After watching Vinny walk out on the Jersey Shore house last week on MTV’s Jersey Shore, I realized how common anxiety really is. We all get some anxiety about things in our life, whether it’s homework, finals week, or stress at work. But how do you know if it’s an unhealthy amount? How do you know if generalized anxiety is something you really suffer from?
According to Medical News Today, Anxiety is a general term for several disorders that cause nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worrying. It affects your emotional well being, and how you go about your day-to-day activities. Everyone in college experiences this at some point. Maybe you feel overwhelmed one week where you have a midterm, two papers, and quiz, and you feel like you just can’t get everything done. You might have a hard time falling asleep that week because you can’t stop thinking about all that you have to get done.
When your anxiety becomes a day-to-day thing, something you feel you can’t control, it could be generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). People with GAD worry about life in general, and have trouble lowering their anxiety level to a healthy point. Their anxiety isn’t always provoked by something, yet they consistently feel worrisome, like they can’t relax. According to Psych Central, you could have GAD if you identify with three of the following six symptoms:
- Being easily fatigued
- Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank
- Irritability
- Muscle tension
- Sleep disturbance (difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep)
- Restlessness or feeling hyped up or on edge
Of course, there are other signs and feelings of GAD. You might suffer from frequent panic attacks, frequent crying spells, often triggered by something small, or you might go day to day with a “pit” in your stomach; a constant feeling of nervousness that you can’t always pinpoint why.
Overcoming anxiety is no easy task, as many college students know. According to Success Consciousness, here are some things that can help you:
- Breathe! Take time out of your day to breathe, and control your negative and anxious thoughts. If you are at home, focus on your breath as it comes in and leaves your body, and you’ll be feeling more relaxed in no time.
- Visualization. Visualizing the negative and anxious thoughts coming in your brain, then physically leaving, can help you overcome those negative thoughts. Notice when they come in, what triggers them, and focus on physically pushing them out of your brain.
- Making lists. Writing down what you need to do, when you need to do it by, and how you are going to do it can really help anxiety levels. Visually seeing what needs to get done can be overwhelming at first, but sit with the anxiety until your anxiety level comes down to a comfortable level. Then tell yourself that you can do it, and stick to the schedule. Checking things off the list is also a great feeling, and a good stress reliever!
- Talk about it! Anxiety is much more common than you think. Talk to your friends and family about it, and let them know you are feeling overwhelmed. If you think that you might have GAD, or it is becoming too hard to deal with on your own, talk to a counselor. From someone who has been there, I can say that they truly care about helping you bring your anxiety levels down to a comfortable level, and helping you overcome those overwhelming feelings. The University of Iowa Counseling Service is a great resource for students, and is included with tuition. Give them a call and they will set you up with an intro meeting, where they will access your needs and assign you a counselor or group counseling based on what they think is best. You will feel so much better know that you are not alone!
- Exercise. Exercising can help keep your mind off the negative and anxious feelings that you tend to bring up. Staying fit not only will help you feel better, but will help your emotional well being as well.
All in all, it is important to know that so many people suffer from anxiety, as well as depression, and you are not alone. According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, 40 million U.S. adults suffer from an anxiety disorder. Not all anxiety is the same, and not all treatment is the same for everyone. Counseling is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about, and if anything, you should be proud of yourself for taking the steps needed to feel better about yourself! As I know from experience, anxiety can be very debilitating, and it can be very frustrating when you don’t think others understand, or you are feeling very alone and overwhelmed. But so many others out there know exactly what it is like, so take some time, think about what you life might be like without the anxiety, and take the next step!
Resources for you to check out:
UIowa Counseling
Student Health
Half of Us
Anxiety Disorders Association of America