Health

How to Manage Student Anxiety During Difficult Times

Intro:

College students experience an array of emotions.

Including anxiety. 

Tests, transitioning to a new environment, and the separation from family rank as the top anxiety triggers. Graduating into an uncertain future is another.

College is also your opportunity to learn healthy coping skills as you become your own person.

So if you’re wondering how to manage student anxiety during difficult times, here are seven tips:

1. Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep each day helps relieve anxiety and a host of other potential symptoms, such as sluggishness, stress, and heart disease.

Remember that anxiety often results from a stressful event. Unfortunately, a lack of shut-eye can intensify that anxiety. And untreated anxiety can lead to symptoms of more intense mental health disorders.

A great way to calm it down is to rest your body, brain, and muscles with seven to eight hours of sleep a night. 

It’s common for students to spend their college days sleeping less than the required amount. But keep in mind that lack of sleep catches up to everyone. 

2. Get Organized – Stop Procrastinating

The transition from home to college is profound, especially if you’ve moved away from your hometown. 

On top of that change, there’s an expectation that you’ll hit the ground running on day one of your classes. 

It’s essential to get organized if you want to manage your anxiety during challenging times. 

Most students own a smartphone. So take advantage of the many organization tech tools at your disposal. Download recommended organizational apps that receive high ratings from other college students.

Moreover, avoid procrastinating. During difficult times, studying might be the last thing on your mind. Yet, you also risk falling behind. 

Thus, you have a tough choice to make. And, if what’s troubling you is school-related, stay focused. The more organized you remain, the more sleep you can get during each semester. 

Together, you’ll feel better equipped to cope with your anxiety.

3. Nourish Your Body

A proper diet works wonders for a person’s health. 

If you nourish your body, you’ll find that you have the strength to manage your emotions during tough times in school.

Fatty fish, eggs, dark chocolate, and yogurt are foods to consider incorporating into your diet. Also, look for food high in omega-3s. Research shows that fatty acids help cognitive and medical function.

Several online resources provide recipes for students, too. They take into account that your cooking time remains sparse and ingredients limited. Recipes intended for college students limit the amount of cookware necessary as well. 

If you have access to a microwave, stove, and a basic set of dishes, you’re ready to prepare simple meals that feed your body and mind.

As an added perk, cooking helps relieve anxiety for some individuals.

4. Exercise Daily

Balance nourishing your body with daily exercise. For anxiety, consider practicing yoga or meditation. Both of these activities encourage you to empty your mind and focus on your breathing.

If you’re spending too much time indoors, go outside. 

A daily one-mile walk can increase the endorphins in your brain. In turn, they help reduce perceived pain. This “exercise high” is real and a safe alternative to artificial stimulants.

Besides walking, consider jogging or hiking, especially if nature surrounds your school. Weightlifting and swimming are two more activities that help relieve anxiety.

Those who need extra motivation can also join the school’s intramural sports program or activities clubs, such as dancing. In addition, being among your peers in a positive environment prevents you from isolating and increasing your anxiety.

5. Avoid Stimulants

Understanding the source of your anxiety makes it that much easier to cope with during times of struggle. For example, some medications cause anxiety as a side effect. Therefore, students taking medications should speak with their doctor to help reduce unwanted side effects. 

Those experiencing anxiety should also minimize and eliminate caffeine, nicotine, ginseng, and all drugs. During difficult times, they’re attractive. But they also make symptoms worse.

Remember that college students experience a degree of peer pressure, too. 

Although it’s an activity that occurs among several students, it’s best to avoid alcohol consumption. Alcohol is a downer, but it makes anxiety worse in the long run. Instead, opt for a good diet and exercise for anxiety relief.

6. Manage Your Expectations

Some students experience small fish in big pond syndrome when they arrive at college. They believe that they’re going to continue being the big fish in a small pond. 

Other students enter college with high expectations. For example, they’re ready to double major from the outset and conquer the study load that comes with it.

A small percentage of students can weather difficult times with a full course load. Yet, those who cannot serve themselves best by managing their expectations. If you need to drop a course to help you overcome your student anxiety, it’s a logical step to take.

Other college students arrive in their new environment with a skewed mindset. They’ve watched movies and reality TV and think college is a time to party. 

Partying on-campus certainly does occur. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to keep up consistent partying while still studying.  

Enough students have experienced anxiety because they feel behind. So it’s worth limiting these kinds of social activities until the end of the semester.

7. Talk with Someone You Trust

Finally, to manage student anxiety during difficult times, talk with someone you trust. 

Hopefully, you have a great relationship with your parents. If they also attended college, speak with them about your challenges. After all, parents are a solid source of guidance.

You can also consider speaking with educators at your current or former school. Most colleges also offer their students an on-campus resource office staffed with counselors. 

These educators identify the source of your student anxiety. And, since they work with students who experience similar feelings, they can provide meaningful guidance. 

Of course, their advice goes even further if you’re minding your diet, sleeping well, avoiding stimulants, and exercising. 

A student services staff member can focus on helping you on-campus if you’re taking care of the off-campus concerns. 

Conclusion

It’s normal to experience anxiety during the college years. But, if you learn to manage and lessen it, you’ll get through college with flying colors. Plus, it prepares you to handle anxiety in real life. 

College students experience many situations that test their resiliency. Overcoming difficult times that induce anxiety gives you a leg up over others. 

[Client bio]

Adam Marshall is a freelance writer who specializes in all things apartment organization, real estate, and college advice. He currently works with The Arch Denton to help them with their online marketing.

James Vines

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