College is a time of excitement and new experiences. First quarter is filled with meeting new people, discovering new interests, and investing in certain organizations. However, winter quarter is when the start-of-the-year celebrations die down, and students are faced with a flood of assignments, papers, midterms, and finals. Suddenly, you’re hit by this overwhelming level of sadness that you can’t really explain or understand.

One minute, I was studying the laws of supply and demand, and in the next, uncontrollable tears were bursting out full force.

I forced myself to calm down, and I sat outside my dorm to call my best friend. I tried to stop my voice from shaking and tried to control my breathing. But, when she asked if I was okay, the floodgates suddenly opened.

The freshman blues is a common phenomenon that tends to plague freshmen in college. One can never know when it will strike.You tend to lack motivation, lose your appetite, and feel distant from your friends. You try to pressure yourself and say that you need to study right now, or else you’ll fail your exams and your classes. At the same time, you feel so weighed down by your feelings of sadness, that it renders you powerless and immobilized.

The reason for these feelings is that you are going through a time of transition. In high school, you were surrounded by the same exact people for four years straight.

In college, that is usually four times as big as your high school, you essentially meet new people on a daily basis, and you really have to make an effort and find time to invest in certain people.

In college, education is valued so highly, especially since you have to pay thousands of dollars every year. The classes are more interesting, but definitely more difficult than they had been in the past.

Sometimes, freshman year is when you get a C or lower for the first time in years. It may be the first time you’re in a non-platonic relationship. It could also be the first time that you’re away from your family for several months at a time.

Whatever it may be, these are some of the changes that freshmen may experience and could potentially lead to feelings of anxiety and loneliness.

During these times, we need to realize and remind ourselves that academics aren’t everything. It’s okay to prioritize your health, mentally, physically, and emotionally. It may sound a bit morbid, but does an academic degree really matter once you’re dead? Your health should be your number one priority.

If you are a victim of the freshman blues, acknowledge it and do something about it, but don’t let it consume you. If it comes back, here are some ways to fight against it.

1. Surround yourself with people who love you

When I was going through the freshman blues, I didn’t want to tell anyone about my problems because I didn’t want to be a burden. If these people really love you, they will be willing to do anything and everything to comfort you.

When I finally decided to talk to someone about it, I felt so much relief. That person was willing to listen to me, comfort me, and wait for me as I cried. Although you may be unaware, there are definitely people that love you and are willing to listen to you.

2. Find ways to release your stress

Everyone has their own unique way of releasing stress. For me, watching sad movies with my roommate released the tension and anxiety in my heart. Allowing myself to cry was the best thing I did to relieve my stress. It allowed me to process the fact that I was stressed, and that I needed time to myself.

Some other ways to release stress can be writing down your emotions of a piece of paper, crumpling it up, and throwing it away, or you can participate in the midnight screams, exercise, or go to a counseling session. Letting emotions of anger, sadness, and frustration fester in your heart and mind is unhealthy.

3. Reward yourself, regardless of whether you completed a task successfully or not

In the end, you need to realize that you completed the task, whether it was done successfully or unsuccessfully. Nonetheless, it’s a thing of the past now. There’s nothing you can really do to change what you’ve done, so you need to allow yourself to move on.

4. Smile

It’s one of the easiest ways to boost yourself up. Even if you don’t feel like smiling, frowning will simply just make you feel worse. In the end, you’re trying to get rid of these feelings of sadness, so just go through the actions of smiling. You just need to fake it till you make it by going through the actions, from which the emotions will follow.

College is a time for you to explore new things and meet new people, but remember to never lose yourself in the process. The freshmen blues is definitely something that will pass. Keep going at a pace that is comfortable for you, and remind yourself that you are loved!