13 tips for managing anxiety at university
WITH rising rates of depression and anxiety among university students, Victoria University professor Jenny Sharples shares her top tips for managing mental health after high school.
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ADJUSTING to university life can be tough.
For first year students in particular, it can be a real shock to the system — there are no teachers hassling you to submit your assignments, no one checking off whether or not you’ve done the required reading for a tutorial and, generally, no one taking roll call at the beginning of a lecture. You are, often for the first time, chiefly responsible for and in control of your own learning and, until you find your rhythm, this shift can be a real challenge.
Add to that the pressures of wanting to fit in, make new friends and, in some cases, moving out of home, and it’s no wonder the rates of depression and anxiety have skyrocketed among university students, with research showing an alarming one in three Aussie students has considered self-harm.
Professor Jenny Sharples, head of clinical services and psychology at Victoria University, says that while it is natural to experience some anxiety when going into a new environment, too much is never a good thing.
“Anxiety is there to tell us there is a threat, so any time there is an adjustment we have to make, some anxiety can be expected,” she says. “But the thing with anxiety is that if you know a certain situation is likely to trigger it, you can learn how to manage it and not fall apart when it does.
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“One of the biggest mistakes students make is not seeking help for it. One of the great things about being a first-year student is that everyone else is in the same boat. There are hundreds of people all making the same adjustment so, no doubt, someone else is feeling the same. All you have do to is speak up.”
This can be a challenging time for family and friends, too, who are often unsure how to help and support stressed-out loved ones.
“It’s good to maintain communication,” Prof Sharples says. “Families tend to think that just because [a student] is 18 and at first-year university, they are fine, but make sure you’re talking to them about how they’re coping and adjusting and making sure they’re not too overwhelmed.”
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While the transition to university life can be a difficult one, Prof Sharples says students should never feel like they have to suffer alone. Here are her top tips to help students make the most of their university experience, as well as how to manage the stress and anxiety that can so often plague it.
13 TIPS FOR MANAGING ANXIETY AT UNIVERSITY
SEE ANXIETY AS A WARNING SIGN
Anxiety is there to tell us there is a threat, so any time there is an adjustment we have to make, some anxiety can be expected. It’s natural to feel anxious when you have to be assessed or when you are going into a new environment but, if you’re prepared for it and have put in place coping mechanisms, you can learn not to be surprised and fall apart when the warning signs start to show.
MAKE MISTAKES
Whenever you do something new, you’re never going to get it all right. Be kind to yourself, have self-compassion and see it as an opportunity to learn. In the early days especially, expect to get confused or to not know what’s going on and don’t be afraid to look silly or get things wrong. That’s all part of the process.
TAKE MENTAL BREAKS
Learning how to have mental breaks is really important, especially during high-stress times — such as studying for exams. But not all brain breaks are created equal. A mental break needs to be something that gives your mind a little rest — such as a walk outside, catching up with a friend for coffee, doing a yoga class, playing kick to kick or even just patting your dog. It doesn’t mean more screen time (so that’s a no to bingeing on Netflix). Find whatever suits your body and mind and make sure time every day to do it.
USE THE SERVICES
Use the services — they’re there for you and you’ve paid for them. All universities have student services areas that can help with things like study skills, essay writing or ways to manage anxiety around performance but young people, often, aren’t used to accessing them. Don’t be afraid to ask tutors where you can get help, or to ask for help. And don’t leave it to the last minute — it’s hard to get assistance for something if it’s due tomorrow.
LEARN HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME
This is one of those skills that, if they don’t already know how to, students just have to learn. It’s an important part of learning to be self-reliant and universities have wellbeing areas can help those who want to learn how to improve their time management skills.
DON’T DOUBT YOURSELF
Students often get to university and, if they’re having difficulties, start questioning whether or not they deserve to be there. Remember you got into university because you achieved what you needed to get there so if you’re not managing things in your first semester, it is most likely because you need some assistance and not because you’re not able to do it. Failure shouldn’t be a sign that you should just quit.
GO TO CLASS
It might sound simple, bit it is important to go to class. With the advent of online ways of getting information, we often don’t show up to lectures because we know we can listen later. But we need to get information in a range of ways and you learn a lot from just being present and keeping engaged with your university.
SOCIALISE
Most people will do better if they do engage with social opportunities at university. Some people like to engage with larger, more organised opportunities — such as going on a camp or joining a club — but it’s important to socialise in whichever ways you best feel comfortable.
University can also be a great opportunity to meet a lot of people, many of whom you might not otherwise come across, so you can start to learn how to mix in the world and interact with other people. Add to that the social opportunities around learning. If you have a group project, for instance, taking the initiative to get a group together to talk about the project is a really great way to get to know people as well.
GET ENOUGH SLEEP
Getting enough sleep is really important. Often young people don’t go to bed that early then have to get up and try to study. You can do a lot of things when you’re tired, but trying to learn is not one of them.
HAVE FUN
University shouldn’t be all work and no play. Go out. Have fun. Make sure you have a good balance with work and family and study and socialising.
MINIMISE RISKY BEHAVIOURS
Some ways of coping with social anxiety are more or less healthy for you. While everyone has coping methods that are not the healthiest, the point isn’t to be perfect, but about opting for more constructive ways to manage anxiety, most of the time. The most obvious one is drinking — but it could be anything. Nobody is aware of what you’re doing during the day, so if you’re feeling overwhelmed and start to withdraw, stop going to class or stop doing your work, this can be just as detrimental to your achievement outcomes (and mental health) as things like drinking too much or too often. To help manage stress or anxiety, look at your week — how are you going to go with sleep, diet, exercise, getting outdoors in the sunshine and meeting people? Hold yourself accountable and seek help if you are struggling with your workload.
SPEAK UP
One of the biggest mistakes students make is that they suffer in silence, and students who come from regional or rural areas, in particular, do find it much more difficult because they are also doing another type of adjustment — moving into a more urban living area — which can also be very exciting. This can be a bigger challenge than people think it is and can often take six to eight weeks of adjusting. There is also the pressure of earning money and managing that as well. But the biggest mistake is keeping it all to yourself. There are hundreds of people making the same adjustment so no doubt someone else is feeling the same.
SEE A COUNCELOR
Staff are there to help and want to hear from you and resolve problems. Instead of thinking ‘oh I missed a date for something important’ and giving up, young people need to remember that most things can be problem solved. Working through the fact that it’s a whole degree can be a difficult thing for students to think about but counselling staff in universities are trained to help people think about those things. Whatever the reason — universities have probably heard it before and, chances are, it won’t be something no one else has ever experienced. If you use the services the university has — they’ll help you work out best steps to take. Everything can be worked through if students take an active approach to managing their own learning.
If you are experiencing mental health issues or suicidal feelings contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or BeyondBlue 1300 224 636. If it is an emergency please call 000.
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