If you’ve ever been to another county for an extended amount of time, you’ve probably experienced at least some of the stages of culture shock. The first stage is the honeymoon period. At the beginning, everything is rosy. You love everything about your new surroundings and people—the new culture. But, after a while, this feeling dissipates, and you’re left feeling frustrated.
Frustration is the second stage of culture shock, and you may be in that stage at college right now, almost two months after the start of the semester. If you aren’t there now, give it about two weeks because midterms are right around the corner. I’m not here to tell you the stresses and pressures of college, being away from home, and midterms are going away. College is college. It’s going to be what it is, but there are ways for you to adapt or adjust.
Your old friends aren’t moving to college with you, so you might as well find some new ones. Your high school teachers aren’t moving in to tutor you, so you may at well consider your professors’ office hours your new second home. And your family isn’t sending over their home-cooked meals through the mail, so you better learn to make the most of your meal plan. Now is the time for you to establish new habits—habits to deal with stress and even loneliness. Now is a perfect time to pick up my 30-day challenge again or to re-listen to the 7-day devotional on Giving God Your Best in College. If my devotional is fresh in your mind, then you already know I think campus ministry and local churches are great places to make connections, and the sooner the better. Do something new today to help yourself connect to habits that can help you stay grounded in your faith and connected to the God who loves you. Let this scripture inspire you:
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” -Isaiah 43:18-19
