Managing Anxiety for College Students
College can be one of the most memorable times in a young person's life. As a college student, connections and opportunities abound. Young adults get to make friendships that last a lifetime, find a potential partner, prepare for a career, and live life on their own away from home.
The Problem of Anxiety for College Students
College life has many benefits, but it is not without its challenges. A college student that attends a challenging university like Georgia Tech, Georgia State, or Kennesaw State University can experience anxiety when it comes to these areas of life. In January 2020, Georgia Tech released a health survey where it was reported that 30% of Georgia Tech students are experiencing at least one significant mental health problem, such as depression, anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts, self-injury, or symptoms of eating disorders. This number after the pandemic can only be guessed to have increased.
The symptoms of an anxiety disorder for college students include hypervigilance, irritability, restlessness, lack of concentration, racing thoughts, and unwanted thoughts about the future. Other symptoms include excessive worry, fear, feeling of impending doom, and of course anxiety. Physical symptoms of anxiety are insomnia, nausea, palpitations, struggle to catch breath, sweating, fatigue, changes in diet, and changes in sleep.
Potential Causes of Anxiety for College Students
Sleep Disruption
A potential factor that could be causing anxiety for college students is the lack of sleep. Many students are staying up late either studying or hanging out with friends. Drinking excess caffeine late in the day or trying to pull all-nighters studying can diminish sleep. Also drinking alcohol late, which many college students do, contributes to poor sleep.
Sleep is an important factor in healing the brain and body. When students don't get enough sleep (7-9 hours every night) or quality sleep the brain can be more susceptible to an anxiety disorder. The body feels overwhelmed which can contribute to poor student mental health.
Loneliness
Many college students are also living alone for the first time in their lives. Meeting new people and finding their place can be challenging for college students. Anxiety can increase when college students feel like they can't find their place.
Depression can contribute to anxiety with both disorders existing together oftentimes.
Academic Factors
College students have a lot of pressure on them when it comes to academics. Many times anxiety in college students can increase. This is because of the demands placed upon them. Many students at schools like Georgia Tech feel the pressure to excel at their coursework. This is due to them often having rigorous academic requirements.
College students feel anxious when they feel like they are behind in school work or that they are not performing well enough.
Some college students also feel pressure because school seems so overwhelming or challenging. They disengage from their studies further falling behind and increasing anxiety.
This can cause some more anxiety. College students feel the pressure to catch up and feel like their backs are against the wall. It can feel like they have to make it or break it.
Social Pressure
An anxious college student often feels social anxiety. College students can feel anxious when they are in social environments. Social anxiety looks like self-doubt and nonstop thinking about how the college student is performing socially.
Many college students criticize themselves when they feel like they aren't not performing well socially. Students feel more isolated and lonely and often avoid going out to social events. Experiencing social anxiety can lead to more mental health challenges. Challenges like depression and panic attacks.
Ways to Manage Anxiety for College Students
Harvard health review gives a couple of helpful ways to manage anxiety:
Approach, Don't Avoid
When college students feel anxious, many students avoid anxiety-producing situations. Many students avoid going to class, sleep too much, and neglect hanging out with anyone. By avoiding anxious situations, anxiety can compound making it worse.
A helpful way to manage anxiety is to find small ways to move toward the challenge rather than away from it. Can you include trusted people about what you're struggling with? Are there one or two friends that you feel comfortable being around? Can you reach out to a professor for help?
Take Care of Yourself
College students are not known for self-care. Maintaining healthy eating habits, consistent exercise, and regular sleep are important habits to help prevent anxiety disorders.
Creating a routine with a consistent bedtime and wake time is really important in managing anxiety symptoms. Also taking the time to try to have balanced meals and exercise can help college students to feel better.
Campus Resources
Many universities have resources to support student mental health. Campus resources could be reaching out to the counseling center, utilizing peer support, tutoring, and academic advising. Career centers can help support students in their job search. There also is usually a list of clubs that college students can get involved in to find community.
How Anxiety Therapy Can Help College Students
Ash Blanton, Anxiety Therapist in Atlanta, GA
Anxiety is a real challenge facing college students. Many students may benefit from utilizing resources to cope with anxiety, but counseling can help hurry the process. Counseling helps college students understand the patterns that contribute to anxiety symptoms. Counseling also helps college students develop better academic and self-care skills as well as ways to overcome social anxiety.
Ember Counseling Atlanta helps college students identify the struggles and challenges that they face. Counseling starts with identifying what mental health challenges a person is facing. As well as discovering what life would be like without anxiety, and find out what obstacles are standing in the way.
Counseling can help you find your unique path to feeling calmer and at peace. Ember Counseling Atlanta is conveniently located .05 miles from Georgia Tech and 2 miles from Georgia State. Ember Counseling Atlanta is easily accessible by MARTA. For clients who can't make it in person, online therapy options are available to college students.
If you're ready to discover how counseling can help you, book a free 20-minute consultation. During the consultation, we will talk about what life is like for you and what might be bringing you to counseling. It's also a chance to answer any questions that you might have about the counseling process.
If you're ready to get started, book a consultation today!
Begin Anxiety Therapy in Atlanta, GA
Being a college student can be difficult enough, you shouldn’t have to worry about your anxiety symptoms as well. Don’t face your anxiety alone. At my Atlanta, GA counseling practice, you can find the support and guidance you may need to manage your anxiety. Follow these simple steps to get started:
Contact us to set up a free consultation.
Begin managing your anxiety symptoms and start living your best life.
Other Services Offered at Ember Counseling Atlanta
At my Atlanta, GA counseling practice, I offer more than just anxiety therapy for college students. I provide in-person and online therapy services for the whole family including teen counseling, depression therapy, and family counseling. I also provide an Intensive Three-Day Counseling Workshop for those who want to speed up the healing process. Check out Ember Counseling Atlanta’s blog and FAQs for more information!
