Finding Your Way: Navigating Transitions and Accessing Resources at Middlebury College

Welcome to the start of the fall 2026 semester! No matter if you are a newly arrived student or a returning student, we are all, at this moment, sharing the experience of change and transition. While change is inevitable in life, the experience of change can feel challenging. Adapting to change engages not only how we physically exist in a new setting, but also a shift in how we respond to ourselves and our experiences. Here are some points to guide your own experience of shifting, changing, adapting, and supporting yourself during this transitional time. 

Holding the Duality of Change: Positives and Challenges 

A change in life can lead to positive feelings as well as a feeling of disequilibrium. The positives of a life change might include the excitement of possibility, the engagement of the mind and senses in the newness of daily life and/or the relaxation experienced in a fresh start or having a new beginning. However, change can also feel like the “rug being pulled from under your feet,” resulting in a sense of imbalance, uncertainty, even fear and anxiety. And for most of us, it’s a combination of feelings and responses that maybe feel unpredictable or confusing in their changeability.  

While it might feel like common knowledge that most humans experience a multitude of responses to life changes, acceptance of this emotional duality (holding both the positive and challenging aspects of change) is at the core of self-compassion: in transition we, as humans, are asked to feel multiple feelings, do our best to notice the feeling, and provide ourselves with the reassurance and care that comes along with understanding the nature of change.

Self-Compassion and Understanding Your Personal Response to Change  

It’s possible to feel shame, sadness and self-judgment when struggling with change. However, this is a misunderstanding of the nature of humans and the process of adapting to change. In general, most of us, need time to understand our strengths, find new adaptive ways of dealing with stressors, and gain clarity in identifying what is important to us (such as what you value and making room for those priorities in your day) during a transitional life event.  

It also means knowing your personal responses to change by contemplating, “How do I respond to change?” Knowing your tendencies gives insight and direction in your personal care approach to your physical needs and mental well-being. For example, if you experience sensory overwhelm with newness, a few minutes a day of focusing on sensory calming strategies can be helpful.   

Mental health plug: It can be helpful to meet with a mental health counselor to gain insight and clarity on your personal tendencies under stress and to make a self-care plan.  

A Transition is a Process, Not an Event 

If you think about arriving on campus, even the act of arriving is a process. Yes, you can have your feet on the campus grounds but to mentally and emotionally arrive requires some time for the mind to become familiar with the new setting, new people and new routines. This means that moving to college isn’t only about arriving on campus or moving into your dorm. It is also about the time required for settling into your life as a college student, getting to know new people and creating your own routines. Additionally, since change takes place over time, it can be helpful to utilize campus resources and support while you develop your own coping skills and strategies. College has built in resources to support transitions that can be helpful while you are in the midst of change such as counseling and health coaching as well as academic resources such as time management workshops and tutoring.  

Opportunity for Self-Knowledge: Accessing Internal and External Resources  

Here are some campus resources (external resources) to support your own coping skills, mindset, and academic skills (internal resources).  

• Counseling can support you inidentifying personal strengths, developing distress tolerance skills and gaining insight into personal tendencies when faced with change. Call 802-443-5141 or email counseling@middlebury.edu to get more information and schedule an appointment. 
• Health Coaching (Health and Wellness Education) offers a behavior change approach looking at motivation for change, barriers to change and tangible steps to meeting personal goals in a non-judgmental approach. Learn more at go/healthcoaching/.
• TimelyCare is a 24/7 resource for mental health and physical health concerns. Connect with TimelyCare at go/timelycare/.

Importance of Connecting on Identity and Values  

Ethnic, social and sexual identity are essential to one’s coping skills and resilience in terms of connection, community and sense of self. It’s important to acknowledge how identity and connection impact the ease, or lack of, that a person experiences in a period of transition. Finding one’s community can be difficult in a transition, particularly when it means moving away from family, friends and environments where one feels supported and seen. Also, it might feel overwhelming or impossible to find this level of meaningful support at college. However, identity and connection are fundamental to our sense of safety and security. Put reminders in your personal space such as pictures and belongings that help you remember who you are.   

Here are some Middlebury resources to support students in connecting on identity: 

• Anderson Freeman Center fosters an inclusive environment for students of color, low-income students, and first-generation students by providing advocacy, holistic support, and intentional programming. 
• Prism Center for Queer and Trans Lifecreates a sense of belonging for the campus community where gender, sexuality, and romantic identities can be explored.  
• Presence lists student events and organizations for connection.  

When to Take Action 

While there is an aspect of giving yourself time to adapt, it’s also good to be clear when to get support. If you notice the following signs, it’s time to reach out to a trusted adult, get connected to a mental health counselor, and/or contact TimelyCare.  

• Your daily life feels disrupted by the level of stress 
• You notice significant changes in eating and sleeping habits (either too little or more than usual) 
• You are spending more time alone and feel like isolating due to overwhelm 
• You notice increasing and debilitating thoughts of self-doubt and self-criticism 

Is there one take-away from this article you might act on now to support yourself in transition?