Anxiety has been a common issue with adolescents for a while. With the work load of 4 credit classes, extracurricular responsibilities, maintaining a decent GPA, and applying to internships, anxiety at some point is inevitable and completely normal. Most people associate anxiety with depression or mental disorders but it is completely normal when dealing with any form of stress. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety can be defined as persistent and excessive worry about everyday things. In the case of college those things may be upcoming tests and projects, homework, and relationships and friendships. Either way, it is something that is causing you stress. The good news is, there are ways to deal with it and eradicate any prolonged future anxiety. Here are some helpful tips to put your mind at ease.
- Identify the problem. Figure out whatever is making your mind race. Identify if it is a project that is due next week, a test that you have rarely studied for or an essay that you haven’t even prepared yet. Just pin point the main issue.
- Take a moment to think things over. After identifying the problem, take a moment to break it down. Break the issue down to pieces. After this, you’ll realize how simple the issue is and how it can be solved.
- Consider a list of solutions. Come up with simple solutions. For instance, if you have a research paper due in a week and have a number of other things to do, take at least 2 hours out of your day, every other day, to do some research and write an outline for your paper. Jot down every idea that comes to your head for the paper. Giving yourself a time slot to do your homework will put your mind at ease at night. It’ll give yourself the satisfaction of accomplishing something.
- Take a break from everything. After finding a solution for yourself, give yourself a break. Take a moment out of your day or week (as your schedule permits) to just relax. Go to the pool for an hour or go lay on the hammocks. Go listen to the new album that your favorite artist just released or watch your favorite show. Whatever you do, just make sure it is relaxing. Make sure it gives your brain a chance to cool down for a little bit. Taking a moment to yourself to recuperate will restore your energy for the day.
- Fix the issue. After relaxing for an hour, get back into the flow of things. Get right back on your grind. Finish writing that paper or studying for the test. Do whatever you have to do to eliminate the issue.
- Reward yourself. After fixing the issue and riding yourself of anxiety, reward yourself. After finishing that paper or knocking that test out of the park, go binge on Netflix or spend a night partying. You’ve worked hard for this so go crazy. You successfully fixed the issue you thought was never going to go away, go have fun. But once you’ve rewarded yourself, don’t forget to get back into the swing of things for the week.