College is probably going to be one of the most stressful times in your life. As a student you don’t have a consistent sleep schedule, you aren’t exactly eating the most nutritious meals (I mean, who doesn’t like pizza?), most of us work but money is tight for all of us, and you have multiple classes each with a unique amount of homework. On top of that, we all want to have some sort of a social life and engage with other people.
The bottom line is that college is stressful! Sometimes this stress can build up to the point of a full-out anxiety attack. And, eventually, this could lead into general anxiety disorder (which is an entirely new battle). But I wanted to use this blog post to give you advice on how to manage stress so anxiety doesn’t control your life!
Here are some anxiety managing tips:
1. Say “no” when you can’t fit anything more into your schedule
Most of us are out to please other people and do things for them (because we’re nice). At the same time you may working to make money while managing homework and classes. However, we all need to work on finding our limits and saying no when we need to. If you are skipping meals, reducing your sleep and other things, you’re probably taking on too much. It’s okay to say no!
2. Question yourself
“Do you really have to do X thing right now? Can it wait?” Now, I’m not talking about procrastination, which leads into extra anxiety, but I’m saying if you’re sacrificing your own sanity to accomplish work, you’re probably stretching yourself too thin and not really focusing on what you’re doing and giving each thing you do your 100%. Ask yourself, “Why am I feeling this way? What can I do to better my own situation?”
3. Focus on what needs to be done first
Instead of bouncing between tasks and homework like a madman, focus on what needs to be done first, or what takes more priority. Do you have a big paper due tomorrow? You should probably be doing that first before something that is due the day after tomorrow. When people are anxious they tend to think in the future. “What’ll happen if I don’t do this?” “If I don’t do this I’ll be in trouble.” They tend to think in “what ifs,” which is usually just your brain playing tricks on you (this is coming from my own personal experience). Focus on the present. This will help you improve your ability to manage the future – not the other way around.
4. When you feel anxious, breathe
Sounds easy enough, but this is often forgotten. When your body is anxious, it’s usually being deprived of oxygen, which causes you to be taking in frequent shorter breaths. Breathing in deeply will change your body’s tendency from fight-or-flight to a relaxed state. Take deep breaths (until your gut is full) and exhale slowly. Do this until you feel calmed down.
5. Accept that you’re anxious
You’re not any less of a person for being anxious and stressed. Love yourself for who you are! Remember that anxiety is a feeling. By reminding yourself that it’s just an emotional response to stress, you begin to see it for what it really is: emotions. If you can change your thoughts, you can begin to change your actions in order to take that energy from anxiety and stress and use it to benefit you.
I can’t tell you not to be anxious, but as we head into finals, and for some of us graduation this spring, remember to take care of yourself. Keep succeeding, Warriors! Don’t let anxiety control you!
