Mental Health and Wellbeing While Studying in Florence

A major reason studying abroad enticed me was that it offered the kind of fresh start I had not had since moving out of state for college. There are little preconceptions of you when you step into a new school that is situated in a new country. However, no one knowing you also feels isolating at times.

Luckily, when traveling with CIS Abroad you are not ever truly alone in any step of integrating into this new culture. That is because there are on site directors extremely familiar with the area and its ways. They can direct in areas of social etiquette so that you can step into the city scene with more confidence, or areas to avoid if you are anxious about safety, so make sure you attend any city tours they may host. You can also reach out to them with points of confusion via WhatsApp, and they will assist you with any of your concerns!

While the directors come from a place of knowledge, a sense of calm can be gained from finding community in shared confusion, so turn to your peers. Even if there is not an instant connection with your roommates, CIS Abroad offers excursions included in the program cost, such as boat rides, trips to the Gucci museum, and day trips to neighboring cities where everyone is in the same boat of inexperience. That commonality makes it even easier to make connections than going to school in the states where students are likely to have a diverse range of understanding regarding an area's customs.

Still you may yearn for the connections you have outside of this bubble, back home, and there is no reason for those to end due to distance. In fact, I would make sure to set aside time to have calls with people from home to preserve those friendships or check in with family, as it can be a new level of stress to think that you will be returning home to people you have lost a bond with.

For me, the urge for familiarity manifested in physical ways as well, such as having difficulty finding bath products where I knew the contents, as I deal with sensitive skin and curly hair. Florence is not uniformly selling Italian products though and if you ask people who have looked for certain products you will be able to seek them for yourself. Google Translate is your friend, and using the picture feature to read information on these skin care bottles never hurts.

Overall, it is unavoidable to have a few of these anxieties, if not more and if you’re like me there is no method that will just make them all disappear. But I urge you to use your unique position to your advantage by letting the mental turmoil fuel you into making the most of Florence. As feeling like you missed out because your stress is hampering you can end up being the worst feeling of all.

Even on a day when you truly cannot be convinced that you are not alone, or that your relationships at home are not dissolving, or that you are not behind on work, stepping out into Florence can be the solution. Treating yourself to gelato, or sitting peacefully in a garden, or walking by the Duomo can remind you of why you made this hard push in the first place.

And if you do not believe me that the city can have this effect, just know that this is the city where the term Stendhal Syndrome was coined because the architecture was so beautiful it caused a faintness in the observer. So this city has powers to blur out stress, but with the resources at your disposal through CIS Abroad and your phone, you do too.

Blog by Nic Roy, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Semester in Florence