In the last week, I have found my anxiety creeping in. My daughter is set to finish high school in about 6 weeks. I think my anxiety is being triggered by all the unknowns that that entails. When is college orientation? How do we pay the college bill without getting a late fee? How many days do we need to drop her off and get her settled in her dorm room? Is my daughter ready to live on her own? What if she experiences some form of mental illness while she is away at college in Boston? How does healthcare work for college students? Does she know how to purchase books? Are there even text books these days? Will she fall in with the right peer group? Is she ready to study on her own?
Looking at all these questions, I think I have the answer for why I am feeling anxious. Any parents of college students care to provide a word of encouragement? Like, this is normal to worry about these things. They do get better and they do get handled! š
Thanks in advance for any words of encouragement and support.
Mental Health is Health 
It’s definitely a time of huge transition. I remember when I moved away from home to go to school I didn’t have much of a clue about how anything worked, but like everyone else I fumbled my way through somehow.
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Yes. I don’t remember encountering problems or extra stress. This was before the bipolar hit for me. But it does seem like an awful lot to digest and figure out.
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That is a serious list. I’m glad you wrote it down: I find even just doing that can ease some of the anxiety.
I worried about missing deadlines with my son’s college: I wrote the dates and reminders on the wall calendar and cross-referenced with my desk one and my phone (I might be overzealous).
The college has a package (or website) that answers a lot of your questions. Go over them with your daughter. She probably has questions too. It’s an odd age, as they turn into adults but not quite. The style of communication changes: I found talking more openly to my son about some of these things helped with my anxiety. š
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Thanks so much for your comment and your suggestions. I do feel better writing down the list. I assume that will continue if I talk about the stressors with family and therapist as time goes on.
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