018: freshman move-in day. And as I was packing, I had begun to feel some nerves about starting college. Dozens of items I needed to purchase flashed through my mind, and I was in no way organized yet. The realization that college was actually happening hit me, and it wasn’t just a part of my imagination anymore. In a few weeks, I would be living on my own, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready or not. I tried not to worry, and in an attempt to alleviate some of my anxiety I decided to sleep in a freshly made bed for the night. The feeling of clean, soft bed sheets has always been a small de-stressor for me, something comforting.
From the linen closet, I picked out a clean mattress cover and started to fold it over the corners of my bare mattress. First corner, second, third, and then the last. And for a moment I laid on top of the thin, clean sheet, spread out like a starfish, staring up at the ceiling of my bedroom. In an instant, I became completely zen, blank, and frozen. The heat from the gold Christmas lights hanging next to me tickled the hair on my arms, and it created a gold, pink cast on my skin. I lifted my left hand, barely touched the tiny bulbs, and I glanced over at the pictures I had taped to the walls of my bedroom: Renaissance paintings and clippings from magazines. What I was seeing and feeling was familiar and comforting. For a moment my environment grounded me. The soft texture of the clean linen beneath my body gave me immense serenity, and for the first time that day I knew that I was going to be okay in college.
This small moment of calm after a snippet of anxiety that I experienced was not long, and at most, it took up three minutes of my night. But the feeling of familiarity and comfort eased my anxiety about starting college, and this tactic is something that we can all use during this transition period. Whether it’s hanging pictures on the walls of your dorm room, creating a Spotify playlist with songs that feel nostalgic, or changing your bed sheets, find something comforting that brings you serenity. It doesn’t have to be extravagant at all; it just has to calm you down. Taking three to five minutes each day to alleviate the stress that has built up will help during this change, and throughout your entire college career. Whatever small de-stressor you have will ease your nerves, and just recognizing anything familiar during this time of change can bring you back to calm.
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