Overview
Common college stressors are transitioning from home, establishing greater independence, financial challenges, increased academic demands, choosing a career path, and creating a new social group. Most students can benefit from learning about skills and strategies to better cope with stress.
For some, stress may result in intense anxiety. This can interfere with one's ability to function in important areas of life, such as academic, occupational, and social functioning. Some people experience physical manifestations of their anxiety that can resemble medical problems. However, anxiety is a treatable condition with both medical and psychological interventions.
Specific anxiety disorders:
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Panic disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Social anxiety disorder
Symptoms
Anxiety manifests in many ways, such as:
- Feeling nervous or restless
- Muscle tension
- Irritability
- Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
- Increased heart rate
- Headaches
- Rapid breathing
- Sweating and blushing
- Shakiness
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
- Trouble sleeping
- Obsessive thoughts
- Compulsive behaviors
- Avoidance
- Nausea
- Gastrointestinal (GI) problems
Treatment
Creating healthy habits helps eliminate many of the symptoms associated with anxiety.
- Eat nutritiously
- Stay hydrated
- Abstain from or limit caffeine and alcohol consumption
- Plan your time and prioritize activities
- Spend time relaxing
- Learn about and practice breathing and mindfulness techniques
- Participate in physical activity and exercise
- Make time for recreation and fun activities
- Get a good amount of sleep
- Engage with other people socially
- Talk with people who you trust about your difficulties
- Seek help from a mental health professional
Resources
Free Apps:
Videos:
Article:
Online Workshop:
- Stress Management and Wellness a 6 part workshop, each between 15 to 25 minutes long. The following brochure has been developed to help you practice the skills discussed on the video.
- Stress Management and Wellness Online Workshop Brochure.
How Thoughts Impact Your Mood and Mental Health Workshop Series
- Part 1: Cognitive Distortions
- Part 2: Replacing Unhealthy Thoughts with Healthy Ones
- Part 3: Ways to Talk Yourself Through Difficult Emotion
Workbooks:
Caps has a self-help library available to students who are interested in checking out materials from our collection.
- Stress Management and Wellness Online Workshop Brochure.
- The cognitive behavioral workbook for anxiety: a step-by-step program
- The anxiety and worry workbook: the cognitive behavioral solution
- The mindfulness & acceptance workbook for anxiety: a guide to breaking free from anxiety, phobias & worry using acceptance & commitment therapy
- The shyness & social anxiety workbook: proven, step-by-step techniques for overcoming your fear
- The mindfulness and acceptance workbook for social anxiety and shyness
- Mastering your fears and phobias: workbook.
- Overcoming the trauma of your motor vehicle accident