by Sanaz Ahmadi
Exams, jobs, extracurriculars. These are just a few aspects of a college student’s life that can induce anxiety and stress. On top of all that, they are forced to navigate all of this during a historical pandemic. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association, about 41.6 percent of college students stated anxiety as their biggest concern while 24.5 percent reported they were taking psychotropic medication. The first year of college presents an especially anxious period for students as they are trying to find their place and adjust to such a new environment. Many different factors can play a role in widespread anxiety among college students. For instance, one of the biggest causes of anxiety for college students is sleep deprivation. Pulling all-nighters to study or finish homework can take a huge toll on a person’s mental health. Furthermore, academic stress and social anxiety disrupt a student’s mental state. Social anxiety has become very common among young adolescents as people find it hard to have sustainable conversations, especially after being isolated for so long due to the pandemic.
With the new Omicron variant threatening long-term closures of college campuses, many students’ mental health may decline. Many current college students missed out on a lot of important milestones due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Current sophomores missed out on getting a “true” senior year and didn’t get the traditional freshman year experience. Current freshmen also didn’t get the most traditional senior year and now fear that part of their freshman year will be taken away by COVID. All of this contributed to students’ declining mental health, and the possibility that there may be a repeat of the early stages of the pandemic brings about a lot of fear and anxiety. Having anxiety or depression does not mean that there aren’t ways to cope with it and lessen its severity. Here are some helpful tips to ease anxiety:
Take advantage of resources on campus: Many colleges have loads of resources for anyone struggling with their mental health. These include therapy, peer counseling, and 24/7 crisis support (text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor). Here at UCLA, such resources can be found athttps://counseling.ucla.edu (call CAPS at (310) 825-0768 if you are having urgent mental health issues). Some resources CAPs offers are therapy, group therapy, and a mental health care package.
Write down your thoughts: Putting your thoughts on paper can make them seem less daunting. Having an outlet to just express what you’re feeling can help mut your mind at ease and relax yourself a little.
Do something physically active: When your mind is burdened with many different thoughts, take a walk or do some yoga to relieve any anxiety. Focusing on your body instead of your mind can help lessen stress.
Sleep: Get at least eight hours of sleep. Although it may seem impossible to get enough sleep as a college student, it is important to prioritize that. It is better to get enough rest the night before an exam than staying up until 5 a.m. cramming the material. At that point, how much of the information will you really retain?
Practice deep breathing: Psychotherapist Stacy O’Mara suggests slowly breathing in through your nose to the count of three and breathing out to the count of six. This can promote a state of calmness and help manage your anxiety.
Keeping in mind these tips can help college students cope with their anxiety and take more steps to improve their mental health.
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/college-students-a nd-depression https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/22/us/covid-college-mental-health-suicide.html
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