Counseling Center helps student cope with war

Whether they are experiencing it directly or indirectly, Americans are feeling the… Whether they are experiencing it directly or indirectly, Americans are feeling the effects of the war with Iraq.

According to James Cox, associate director of the University Counseling Center, everyone will be affected by the war in different ways.

And as far as students are concerned, Cox said, the war is just another thing to worry about.

“Anxiety equals worry, so when you add another thing it just gets worse,” Cox said.

Cox also said students’ anxiety “depends on the outcome of war and the proximity” to which they are involved.

“Obviously, the soldiers on the front line will feel the effects the most,” Cox said. “And even among the soldiers the effects will be different, depending on the level of trauma they experienced.”

Other people affected strongly by the war will be those with loved ones in Iraq.

Cox and MaryJo Loughran, training director at the counseling center, held a forum last week to help teach students how to deal with war anxiety.

At the forum, they provided a few suggestions for dealing with war anxiety: stay informed, but monitor the impact of the news; engage in healthy distractions; keep up with daily chores and routines; take political or social action; engage in healthy, respectful debate.

There needs to be dialog, Cox said, but everyone copes with stress in different ways.

“Some people are coping with [the war] by not talking about it,” Cox said. “If people feel the need to talk then they should. But if they don’t then that should be respected too.”

“In the end,” Cox said, “we’re losing some of our safety here. And that needs to be acknowledged.”