The transition back into college is tough for me every year. There’s something about moving back to campus and being thrown into the biggest social situation I’ll encounter in my life that gives me anxiety.
I find myself constantly tense, worrying about every little thing and pushing away all my friends and family. For the longest time, this was how I handled almost every stressful situation.
I shut down.
It was clear to my parents and I early on in my life that I struggled with anxiety. But for the longest time, it went unmanaged and manifested itself in some pretty ugly ways. Before college, I decided to start doing something about my anxiety so that I would be able to handle it as I transitioned into this new chapter of independence.
College is a test. It’s a test of independence, ability, strength, patience and more. For me, college tests my ability to handle life’s situations. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do this on my own, so the first thing I did was start seeing a therapist.
Most college campuses have some sort of counseling services available for students. The counseling center is a great place to start if you want to try to manage your anxiety. Counseling centers are a patient, judgement-free zone that are meant to help you, not hurt you. Utilizing my campus’ counseling center was one of the best steps I’ve taken to manage my anxiety.
The next thing I did was to learn coping skills that were better than the ones I would revert to in stressful situations. A lot of this happened through therapy, but I was able to discover some on my own, too. Instead of bottling up my emotions, I learned to keep a journal where I could freely write how I felt about situations and events in my life. Instead of eating emotionally, I learned to express my emotions in more healthy ways, like writing and playing music.
One of the hardest things I’ve learned along my path to recovery is that getting better is not a linear process. I’m going to have times that I will backtrack and revert to old mechanisms to handle my anxiety, and that’s okay. It’s important to remind yourself that you are not perfect, that managing anxiety is a huge step and it cannot be done overnight.
If you don’t have access to or don’t feel comfortable using counseling, there are other things you can do to cope with your anxiety. For example, I find doing yoga in my dorm alone to be extremely relaxing. I also play the piano when I am stressed.
Find an activity that is relaxing for you and do it when you feel high-strung, whether it be reading, exercising, or even napping, have something you can do that will help you when you feel helpless. It makes all the difference.
Having anxiety is not the end of the world. Remember, you are a strong person who has made it this far, and anxiety is just a small obstacle you must overcome on the journey of life. Look into what resources are available to you on campus and utilize them as much as you can.
College is a fun and exciting time, so don’t let your anxiety get in the way of making memories!