Be Part of Research at UT Tyler You Say? Psychological Research!

Yes indeed students of The University of Texas at Tyler, if you ever wanted to be one of those cool test subjects you hear about in psychological studies, you can make it a reality here on campus! Our Psychology Department is a fantastic segment of campus that offers classes from Undergraduate all the way to Doctorates and minors in between!

I happen to be minoring in it myself. However, you don't have to be involved in the classroom in the Psychology department to participate in psychological surveys and occasionally even studies. When I was a Freshman, we had some basic classes where members from the school of psychology would pass out surveys and ask the class to fill them out. They aren't ever mandatory, so if brain studies and personal questions freak you out, no worries.

I chose to participate last year voluntarily in one of those surveys before I'd chosen to minor in the field, and based on my responses, I made a good candidate for a second level of testing that takes place in a lab here on campus. It's incredibly interesting, fun, and they will pay you for your time. (Quite well, I might add).

This semester I took my first Psychology class and I was required to participate in research for class credits as part of a grade (the alternative was a research essay). I did another survey for credit, and this time the Sass CPR Lab wanted me again for a different study and they wanted to study my brainwaves!! How cool is that?! So of course I agreed to participate. It was definitely something I felt was a once in a lifetime experience and I felt like I was helping groundbreaking research be done.

Here's a picture of me getting set up to do the study!

Another thing you can participate in, if you're interested in free counseling, is allowing psychology students practice their counseling skills on you. If you need serious help though, do consider visiting the Student Counseling Center, which is also free.

When Things Don't Go As Planned...

     So, that feeling when everything just kind of goes crazy, life goes 100 mph and you just don't understand how you got to the situation you are now? See I was told that this happens around the middle of your college career... and that is exactly how this last semester of Sophomore year went.

 

Choosing a Major at UT Tyler: EEEK!!!

So maybe you’re a freshman, just out of high school and you aren’t sure what direction you want to go with your college career. Or, maybe you’re an upperclassman who has discovered your dream to be a physics expert just isn’t working out. Whatever the case may be, whenever you find yourself floundering for a college major, it can be really scary.

To be honest with you guys, I came with a major in mind and scrapped it almost immediately, and remained undecided until last semester. Finally, I decided to major in Political Science here at The University of Texas at Tyler, only to hit another wall, and I’m considering changing my major again. I can tell you, finding your niche is not easy!

Luckily, I learned about this neat service our campus provides. If you’ve never seen it, we have a Student Counseling Center (Check out Michael's blog on getting support you need, here) up on the third floor of the University Center, and they offer a service called CareerCounseling, where you can walk in, make an appointment, and have several sessions in which you speak to a counselor and take a couple of assessments to determine some of your interests and personal strengths. 

The assessments I took were the STRONG interest inventory, and the Meyers-Brigg personality test. 

Once you take the tests, you can discuss your results and bounce some ideas with your counselor, and by the end, I know I felt like I was one step closer to finding my ideal career. The best part is, the service is completely free to students. 

The Headaches are Common

I’m still having a large amount to reconsider, though. I guess what you need to know is that it’s not terribly important to have a major especially for your first years. Taking your basic classes will be more than enough to keep most students busy! 

So, moral of the story, don’t freak out if you don’t know what to do with yourself. You’ll figure it out, and there are so many people in your boat, and many more who want to help. Don’t give up, and look at coming to college as an adventure! 

Homesick?

Lately I've been feeling a little homesick.
I'm from San Antonio which is 5-6 hours away from Tyler. I also don't have a car, so going there requires either catching a ride from someone going to Austin (because I know almost no one from San Antonio), or getting on a bus. However I manage to get there, it's not easy, so I don't get to go home very often. (Nothing near how bad Katrina had it though)

I also happen to have a VERY close family, so not a day goes by when I don't talk to my Mommy, or text my aunts and grandma. Being away from all of them is hard, but here is how I make it through

my lovely family visiting one weekend!

1. Call home when you miss it
Hearing your parent's voices is nice. Especially talking to your little siblings just to see how school is. It makes you feel like you're still at home.

2. Go socialize!
Do NOT lock yourself in your room. All you will do is think yourself into a sad hole.

going out with friends!

3. Go outside
Take a walk, ride a bike, go hang out by the dock. You always find something to do or run into someone interesting here on campus

walking around UT Tyler!

4. Let your friends know how you're feeling
Feeling homesick is normal. I'm sure they probably miss home too. Talking about how you feel helps out.

5. Talk to a counselor
When you feel like you can't talk to your friends, we have counselors available here on campus!

There's always ways to distract yourself when you're feeling down. Just remember that it never lasts for long and you always have someone to talk to!

Friends at UT Tyler!

                 The power of friendship is something that I think is very necessary in college, especially for underclassmen. It’s always good to know who exactly your friends are, because there are a lot of fakers out there, believe it or not. Through many different learning experiences in middle and high school, I’ve learned to appreciate my true friends more. To me, friendship has been an important factor in helping me cope with being away from my family and old friends

                How do you know who your real friends are? Well for one, they won’t talk bad about you behind your back, but they’ll be honest to you when you ask. They won’t pressure you into doing something that you really don’t want to do, either. Sometimes it’s better to have a few true friends than to have a crowd of not-so-real friends. To me, friends are the people that know who you really are, even if you’re a little weird, and still choose to stick around.

                It hasn’t exactly always been easy for me to make friends. I didn’t really know how to make friends, so I set out to figure out how to have friends.  In the end, I found that in order to have friends, you have to be a friend. Trust me, it works! I love being with my friends when I feel sad, because they always know how to make things better for me.

