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Anxiety
This is the time of year when worry and stress are a natural part of college life. This site is intended to help you recognize and cope with heightened anxiety while going about your everyday responsibilities at the university. The end of this article has links to other websites offering additional information.
Step 1: Call It What It Is
Identify and acknowledge how YOU experience anxiety. You may know that you are feeling anxious but may not have a clear sense of exactly how and when your symptoms occur.
Anxiety comes in different forms:
- Worries, negative thoughts, moodiness, depression, apprehension about the future, and guilt over uncomfortable feelings
- Tense or irritable feelings, feelings of being overwhelmed, violent fantasies
- Physical discomfort ? headaches, muscle tension, upset stomach, dizziness, rapid heart rate, flushed and sweaty feelings, etc.
- Difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, difficulty making decisions, confusion
- Avoidance and compensatory behavior ? withdrawal from friends, missing class or work, fear of being in certain spaces, hypersensitivity to the environment, increased alcohol or food consumption
Anxiety is frequently accompanied by depression and self-imposed expectations for excellent performance or even perfect behavior.
Anxiety comes from both external situations or demands, and internal expectations, attitudes or demands upon the self. All the above symptoms involve the mind and body, either speeding up to cope with stress, or constricting to defend against it.
Anxiety can be viewed as a signal to act, to take certain problem-solving measures within your control. Anxiety can also be seen as noise which you must learn to tolerate because you have already done as much as you can about a particular situation or concern.
Anxiety is what it is ? your own particular uncomfortable, distressed feelings and thoughts. You can learn to first tolerate your symptoms and then to manage them. Use the symptoms above to decide how you, individually, experience anxiety. Then follow the steps and links below to cope with anxiety effectively.
Step 2: Check Your Attitude
Life can be difficult. It is not so much a matter of what events have occurred, but what meaning we give to those events. Stress is a part of life. Our goal is not to eliminate stressful events, but to reckon with them.
Take a deep breath, accept the reality of our current affairs, and practice the following beliefs and attitudes when you feel most anxious or stressed:
- It is OK, even expected, that I am feeling stressed right now. It is a sign of my humanity.
- I want to experience and face my symptoms so that I can manage them. I don?t need to be afraid of my symptoms.
- How I handle this situation, now, is just practice. It is not a test of who I am or how my future will be.
- I don't need to think about the fear, I just need to think about (and take) the next step.
- It is important simply to try and make an effort. I can learn from this and I will get better with time.
- I can only control my efforts; I can not always control the results. The more I practice, the more likely I am to get a better response.
Avoid berating yourself for feeling anxious. Use supportive self-talk that highlights your strengths, your willingness to try, your resources, and your current or even past progress with this issue.
Step 3: Learn To Manage Your Anxiety
- Reach out to others, spend time with friends or loved ones. Tell them about your feelings, fears, or uncertainties.
- Give yourself permission to feel bad or even cry.
- Focus upon a realistic assessment of your personal situation. Try not to magnify your concerns.
- Burn a little excess energy through exercise.
- Try to get as much rest as possible.
- Eat well balanced meals with an accent on cooked vegetables and protein. Avoid sweets, excess carbohydrates, and fatty foods.
- Do NOT try to numb your feelings with alcohol or drugs.
- Avoid caffeine or use it carefully as it can magnify anxious feelings.
- Reach out and help someone else in some way.
- Make time for activities that you have always enjoyed ? your favorite music, hobbies, TV shows, sports, etc.
- Remember relaxation skills are basic to stress and anxiety management. They are one approach to releasing tension and slowing down. The links below will teach you guided imagery, the Relaxation Response, and other meditative techniques.
More information on Anxiety can be found here. Anxiety Links
Stress Management
University Counseling Center Stress Links
http://www.k-state.edu/counseling/student/biofedbk/bfsample.html
Coping with Disasters
www.nmha.org/reassurance/collegetips.cfm
helping.apa.org/daily/terrorism.html
*This piece was adapted from an article on Anxiety and Stress Management written by Dan Darnell, Ph.D. Counseling and Psychological Service, UNC-Chapel Hill, Division of Student Affairs. http://caps.unc.edu/relaxaudio.htm
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