Being a young adult and dealing with anxiety is hard, but being a busy college student and dealing with anxiety is even harder. As a young black woman who has dealt with anxiety since the age of 16, I have finally gotten to the point where I know how to manage it successfully. Here are my suggestions on managing anxiety as a busy college student.
Be Conscious Of Your Feelings
As a busy college student, it can be difficult to take time out of your day to sit back and self-reflect. The very first step to managing anxiety is knowing the symptoms. You are already off to a great start if you can identify how you are feeling first, then you will be ready to take action.
Understand That This Is Normal
There is a huge stigma in our community that mental illnesses are for the weak or that they don't even exist. In reality, anxiety is something that so many of our peers and classmates deal with, but there is no dialogue around it. If you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, remember that you are not alone. Knowing that you are not "crazy" or "abnormal" will ease the thoughts that you are dealing with anxiety on you own.
Breathe
Being a busy college student can be overwhelming, especially if you are dealing with anxiety. The most important advice I can give is to take time to breathe and meditate. Challenge your busy schedule by taking just fifteen minutes out of your day to meditate. There are so many free meditation apps that will guide you and even remind you when it is time to meditate!
Find Relaxing Hobbies That You Enjoy
It took me up until this semester to find a hobby that really eases my tension and anxiety, and this new hobby of mine is cooking. Find something you enjoy (you don't necessarily have to be good at it), and when you start to feel your anxiety taking over you can turn to your hobby. This can be working out, journaling, reading, gardening, or anything healthy that interests you.
Become Comfortable In Your Solitude
Whether it's listening to Beyonce for two hours straight or binge-watching all nine seasons of The Office, as a busy college student it is important to take time to yourself, by yourself. When I get the chance to be alone in my own space, lighting candles and incense really helps me relax. If you can find a few hours out of your schedule each day to unwind, you will find it much easier to manage your anxiety.
Talk To Someone
When it comes to managing anxiety as a busy college student, the last thing you want to do is deal with it by yourself. Having someone like a best friend or a close family member to talk to about how you are feeling is essential. Whether you have a trusted person to vent to or not, talking to a professional therapist is the key to healing. Most college campuses have free counseling services, and all you have to do is set up an appointment. You may think you're too busy or embarrassed to go to counseling, but it is completely normal. You will feel so much better when you can share how you are feeling with no judgment, and you will find it so much easier to manage your anxiety.
As busy college students, we often put our schoolwork and extracurricular activities over our mental health. Remember that in order to be successful in achieving our goals, we must put our physical and mental health first. You are never too busy to take care of yourself!