Let me start this off by saying that this will not be a “tips and tricks to solving your anxiety” article. There are so many wonderful pieces on Her Campus written by others who explain it much better than I ever could – I’ll leave links to a few of my favourites at the bottom of this page. However, if you want to know about one girl’s experience dealing with anxiety in first year or if you yourself deal with anxiety and are curious about what first year might be like – this article is for you!
A little bit about me to begin, I have been dealing with general and social anxiety since high school. For those who aren’t familiar with generalized anxiety disorder, it’s basically excessive and debilitating anxiety and worry. For me, this means I experience a lot of intrusive thoughts, to the point where it prevents me from doing things like homework or sleeping or anything that isn’t worrying about whatever IT is. The social anxiety aspect is when I spend 20 minutes thinking about how to ask the person next to me if I can borrow a pen. This goes way past the point of being “shy.”
The thing is, I’ve worked really hard at fighting my anxiety throughout high school; most of my friends probably wouldn’t know I had anxiety unless I told them. Now, how did I pull this off, you ask? Well, I always do the things that scare me. From figure skating tests to class presentations, I forced myself to act as calm and confident as possible. This is why it was no surprise to me that I would decide to move five hours away from home to attend university in Ottawa, a decision that surprised others nonetheless.
I am halfway through my second semester and I have learned so much! From not seeing my parents every day to cooking for myself, I have truly experienced what it is to live independently. This, of course, added some pressure to my anxiety which I did expect. It was more challenging to keep up with classes than in high school, I had to learn to organize my time more effectively, and I had to make physically taking care of myself a priority because there was no one there to remind me. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty difficult. Especially in the moments when my anxiety started to act up.
It wasn’t all bad. Despite some anxiety flare-ups, I’ve learned to be brave and solve my problems on my own. I’ve met a few new friends that I am so thankful for. I’ve gotten opportunities that I never imagined I would, like participating in Model Parliament and writing for Her Campus uOttawa. I went skating on the Rideau Canal for the first time and on an overnight trip to Nuit Blanche in Montreal. I made a point to not let my anxiety prevent me from doing these things. For the first time ever, I am in complete control of whatever I do with my life. Although having such a huge responsibility is scary, it is also a big freedom. It is also the chance to kick anxiety in the butt and not let it stop you from doing and achieving everything you want in life. I hope that my experience will lend you the courage you need to face your anxiety, whether you’re going into first year or graduating.
Check out other tips and stories about dealing with anxiety here, here and here!
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