Reviewed by Dr. Nicole Gregorio, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Entering into college life at UNLV or leaving home marks a huge milestone – but you knew it wouldn’t come without its challenges! This guide covers how to navigate weeks 3-6 with ease, understanding the difference between common collegiate anxieties and legitimate mental health concerns. More importantly, your student will have access to exceptional telehealth care wherever they may roam within the state of Nevada when they need it most.
There are few milestones more daunting than watching your child enter the life of UNLV – and while there will inevitably be ups and downs along the way, navigating midterm exams, doing laundry, and finding a semblance of freedom tends to cause plenty of worry. You don’t need an expert degree to recognize intense freshman anxiety that parents know all too well through every other conversation, and they certainly are far from rare. Knowing what to expect in this period allows you to recognize when there may be more serious underlying concerns.
Key Takeaways:
- Understanding Weeks 3 Through 6: You already know those first couple weeks were great. Find out why that honeymoon stage passes quickly and what stresses hit during weeks 3 through 6.
- Normal Stress vs. Anxiety Disorder: The difference between normal stresses during those first few years in college and knowing when to get help is something everyone needs.
- Parental Support from Afar: Here’s how you keep supporting your child despite being hundreds of miles away. Telemedicine makes distance meaningless.
Why Weeks 3–6 Are the Hard Part
Dorm rooms and syllabus week get freshmen excited for the first couple weeks. By the time September arrives, it’s clear they were having fun while everything was fresh and exciting. Now that midterms are looming and their laundry needs doing, reality sinks in.
According to figures compiled by both the American College Health Association (ACHA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), young people report experiencing maximum levels of mental distress when undergoing any major transition period. Suddenly, preparing meals, sticking to budgets, and avoiding procrastination overlap with challenging classes at once. That much pressure added all at once? No wonder students fall apart.
Predictability sets in when freshmen encounter the combination of homesickness and tough classes around this time. Understandably, this occurs because students find themselves hitting both at the same time in their semester calendars. Don’t panic; instead, recognize what’s happening and offer compassion.
Normal Adjustment vs. Anxiety Disorder
Scared? Worried? Confused? These are all part of normal freshman experiences, which is completely expected. However, when these feelings evolve past themselves, you cannot expect them just to evaporate on the heels of an exam or activity.
Here are some very important things for which to keep your eyes peeled according to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA):
- Anxiety that persists beyond your actual test/exam/social event. This is abnormal behavior.
- Unusual physical manifestations like chronic headaches, stomach pains, and accelerated heart rate.
- A total withdrawal from anything on campus, whether extracurriculars, socializing, or contacting home. That is not a phase.
- Sudden, drastic changes in academic performance accompanied by an inability to maintain sleep and eating patterns. That is a major problem.
If your child shows signs that fit several of these criteria for several weeks now, professional assessment may well be necessary before things get any worse.
What Parents Can and Cannot Do from a Distance
Watching your child struggle while he’s off to college is gut-wrenching, especially when it’s happening far from home. But knowing what not to do preserves your sanity and builds up your student’s autonomy.
Here are some examples of what you should never do from afar: managing schedules, signing up for classes, or solving roommate conflicts. You simply don’t have this kind of power. Not ever.
Some examples of what you’ll always be able to do? Listen without judgment and empathize with his true feelings. Searching out local resources such as UNLV student mental health programs could help too. You’ll excel by consistently providing your child with an emotional anchor during turbulent times.
Telehealth as the Practical Answer for Students
Trying to fit your UNLV courses leaves very little extra time to get yourself over to yet another building across campus, let alone leave campus entirely for an appointment while feeling overwhelmed as a first-year student. For students seeking college anxiety help in Nevada, telehealth can offer a practical way to access support without adding another trip to an already busy schedule.
Your therapy sessions and psychiatry consultations can fit more easily around lectures, studying, and employment, giving you access to support without having to leave your dorm room. You can also avoid transport issues and the time spent travelling to and from appointments.
For students based in Nevada, telehealth can also make continuity of care easier to maintain. You can continue connecting with the same provider while at home or on campus, depending on your circumstances and the provider’s availability.
Continuity of Care When a Student Leaves for School
When your high school kid has had to manage any anxiety or mood disorder through their teen years, a transition plan is needed for college entry. Stopping everything that works usually results in a return of symptoms in peak stress periods.
Collaboration with the existing health care professionals needs to happen prior to move-in day. Keeping the same relationship intact means that your son or daughter does not suddenly find themselves dealing with new people during a vulnerable time.
Determine whether or not your insurance covers care out-of-state. Planning makes sure that everything keeps going smoothly at times when school stresses hit hard.
How to Start the Conversation
This is an awkward territory to traverse for both the adult and child alike because of the possibility of hurting someone’s feelings with poorly selected words. However, this can be accomplished by dropping subtle cues that would present opportunities within conversation. It should not be done through a series of questions aimed at their performance, but rather through the recognition that they appear mentally sound.
Here are three sample starting points you could use today:
- “You seem really busy lately. How’s your sleep?”
- “There’s nothing wrong with feeling stressed out. Want to talk about anything bothering you?”
- “Do you think we should research some online counseling services to discuss your course load?”
Telehealth across Nevada means your student keeps the same provider whether they’re home or not. When you are ready to give your student steady, compassionate guidance right where they are, the caring team at Arbor Wellness Mental Healthcare is here to help them thrive all semester long.
Sources:
https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/mental-health-on-college-campuses-challenges-and-solutions
https://www.acha.org/about/foundation/what-we-do/impact/stories-testimonials/bringing-evidence-based-mental-healthcare-to-the-masses-at-the-university-of-michigan/
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-to-know-about-homesickness-and-mental-health
https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/how-identify-anxiety-adolescents-and-talk-them
https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/5-tips-navigating-stress-and-anxiety-college
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032716324545
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4527955/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5846318/
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/10/mental-health-campus-care
https://www.nami.org/blog/how-parents-can-support-their-college-students-mental-health
