Stress: A physiological response to environmental factors.

Example: Having missed nearly one third (or more) of the semester thus far due to nasty weather.

Going to college is a fairly stressful event because of all the changes we must go through to be successful.

Recent class cancellations due to inclement weather have heightened those feelings of stress for students, faculty, and staff.

Unlike public education, colleges have firm start and end dates, so we all have to find ways to catch up while we keep up with the current week’s expectations.

Feeling overwhelmed by stress can cause us to do things that only make our situations worse instead of better. We tend to eat too much or not enough. We sleep too much or lie awake fretting about our situation. We may smoke or drink or self medicate with other substances.

As it becomes harder to focus, we get caught up in more unhelpful behaviors.

The best strategy right now is to take a few precious moments to really assess where we are. What did you miss by not being in class?

How is your professor planning to handle that lost time? Where can you find some extra time to pull yourself out of this hole? What do you need to do to also stay current with new objectives and learning?

Once you can begin to answer these questions, you can develop a strategy that will put you back in control so that you can move forward.

While this isn’t the best position to be in, try to view it as another learning experience and keep a positive perspective. Life isn’t always ideal, but it can be lived successfully.