She’s Leaving Home…

As our 18-year old daughter finishes packing en route to her first year of college next week, a bittersweet (ours) yet energizing (hers) fragrance permeates the household.  As if it were yesterday, I lucidly recall the excitement of leaving home for college, feeling ecstatically free and beginning a new chapter in life.   For parents though, the process is a bit different. At the very least, our house will be significantly quieter…less bickering, drama, attitude & sibling rivalry issues.  And it will be very refreshing not to constantly hear “Dad, you’re so stupid“!  Yet, we will obviously miss her.  Fortunately, it is easier than ever to communicate…when I think back to my college days, the main sources of communication were 1) good old fashioned letter writing and 2) using the public phone booth in our dorm to make the call on a dime.   How things have changed…and I’m not even that old!

For stress reduction during this time, I recommend the following:

For parents, the simple act of planning an upcoming visit or trip when your child returns home releases the neurotransmitter dopamine that uplifts mood and spirits.

For your child, a useful strategy for reducing college-test anxiety as recommended by one of my patients is to complete exam preparation the day before the actual test.  For example, if the test is scheduled for Wednesday, complete preparation by Monday so that Tuesday is a more relaxing review day; this strategy helped him reduce his pre-test stress levels, significantly raise his scores and develop work habits that ultimately made him a successful attorney.

For parent and child, set aside a regular time to communicate (at least once weekly) to ensure that needs are met and nothing falls through the cracks.

Michael Miller, MD is Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland USA.  His latest book is   “Heal Your Heart: The Positive Emotions Prescription to Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease“.