I studied abroad in Paris during the spring semester of 2023. My decision to apply was last minute, and I submitted my materials in a flurry before the September 2022 deadline. I spent the rest of the fall semester romanticizing every aspect of this trip–food, wine, coffee, friends, museums, travel, etc. When I arrived in January, my first month there felt more like a vacation than a temporary home. I ran around the freezing city late at night and drank hot lattes early in the morning. I saw the sights, I shopped, I visited many museums, and I went to my classes (which I enjoyed). I enjoyed baguettes and goat cheese for breakfast and walked for hours after my afternoon classes. Paris filled me with energy, and I felt far away from the anxieties and pressures of campus life. It was all great until it wasn’t.
Just as I was settling in, my mom visited for the first weekend of my spring break. We had a great time, but the morning she left, I felt low for the first time since arriving, and the energy from the city had slipped from under me. It was this little piece of home (and maybe the constant cold weather) that broke my trance. The reality was settling in. I was here in Paris, on my own, for another three months. I had school and homework to focus on and I couldn’t just go home when I felt like it. I caught a bad cold for the remainder of the break and ended up in bed while my friends were traveling. I was sad, and it took me a little while to figure out how to deal with that.
Here’s how I coped. When March approached, I had to tackle coping skills whenever I felt low because I didn’t want my trip to pass me by too quickly. Here are a few things I did to help.
- I started to Facetime with my family more to let them know I was feeling low.
- I took lots of walks.
- I made a point of reaching out to people to do things.
- I prioritized sleep and rest whenever I felt myself getting sick.
- I sought out things to look forward to, like concerts and small trips.
- I made a point of being outside when the weather got nice.