So stressed and scared. Please help!

[Taylor38]

I just moved up to college yesterday and I have never been so stressed and scared in my life. I'm so stressed about leaving my parents and leaving home which is like the only place I feel comfortable. I can't stop shaking, I don't feel like eating. All I want to do is go back home. Please help calm my nerves. I can't sleep or eat and I feel nauseous. Please. I'm also so scared of getting stomach virus in college and not having my parents.

[Kittycat319]

Hey Taylor!
Just wanted to say I am in the same boat as you, I leave for college on September 2nd and I too am quite nervous. For me the best thing to do has been to focus on all the fun positive things that happen in college. My mom assured me she made it through four years of college with no sv*. But no matter what happens you can get through it.

[andee]

Awww...I know it's stressful to be away from familiarity. I am "all grown up" and still like that. Just try to make your dorm as comfortable as you can, like your home, stay in touch with your family often, and you will get through it. You are homesick, and it's a real emotion. Try to make some new friends and talk about it with them if you can. Focus on your upcoming classes and fun activities. Soooo many kids are going through this right now. Give it some time and you will be running around campus having a ball. Take care!! And try to eat

[Taylor38]

shoot! this is just gettting worse and worse! now my mom called me this morning saying that she had been throwing up for the past few hours. she claims that its food poisoning, but she is vegan! idk how she could have gotten it. (vegan is no meet, no dairy.) what if i get the stomach flu!? this is just making things a million times more stressful. i was with her all day yesterday. if she doesnt have food poisoning and its a virus, will i get it???

[Syrup]

I am so sorry that you are stressed. NO, you won't get the virus if it is one. First of all, food poisoning is caused by bacteria, which you can get from anything, meat or veg. So, it could be that. If it is in fact a virus, she wouldn't have been contagious until she started showing symptoms (after she left you). So really, your being at college right now is a GOOD thing!!!! Remember that simply being around people that are sick can't get you sick, you have to EAT the virus. As long as your hands are clean before you put them into your mouth you can avoid getting ill. I didn't have emetophobia when I was in college and honestly, I was one of those gross people that NEVER washed her hands!!! I never got sick and during my 4 years away only knew of 1 person who did (she v* after running). You are going to be great. Try to focus on other things, getting your room set up, meeting new people, etc. HAVE FUN!!!!

[jaymayse8]

Aww hey I totally understand what you're feeling. Living at college is definitely a fear of mine, but don't sweat it. I have some inspiration from a friend of mine. Last year she shared a dorm with another girl. Apparently her whole campus had a sv* going around. She was scared, but knew she couldn't run from it. Then her dorm mate got sick and she took care of her. She swore she was going to catch something, but SHE NEVER DID. I think that's awesome. So you're not always destined to get sick, EVEN IF YOU SHARE A ROOM!

[sarahcox]

I only lived in a college dorm for 1 year, and no one I knew got sv...I think because people are all adults everyone pretty much understands how to wash their hands well. Before my last deployment in 2009, we were housed in a crappy dorm thingy for 4 months. There were 25 girls in one room and 1 bathroom on that floor. The other rooms on the same floor had about 75 boys. One male got the sv then EVERYBODY got it....it was horrible...I had to leave the building just to go to the bathroom and when I would shower I found another place near the gym that had showers. After like 3 weeks of this sv going around, I met another girl who was extremely emet also. We were like the only ones who didn't have it at that point. Well we convinced our leadership that we should be able to move out of a room where 22 girls were sick. They bought it and put us in a 4 person room. She ended up getting it but I avoided it. Any these aren't large rooms...it can be avoided...just clean around you and wash your hands and you will be ok. Have fun ok, college is a blast!

[itsJoe]

Don't worry about it! You will settle down after a week or two, you will feel much more relaxed with the surrounding enviroment and people and you will find it's not as bad as you're making it out to be! Honestly you're not alone in this situation.

[Taylor38]

Now I'm in the same hotel room as her. She kissed my cheek and hugged me. I'm praying its food poisoning. She went to the hospital earlier and she said that she isn't contagious and that the doctors said that too, but how would they know? Am I being overly paranoid? It would just be THE WORST if I got the stomach flu in the first couple days of college.