Disclaimer: This is NOT a substitute for a doctor or medical professional’s advice. Please, don’t go off medicine or make substantial changes to your self care practices without first consulting a medical professional. I don’t profess to be a medical professional, these are just some tips and tricks that I’ve found help to alleviate some of my own anxiety.
It’s not uncommon for University students to struggle with their mental health. Being placed in a new environment with so much freedom can cause students new to post-secondary studies great instability. Maybe you struggled with anxiety in high school or maybe it’s just started now, either way I feel you… I’ve been there. There was a point during my second year of University that I thought I would never NOT feel anxious. I thought that, ‘this is simply the way my life will be, I will never get to live anxiety free.’ My anxiety reached debilitating levels in high school which is when I started taking Citalopram. Other than medicating, I didn’t do anything else to combat it. Taking Citalopram only sort of helped my anxiety because I failed to consistently take it.
When I first entered University, my anxiety came back full force and continued on into the following year. It was this moment when I decided I could no longer live my life like this anymore and began trying everything to try and alleviate my anxiety. Presently, I am now 9 months free of medication and therapy, and have been using other tools to combat anxiety. My mental health is at the absolute best place it has ever been.
1. Meditation (in particular meditation apps)
Although I have tried watching YouTube videos, and attending meditation classes, I found what worked best for me was a meditation phone app. My absolute favourite app is called “Stop, Breathe and Think”. This honestly would decrease my anxiety by 50% and made it a lot more manageable in its hardest moments. As with homework, I had to get in a habit of making myself use the app. When you open this app it will ask you “How are you” and take you through a quick series of questions to figure out your physical, emotional and mental well-being. It will then offer you some meditation options that the app feels are relatable to you and will help you work through the mindset you are in. You can also choose to opt out of rating your mood and go straight to meditation options. The meditation options vary from 5-6 minutes long to 10-15 minute length meditation. As a University student, this was perfect for me. You know how it is; sometimes I didn’t have the time or the patience to do an hour long meditation. Download it. Try it. I promise you, you will never walk away from a meditation feeling worse.
2. Therapy
Use the resources on campus! University is a wonderful place because there are many accessible resources such as on campus therapists. Since I was struggling so badly alone, I decided to book an on campus therapy appointment. This turned into weekly 2-hour (FREE) appointments for 3 months. It was incredibly helpful knowing that when I was having a hard week I had this session to look forward to.
3. Cognitive behaviour therapy (booklet and in person)
My mom bought me a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy booklet. At first I thought “hey mom, thanks for making my anxiety homework”, turns out this was extremely helpful. My therapist tried CBT with me and also my doctor showed me an online FREE CBT resource (I want to be anxiety free but I’m also on a student budget, you feel me). My favourite of the three was the CBT workbook; it was nice doing a couple pages each evening. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in short helps change patterns of thinking and behavior that is causing difficulties. It really helped me reframe my views on situations that previously caused me anxiety.
4. Change of environment
I discovered that the University I was at, although wonderful for many reasons wasn’t making me happy. It was really far from home and I didn’t plan on living in the province it was in after graduation. I wanted to be somewhere else. I couldn’t change my environment immediately and it was nerve-wracking to decide to transfer, but when I took the steps to change campuses it led me to being so happy and proud of making this tough decision. I have been known to be indecisive and change my mind on big life choices one hundred times. Deciding to transfer and then doing it was a huge deal for me and it really showed me that I know myself better than anyone else.
5. Social circle
Who are you hanging out with? People can have the power to increase your anxiety. Choosing friends who decrease anxiety and make you feel safe will be one of the smartest choices you have made. On campus there are so many clubs and options to meet positive people. University is wonderful because there’s bound to be a diverse group of people (potential positive friends aka PPF’s). Look out for PPF’s. Finding people who want to do things like go on a hike or help you with homework will revolutionize your life.
6. Medication
Hey, mental health is a chemical imbalance, meaning that for many people medication is a wonderful option. Book that doctor’s appointment; campus doctors are used to dealing with students and can be wonderful assets to push you in the right direction. Write down everything you want to tell the doctor beforehand (if you are like me, doctor visits can cause EXTREME anxiety). There’re various medications to support you in your journey with anxiety. Even if you tried one and it’s not working for you the doctor can opt to up your dosage or to try something new.
7. Exercise
Exercise is a great tool to decrease some anxiety because it releases happy endorphins. Remember those positive friends you met in tip 5? Say hello to team workouts or a fitness buddy. Accountability will ensure you are hitting the gym often. If you do not have gym-minded friends than try workout classes. University gyms are typically free or very low cost, making going to the gym an accessible option.
8. Sleep, no alcohol and eating well.
Finally, this one is difficult when you are in University. Take a break from the nights out. At first the FOMO may hit you hard, but I promise that when you wake up hangover and anxiety free you will feel so much better. Go to bed early, and eat well because taking care of yourself will make ALL the difference.
What are your tips for anxiety? Have you tried any of these? Comment below and let me know what you think! I wish you all well on your journey to living a mostly-anxiety free life or supporting a friend in theirs.