Smita Srivastava believes people cannot grow unless they leave their comfort zone.

Srivastava, a clinical psychology graduate student, was a panelist during the “Coping with Transition for Graduating Student” seminar held Thursday night in the Effingham Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

The seminar presented the life skills needed to deal with transitions students may face upon graduation. The discussion focused on tips to make changes and transitions into opportunities in a healthy, positive manner.

Srivastava said learning to deal with change was a part of a healthy transition.

“Whether it’s a new job, leaving home, getting married or having a baby we have to deal with change,” she said. “Change is the only constant.”

Rachel Meadows, a counseling graduate student and panel member, said that part of the process is to acknowledge changes and accept it as a normal part of life.

She said it is important to explore and assess your options when dealing with transitions and to have an external support system. This can include family members, friends or community members, she said.

Anxieties like finding the right job to finding your own health insurance can be very stressful.

“During the transition process to the professional level, small changes can accumulate and stress us out,” Srivastava said. “In order to get to our destination, we have to set short term goals as well.”

She said she is trying to increase awareness to make the process easier.

“Career Services, job fairs and workshops can be very helpful if we take advantage of them,” Srivastava said.

Eastern helps students search for jobs using Panther Recruiting, an online job-recruiting database. Employers have access to registered student’s resumes and information, and students can also look for employers who are looking to hire. Searches can be very specific to help find exactly what a student is looking for.

Meadows said whether it is coming to a university for the first time, or entering the workforce for the first time, ” It is important to take care of yourself.”

Meadows said food and alcohol, like all other things in life, should be done in moderation.

Lisa Hartman, Eastern’s Sexual Health Education Coordinator, said that there are many free options at Eastern for students who would like to discuss any issues they may have with alcohol.

Panelists said the Student Recreation Center is available to help students relieve stress in a healthy way. The Health Education Resource Center, the Counseling Center and Career Services are all available to all students to help ease the transition process.

In addition to preparing mentally for transition, the seminar gave tips for success during a transition period.

Meadows said a helpful way to deal with change in a positive way is to work with what has been helpful in previous situations and bring that into the workplace.

Meadows said a productive way to sort out ideas and options is to keep a journal and write everything down.

Nicole Pauga can be reached at 581-7942 or at nmpauga@eiu.edu.