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How to Manage College Anxiety Effectively
College is a huge challenge to embark on for young adults. It’s filled with many exciting opportunities, but it also has its difficulties, one of which is anxiety. For many students in college, anxiety can be overwhelming. Some suffer from anxiety disorders, which means the feeling of anxiety does not go away and can worsen over time.
The first semester of college is often when anxiety is at its highest for students. The transition from high school into an unfamiliar college environment can be very difficult for incoming freshmen, which leads to large amounts of anxiety, stress, and depression — all forms of psychological distress. However, that does not mean these mental issues just go away after one or two semesters.
With the right help and proper coping methods, college anxiety can be quite manageable, but not every student is aware of the correct steps to take when dealing with it. If college life is causing you to feel anxious, then continue reading to learn the most effective ways you can tackle college anxiety.
Stress and Anxiety in College Students
Both stress and anxiety go hand in hand when it comes to the mental health struggles college students face on a daily basis. Despite being used interchangeably, stress and anxiety have a few key differences. Stress is usually caused by external factors while anxiety is a person’s specific reaction to stress. And unlike stress, anxiety can cause the feeling of dread or impeding fear.
Related: Guide to Reducing Stress in College
Symptoms of Anxiety
When someone has anxiety that persists over several months without going way, they likely have an anxiety disorder. With college being such a stressful environment, anxiety disorders among students are fairly common.
Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders, but there’s also panic disorder and phobias — like social anxiety. Although anxiety disorders can only be diagnosed by a medical professional, there are a number symptoms that a person can recognize to determine if they have an anxiety disorder.
It’s important to mention that anxiety in general affects a person in a number of ways — physically, emotionally, behaviorally, and cognitively — thus severely impacting their quality of life. Mild anxiety and various anxiety disorders are all slightly different, but some of the most common signs and symptoms include:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Excessive worrying and uneasiness
- Restlessness when trying to sleep
- Irritability
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
- Avoidance of everyday tasks
- Emotional outbursts
- Social isolation
- Sweating
- Chest pains
10 Ways to Manage College Anxiety
Increased college anxiety among students can stem from any number of factors. For instance, a rigorous course load on top of other responsibilities can put a lot of pressure on students, which can lead to fatigue, poor habits, and eventually burnout.
Academic stress, fear of uncertainty about the future, major life events, being away from family, and toxic relationships are also factors that lead to increased college anxiety. It’s impossible not to deal with anxiety at some point while you’re in college. But there are key tips you can use to get your anxiety under control.
1. Practice Self-Care
Practicing self-care just means looking after yourself — doing something that will relieve your anxiety and improve your overall health. For me, a big one is exercising. I recommend prioritizing time to workout a few days a week because it will boost your mood, energy levels, and self-confidence.
Exercising can also boost your brain’s cognitive abilities and improve overall brain performance. Some other good self-care ideas include reading books, staying off social media, going for walks, drinking lots of water everyday, having a balanced diet, and trying new hobbies.
I know trying to implement all these ideas into a busy college lifestyle can be difficult, so just try one or two things at first and expand from there.
2. Set Short-Term Goals
Setting short-term goals for yourself is an excellent way to establish building blocks for long-term goals you hope to achieve. The satisfaction of achieving these short-term goals is a good strategy for keeping you focused and productive as well.
With increased productivity, you’ll be able to get your coursework and other daily tasks done more efficiently, which can help reduce anxiety. Moreover, writing down these daily, weekly, or even monthly goals gives you a solid plan to follow for the immediate future.
3. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
It’s not easy trying to socialize and meet new people when you’re in an unfamiliar environment. Some students rather just isolate themselves in their dorms, but this can actually make their anxiety worse. Luckily, most colleges have a variety of programs and clubs you can join so it’s easier to meet new people.
While college life can cause you anxiety at times, it’s also filled with plenty of opportunities to help you grow as a person, forge long-lasting friendships, and create memories you’ll never forget. You won’t be in college forever, so take risks, be spontaneous, and try to push through your own social anxiety. In the future, you’ll be glad you did.
4. Have a Homy Living Space
A good way to reduce college anxiety is by having a clean and comfortable living space. Whether you live on or off campus, make sure the environment you live in helps you relax after a long day of classes and be productive when it’s time to get work done. With the right decor and practical items, you’ll be able to create a homy atmosphere that promotes positive vibes.
5. Seek Professional Help
If your anxiety is becoming too overwhelming and is affecting your daily life, you might want to consider seeking professional help on or off campus. Most colleges offer several types of support services for students, such as academic advisors, counseling services, tutors, and possibly mental health groups.
Off campus, you can find mental health professionals or ask for a referral from your healthcare provider. Additionally, you can find online support with ADAA’s listing of telemedicine mental health services.
6. Remove Unhealthy Habits
Many students have a variety of habits that fuel their college anxiety. Some common unhealthy habits students struggle with include excessive alcohol consumption, a poor diet, toxic relationships, procrastinating, and being unorganized.
Breaking these bad habits and implementing healthy habits in your lifestyle will go a long way in decreasing your anxiety. Healthy habits, such as staying active, eating nutritious foods, and having a good sleep schedule, will also have a noticeable impact on your well-being.
7. Spend Less Time on Your Phone
There’s always times when you need to use your phone for various personal and college-related reasons. But being on it 24/7 will just increase your anxiety. You don’t have to constantly check your notifications, answer texts, and scroll through social media.
Instead, try turning your notifications off and putting your phone away more often. Better yet, leave your phone inside and go do something fun outside. You’ll be surprised how well your mental health improves after spending less time on your phone.
8. Don't Avoid Your Anxiety Triggers
When you’re stressed out and your anxiety is high, it’s easy to just avoid everything, but that’s not the solution. The correct way to deal with anxiety is to approach it directly. If you find yourself in an unhealthy relationship, communicate with your partner about what’s bothering you so you guys can try to work things out.
If your course load has you spread too thin, consider dropping a course and taking it next semester. Are you feeling anxious about the future and why you’re even in college? Setup a time to meet with your advisor so they can discuss these issues with you.
9. Vent to Someone
Talking to supportive friends and family members who understand what you’re going through is excellent way to remove some of those anxious feelings.
Try to recall what I said earlier about getting out of your comfort zone — doing this will give you a better opportunity to make friends who are probably going through the same anxiety issues as you. Talking and listening to people who have similar struggles will show you that you’re not the only one battling anxiety.
10. Remember Anxiety is Natural
It’s important to remember that anxiety will always be a natural part of your daily life. Anxiety doesn’t just become nonexistent forever; it’s the body’s natural response to stress and fear. The key to dealing with anxiety is developing ways that makes it more manageable so it doesn’t affect your quality of life.
While anxiety in college tends to be more recurrent, the reality is anxiety will always be there throughout your life. Luckily, with the right coping strategies and lifestyle changes, you’ll be able to control your anxiety instead of it controlling you.