                Someone wise once said “If you have good friends, no matter how much life is sucking , they can make you laugh”. I’m thankful that I have people who are there for me no matter what, and I know that they feel the same about me. Need some more advice about friendships or how to make better relationships with other people? You can definitely stop by the counseling center upstairs in the UC for advice, or even just leave a comment!  J

Take a Break from Stress (Fun Event!)

                Well, here at The University of Texas at Tyler, I'm sort of involved in all of the things. I, somehow, hold three officer positions this year in various clubs. A large body of the tasks that have been assigned to me, are to let people know about the events we are putting on all over campus for the rest of the semester! Aren't y'all lucky?


 Next Tuesday, September 25th, Peer Education is throwing a day of relaxation for all UT Tyler students and faculty/staff members!

Harvey Lake, taken by Josh Grijalva 

The line-up includes:

• chair massages from (8am-12) 
• "Yoga by the Lake" (11am-12) 
•  progressive relaxation with one of our licensed professional counselors (beginning at 10am) 
• a "free hug" from SWOOP!? a brief introduction to mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques - this will be INSIDE the UC (likely the Ballroom just after 2pm)
  
  This event is located on the deck behind the Administration building!
  
   Events like this are a wonderful way to take a break from a stressful day! So go between classes and tell your friends. I plan on working most of the event, so I'll be there! Sign up early for the massages... or I'll fill your spot with my name. :p

Relationships & Responsibility

Relationships & Responsibility on Campus

   This kind of an article is difficult to completely manage a whole “feel” for since the way people view, practice, and experience relationships are all difficult. What I will be focusing on are very loose concepts, however I will try to point to real-world examples from my college experience.

   Also, if my words don’t match up with your religious, cultural, family, or personal beliefs, I apologize!

   MEETING PEOPLE vs. MAKING FRIENDS --- This one might seem obvious at first glance; it is actually a very important thing to think about when you are out and about in social settings. In college we meet anywhere from 50 to 300 new people over the course of a semester, primarily from classes, but also from meet-up study groups, lunch, sports events, and more. College is simply a place with so many people, it can become overwhelming to process everything.

Sounding Off - Love & Support on UT Tyler's Campus

                          Sounding Off – Finding Love & Support on UT Tyler's Campus

   As I write this I am currently in a strange state on the topic as it (currently) exists in my mind and as a draft in front of me. I’d love to share all the details about this subject, however as this is a student blog there are obviously many, MANY things to consider about the nature of the topic, where the conversation can lead, etc…

SAD

               Winter makes me sad. It has nothing to do with the infinite layers of clothing we have to wear and even less to do with the ice (because it is Texas, and we don't really get any). I have recently discovered from personal experience that there is something to the idea of the wintertime blues, or Seasonal Affectiveness Disorder (SAD). My wintertime depression is obvious, because as springtime approaches, and I become more active. I'm feeling better already.

The Symptoms may include:

• Depression: misery, guilt, loss of self-esteem, hopelessness, despair, and apathy 
• Anxiety: tension and inability to tolerate stress 
• Mood changes: extremes of mood and, in some, periods of mania in spring and summer 
• Sleep problems: desire to oversleep and difficulty staying awake or, sometimes, disturbed sleep and early morning waking 
• Lethargy: feeling of fatigue and inability to carry out normal routine 
• Overeating: craving for starchy and sweet foods resulting in weight gain 
• Social problems: irritability and desire to avoid social contact 
• Sexual problems: loss of libido and decreased interest in physical contact

Mental health professionals are not completely sure where this phenomena comes from, but they compare our internal clocks to animals, focusing on reproductive cycles and hibernation.

SAD may be an effect of this seasonal light variation in humans. As seasons change, there is a shift in our “biological internal clocks” or circadian rhythm, due partly to these changes in sunlight patterns. This can cause our biological clocks to be out of “step” with our daily schedules. Melatonin, a sleep-related hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain, has been linked to SAD. This hormone, which may cause symptoms of depression, is produced at increased levels in the dark. Therefore, when the days are shorter and darker the production of this hormone increases.

Moving Your Emotional Baggage to College

         Just because we left home for school, doesn't mean we've left every problem behind. Sometimes, we come to college with bigger baggage than we ever knew we were lugging. Other times, the stress of academia can reduce us to (what feels like) a frazzled mess. Maybe we're more homesick than we ever imagined. We're adults now, and the real world can be a scary place. We have larger problems than a well intentioned, trusted friend can fix.

                     Going to UT Tyler gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet many new people. Every one of these new friends comes from a different place, a different paradigm. Being a good friend was something I have always prided myself in, so I needed some professional advice. I became a Peer Educator in my sophomore year. I needed to learn how I can help the people around me that were struggling. Things come up when you share a dorm or eat every meal together. Now, even after leaving PeerEds to focus more on school, I am thankful for the lessons I learned.
                     Though I have been properly trained to council my friends and give them the facts about their mental and physical health, I don't have all the answers. The Student Counseling Center is staffed with licensed professional counselors that are available to provide a variety of services for a wide range of concerns in a confidential setting. That means that they know what we don't know, and now we know where we can go to find any help we need. It is included in tuition for UT Tyler students. If any UT Tyler student is interested in visiting, you can just walk in. The office is located on the third floor of the University Center, next to the Student Testing Center. The lady at the front is named Millie. :)

I know this is heavy, y'all, but it is real.