I would consider myself a very confident and calm person. However, even as I enter my senior and fingers crossed – last year of school, I find myself freaking out the first week of school. I find this feeling very frustrating and immature. Its my last year of school, I should know by now that I will be fine but this feeling never ceases to creep up on me. After talking with lots of my peers, I have learned that this is a very common feeling among students at the start of the semester. As I continue to remind myself that these feelings will pass and I go into the rest of this year, I thought that I would share the strategies I try to use to stay calm.
1. Do not take on more than you can. Know your limits and try to stick to them. Yes, pushing yourself is good and it is how we grow but wait until you have everything in full swing.
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2. Tell yourself you can do it, because you can! This is something that I am so guilty of. I often get on what my mom calls, “the negative thought train” and let me tell you, it can be difficult to get off of. So, whenever you feel like saying “I can’t” or whatever your negative language is, remind yourself “I can and I am.” Sounds silly, but it works.
3. Allow yourself to have a break. I think the beginning of school is tough, not because necessarily the classes are tough yet but because there is all this pressure to “start the semester off right” and to hang out with your friends and go out and get everything put away and in its place and blah, blah, blah. All this pressure can be overwhelming and get to you. Let yourself take a nap or listen to some music or read a book. You don’t have to go out just to go out. Take some time and breath.
4. Go for a walk. This point kinda ties into number 3. Honestly, it sounds silly but allowing yourself to go for a walk can do so many things for your health. It will help you clear your head, get some endorphins moving and make you realize how happy you are to be back on campus.
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5. Drink water. Keep water with you all day and use it as a reminder to breath when you’re feeling anxious.
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