Kayla Bell-Consolver, the director of Drake’s Student Counseling Center, shared this helpful document with me.  It was created by Amber Willis, a counselor with the center, primarily to help students as they study abroad this spring—but: I think it is very useful for faculty who may encounter student mental health concerns with from-abroad returning students, advisees who are abroad, and … well …. just about anyone on campus dealing with continual disruptions and stress (ourselves included). I hope you find these tips useful to share with students and colleagues alike.

Taking care of your mental health while studying abroad
Although studying abroad is an exciting time, it is a time of many changes and adjustments. The following is a list of warning signs that indicate that your mental health may need some additional attention. It is normal to not feel this way immediately. Many students experience these feelings after a few weeks/months of being in a new country. Following the warning signs are suggestions that will help you become aware of how you are feeling and ways to combat distressing mental health changes.

Warning signs

• Sadness
• Severe and persistent homesickness
• Frequent crying
• Nervousness
• Changes in appetite
• Changes in sleep
• Difficulty concentrating
• Irritability/Anger
• Physical symptoms (headache, belly ache, etc.)

Ways to maintain/improve mental health

• Check in with yourself every day! Rate your mood, ask how yourself how you are feeling.
• Spend time with yourself journaling. Find time to not only reflect on your experiences, but how you feel and how those experiences impact you.
• Maintain a routine as much as possible. Have the same morning routine, exercise every day, take time each night for self-care.
• Maintain contact with friends and family on a regular basis. If you feel like this is difficult for you to do, communicate with them and encourage them to reach out to you regularly.
• Eat healthy food/eat 3 meals a day. This is your fuel – treat this with a high priority!
• Get no less than 8 hours of sleep each night. It is normal for your sleep habits/patterns to be different for the first week.  Do your best to have a nighttime routine to encourage healthy sleep habits.
• Take care of basic hygiene – showering, brushing teeth, getting dressed. These are all things that can improve your mood.
• Be physically active as much as possible – try to take a walk with a peer every day.
• Download mental health app (Headspace, Snapshot, etc) to hold yourself accountable for personal check-ins.
• Talk to a peer in your program about how you are doing. They likely are having similar experiences and can help normalize your thoughts/feelings.
• Do things that have always made you feel better: warm bath, reading, calling a friend.
• Take time to immerse yourself in new traditions (try new food, participate in native activities, etc)
• Bring enough refills for medications.
• Reduce drug and alcohol use.
• Make a list of your own personal warning signs. What do bad days look like for you?  Compare this list to how you are feeling today.
• If you are feeling suicidal, reach out to a peer or a suicide hotline.

It is important to remember that struggling with your mental health while studying abroad is normal. Being out of your regular routine and without your typical support system can cause feelings of distress, loneliness and feeling out of control. It is critical to employ these strategies to help you manage and make the most out of your study abroad experience.

— Renée Cramer, Deputy Provost