Already almost halfway through the fall semester of my Sophomore year, I look back to my Freshman year when I was first diagnosed with General Anxiety, Social Anxiety, and a Panic Disorder, and realize how much my anxiety this year has drastically decreased since being diagnosed a year ago. But what changed? What did I do differently this year that I should have done my Freshman year to decrease my anxiety? The answer that I got involved. Last year, I was not involved in anything until the end of my last semester when I began to stick my feet in the water of joining an organization. But this year, I am involved in Band, an Honor Fraternity, a church organization, and also writing and editing for Odyssey. My social plate has reached its maximum capacity. Most people would see my crazy busy schedule as something that would trigger my anxiety even more, and I must admit, at first I thought I was way in over my head this semester by attempting to juggle going to class full time on top of being so involved, but once I learned how to manage my time, being this involved actually has helped my anxiety tremendously, and here is why.
1. Being involved keeps your mind occupied.
For me, one of the biggest triggers for my anxiety is overthinking. I overthink everything constantly and there are times when it feels like I cannot shut my mind off. Being involved in some kind of club, organization, or hobby gives you something to focus on and think about so your anxiety does not constantly cloud your mind and thoughts. For me, band and playing my clarinet does this for me. I am more focused on playing the music and marching and learning the halftime show for the week that I forget my anxiety is even there. I do not overthink, I do not worry, I do not stress over little things, and my mind is not going 100 miles an hour; I am only focused on band and nothing else and for me, this is the biggest stress reliever and a break from my constant anxiety.
2. Being involved makes it easy to make friends.
Going to college last year, I was so worried about leaving my friends from back home and having to try and make new ones. I knew no one when I moved to San Antonio and started at UTSA and being involved in multiple organizations has made it so much easier for me to make friends. In band, we spend so much time together that it is so easy and natural for us to bond and make connections together. In my Fraternity, everyone goes through the process of rushing. Rushing last semester bonded me with the people I rushed with in a way that no one could begin to understand until you go through something so personal and challenging yourself. You get to know each individual for who they really are and for all of their strengths and weaknesses. You become close to these people instantly and form life-long relationships. In my church group, I always know I have friends to turn to no matter what who are all so accepting and always there to listen and help guide me through life and through college. Being involved in some sort of organization or hobby you are interested in automatically gives you a connection to at least one other person and makes it that much easier to make new friends at your university. This really helped decrease my anxiety over making friends and feeling like I was alone. Now, I have so many different friends I know who are going to be there for me when I need it and this has helped my anxiety and stress so much
3. Being involved helps you communicate with others.
As a college student with general and social anxiety, one of my biggest fears is having to talk or communicate with other people. I get anxious and nervous whenever I have to talk or engage with people that I do not know, or even people that I do know. Being involved in some kind of group or organization allows you to gradually interact and communicate with new people so you are more comfortable and less anxious when it comes to having to talk to new people. Being involved in multiple organizations has helped me slowly but surely break out of my anxious, timid shell and not be as afraid to interact and talk to other people.
4. Being involved helps with time management.
One way that I have found to help control and maintain my anxiety on a daily basis is establishing solid time management skills. Being involved in so many different activities forces me to keep up with my schedule and manage my time efficiently because I have so much going on. If I slack off and do not stick to my schedule, my anxiety becomes worse and spikes out of control. Being involved has helped me keep my anxiety in check and controlled by sticking to a schedule and learning how to plan out my time effectively.
5. Being involved forces you outside of your comfort zone.
In my fraternity, some of the activities I am required to do and participate in such as sports, team building activities, and public speaking, are way outside of my comfort zone and are things that would normally cause my anxiety to go crazy. But, being involved has taught me and prepared me to face my fears and to participate in actives that I normally would run away from. Facing my fears has actually helped me to learn how to control my anxiety in these situations and to grow and overcome my anxiety. The people in these organizations have also been there to support me and lift me up through panic attacks and times when I feel like I cannot control my anxiety. This is something I never imagined I would have, but am so thankful for being pushed outside of my comfort zone to stand up to my anxiety and face my fears head on.
6. Being involved helps you transition into college life.
Last year as a Freshman, I wish I would have been more involved. Being more involved has helped my anxiety in so many ways that I wish I had figured it out sooner. This year, my anxiety has drastically decreased because of the relationships, memories, life skills, and enjoyment that I get out of all the activities and organizations that I am involved in. When people ask me, "doesn't being involved in so much stress you out?" I will always reply that it would stress me out more if I was not so involved. Do not let your anxiety run your life. Get out and show your anxiety that you are in control and run your own life
