The huge transition from living at home all of your life to jumping out of the nest and living on campus at college is one transition that some people have been dreaming about all their lives. But I don’t think anyone can fully prepare you for how different that experience actually is. It will be challenging and completely rewarding all at the same time, and you won’t know how your body will react to that change until you move in that first day. Once you are settled in and adjusted whether that takes one day or one semester eventually all good changes come with dorming at college. Transitions in general are hard, so what is college and dorming like everyday for someone with anxiety?
Sometimes you feel like the small things are the end of the world, or you just can’t find a moment to yourself. The responsibilities to do things like getting out of bed, eating, doing laundry, getting to class, writing papers and studying for exams all seem to hit you at once and make you feel like you can’t manage it all. But I promise you, that you can, and you will! This advice might sound easier said than done but just simply do it. You won’t get anything done from laying in bed all day…trust me I’ve tried! The constant mental struggle causes easy tasks to become a little more challenging for us, so here are a few struggles of an anxious college student and how to get through it!
Don’t be afraid to tell your friends what’s going on
A lot of the time we are our own worst enemy and expect people to just understand that we are struggling in our own minds. What seems very real and troublesome for you will not be so clear to your friends if you don’t tell them! Truthfully, we have become so good at hiding our anxiety that we forget people don’t realize how much we are suffering sometimes. Speak up and explain to your friends what is going on and I promise it will help. They might not understand completely because honestly YOU most likely don’t even know what’s causing it half the time, but they will try their very best to understand. A support system is the key to getting through any bad day. Don’t let anxiety take over, push yourself and get out of bed…mom and dad aren’t there to tell you to do that anymore.
You will be exhausted a lot of the time.
Constant worrying and over analyzing things can definitely take a toll on your body. You could be doing nothing all day but if you are constantly obsessing over something than you will become mentally exhausted. This is why working out and staying active, staying hydrated and having proper meals are a must…which are all pretty hard things to maintain while dorming at school. I understand that struggle but that just means we must work a little bit harder than everyone else to get the same result since these things are a necessity for a healthy mental state.
I need some time to myself.
Nothing against anybody else but sometimes you just need to lay in bed or just sit down and not even think of anything, not crack a smile or utter a word and just unwind your brain from the day. With people constantly in and out of the room you are destined to be asked, “What’s wrong?” at least once when you are having your “down day”. Just know that people aren’t used to seeing you not energetic, talkative or simply being attentive. Appreciate the friendships and the concern and try your best not to isolate yourself. Friends only want to help, don’t listen to anxiety making you feel otherwise.
Want to stay in on a Friday night?
THAT IS OKAY! Try and realize that saying “no” is not a bad thing sometimes. The word No easily slips out of your friends mouths when they don’t want to do something so why not yours? If you aren’t feeling up to going out because of anxiety or simply because you don’t want to than that is okay. Maybe this can be your perfect “down time” and that good night sleep that is so essential for people with anxiety. Tiredness produces those most anxious days so when that happens get some sleep; and stay away from caffeine! Caffeine is a trigger for jitters.
"Everyone hates me!"
Well not everyone but living in such close proximity to other people 24/7 can make anxiety whisper in your ear and make you feel like everyone is talking badly about you or judging you. That feeling that people are mad at you or don’t want to be around you will make you essentially worry about nothing! When that just isn’t the case at all. In fact, you are just looking into things way too much and over analyzing; that thing we do so well!
Feelings are not facts!
This is something that has taken me a while to fully understand until recently. Feelings are not always facts, just because you feel that someone looked at you a certain way and you feel they aren’t happy with you doesn’t mean this is true. Just because your anxiety has brought you to jump to that conclusion doesn’t mean it’s what is actually going on. Most of the time you are your own worst enemy and you need to remember to stay focused on what is true, not what your mind is telling you is true.
So for those of you who are away at school and are struggling with Generalized Anxiety Disorder or panic attacks just know you are definitely not alone. Be proud that you have pushed yourself and are getting up each day and facing the world. You are outside of your comfort zone and have tried something completely new, and not everyone can say they did that. Constantly being around friends has its positives and of course its negatives and when you suffer from anxiety you just have to work a little bit harder to push yourself to learn how to enjoy it! Life is way too short to obsess over things that don’t matter, especially things that we have fabricated to be true or important in our minds. College could be the perfect time for anxiety to consume your mind and make you feel like you can’t do anything and make you feel things that aren’t true. I promise you that you CAN successfully get through college whether you are dorming or commuting and have an amazing time while doing it. Stay in the moment, take one day at a time, let go of the things you cannot control and enjoy each day as it comes!
