As exciting as college and student life can be for a lot of young adults, it can also become a major source of anxiety for others. Almost a third of college students report experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress, according to a study conducted by the American College Health Association. Additionally, anxiety rarely comes unaccompanied.
Many students who feel anxious also experience symptoms of depression, and almost two-thirds of highly-stressed students feel lonely and isolated. In other words, it becomes essential to manage anxiety levels in college and help young people achieve their studies positively and with a healthy mindset. To do so, we need to get at the heart of the problem. What is causing college anxiety?
You’re stressed out about your future career
The opportunity to expand your social network and discover exciting career paths creates a sense of freedom and growth that you couldn’t get in high school. As such, a vast majority of students are enthusiastic about going to college, despite worrying about their new life. College is perceived as an indispensable step towards building a career. Consequently, everything revolving around studying, scores, and tests can lead to palpitations, insomnia, loss of appetite, isolation.
Additionally, being anxious about your performance can dramatically affect your results. Therefore, it can be helpful to consider a stress-relief treatment, such as using Sativa strains to enhance cerebral activities and relaxation when you’re studying. Some individuals react positively to the use of antidepressants, as prescribed by a doctor. However, these require follow-up, which can affect your studying schedule.
You don’t feel comfortable away from home
When you’ve been living all your life at home, you’ve established comfortable and soothing routines. Not everyone handles the thought of living away from their family and friends. A lot of students tend to be isolated because they find it hard to make friends. As a result, the idea of leaving their friends behind to go to college can be devastating. If this is too much to take, you may want to consider distance learning, which enables you to manage your studies without disrupting your life routine. You can still make friends with other students online and build a strong network for your career.
You’ve reached the burnout point
For a lot of students, college life also means taking on a part-time job to make ends meet. Managing a professional life, along with college responsibilities, is hard work. It is not uncommon for students to feel overwhelmed with exhaustion as they try to maintain a dual life as learners and money-earners. As you begin too tired to fulfill your duties as an employee and carry on with your studies, you can experience high stress levels. Experts describe it as the student burnout. Ultimately, it’s a case of trying to do too much at the same time. Therefore, it’s important to sit down with a counselor to evaluate your priorities and set realistic goals. You need to learn to put your health first, as it is detrimental to your success both as a student and an employee.
College anxiety can have dramatic consequences if you ignore it. It can facilitate depression, isolation, and put you at risk of dropping out of college. The bottom line is that you can’t ignore your mental health. Managing your anxiety is all about understanding what causes it to find a suitable solution.
