When life gives you lemons

Warren Joshua Maxwell

wmaxwell@foghornnews.com

Whether it is the stress of the semester or the responsibilities that naturally come with life, students can often feel overwhelmed.

Rita Hernandez, Del Mar College’s lead counselor, makes it her full-time job to counsel and reassure students who may be enduring significant hardships in their lives.

“Many times students will come in with personal issues that really don’t have anything to do with academics, but are definitely effecting their academics,” Hernandez said.

When life takes a toll on students the solution is often complicated. College students are different than any other type of grade level.

“A lot of times students wear several different hats. They’re not just students, sometimes they’re employees, or caregivers or parents,” Hernandez said.

Former Del Mar student Jordan Bangert opened up about her recent counseling sessions, and how they helped shape her new perception of life.

“The thought of counseling made me really nervous. It’s really hard to admit you have a problem and talk to someone about what’s going on inside your own head,” Bangert said.

Students oftentimes encounter real-life problems that make college seem like an unconquerable task.

“There are going to be days when you feel like there’s so much coming out and there’s so many issues, and there’s so much more problems then you realize you had,” Bangert said.

Sometimes all students really want is a shoulder to cry on and to have their voices heard by someone else.

“I didn’t realize how bad my issues were until I was saying it out loud to someone else,” Bangert said.

Counseling can be a powerful tool that students can use when things become too difficult.

“I believe that counseling can definitely help a student, especially if they’re experiencing a great loss or hardship,” cosmetology student Danielle Garza said.

Students are encouraged to seek out counseling if they’re experiencing any type of mental stress or feel that they can not perform due to stress or anxiety.

“We don’t know what issues we have inside our own heads because it sounds so normal to us,” Bangert said.

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