While college can be a great time for growth, social exploration, and fun, it can also be a time filled with stress. Especially during this time of the year, final exams are in full swing and you may feel like you have a lot on your plate. Whether you are just dealing with the stress of your schoolwork or you are also trying to balance work and other responsibilities, college can easily breed feelings of anxiety.
In addition to your responsibilities, many people struggle with the changes that college can bring about. You are no longer surrounded by your family and friends. Your everyday routine has changed in a big way.
Some common causes of anxiety in college students include:
Academic pressure
Moving away from home
New social situations
Financial stressors
Many college students report having anxiety so you are not alone! By learning about your anxiety and working with a therapist who specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, also known as CBT, you can make positive changes in your life and learn how to manage your anxiety!
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with psychotherapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, and life transitions. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and telehealth (video/phone) sessions to residents of New Jersey and New York.
Do I have anxiety?
Many people experience anxiety and, at times, it can be a healthy response to some of life’s more stressful situations. For instance, if you are studying for final exams, it is an understandably stressful time. In this case scenario, your anxiety may be situational. You feel anxious since you have exams coming up but, once they are over, you feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. If you specifically need help with a situation like this, check out our blog post, “5 Effective Ways to Reduce Stress During Final Exams.” However, when symptoms of anxiety begin to play a large role in your life, it can be a sign of an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders can be debilitating so, chances are, if you are struggling with it, you will know. Recognizing anxiety symptoms is your first step towards healing.
Some signs and symptoms of anxiety include:
Feeling agitated
Excessive worrying
Restlessness
Difficulty concentrating
Fatigue
Tense muscles
Irritability
Trouble falling or staying asleep
Avoiding social situations
Panic attacks
Irrational fears
How do I know the difference between anxiety and fear?
Being worried about your future and success does not automatically mean that you have anxiety. An easy way to tell the difference between your fear and anxiety is to examine when your uncomfortable feelings arise. Fear is often an instantaneous response to a threat. On the other hand, you may have anxiety leading up to an event.
Typically, your fear is specific and deals with a noticeable danger whereas anxiety can be unfocused or even objectless. Fear is a biological response. It can be scary, but it is an essential part of the human experience. Anxiety is an emotion that may arise when you think about the future and “what if” scenarios. While fear and anxiety may occur together, they are not interchangeable.
Graduating college is often a common time where young adults feel an incredible amount of fear and uncertainty about their future. In this case, our blog “Navigating Life After College” can be helpful!
What is CBT?
CBT is an effective treatment approach that addresses negative thoughts and behavior patterns. This form of therapy identifies and navigates how your emotions and thoughts influence your actions. Once you begin to pick up on these patterns, you have the power to initiate positive change in your life and create new, healthy coping mechanisms.
While CBT does take the past into consideration, it is not the focus. There are many techniques used in CBT to help ease your negative thoughts, and a CBT counselor will work closely with you to figure out which is best for your path forward.
Generally, CBT treatment includes:
Understanding that false thinking can create problems
Learning new ways to solve issues
Gaining confidence and understanding that you are worthy
Learning how to face your fears and step into uncomfortability
Dealing with potentially challenging situations through role play methods and calming techniques
If you are interested in learning more about CBT, check out our blog “Everything You Need to Know About Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).”
How can CBT help college students?
Let’s face the truth- moving away from home and the comfortability you have known for 18 years is hard. When you couple this transition with feelings of homesickness, difficult assignments and exams, increased social pressures, a general pressure to succeed, and financial responsibilities, college students are extremely vulnerable to anxiety and burnout.
If you have a hard time adjusting to one or more aspects of the “college experience”, you may find yourself feeling down or experiencing anxious thoughts.
Typically, these thoughts will:
Be self-critical
Cast doubt on your talents and capabilities
Speak negatively about yourself
Include worry
Become a cycle of excessive worrying about various outcomes
When these thoughts go untreated, they can escalate which may make you want to isolate yourself. CBT is an excellent, scientifically proven method to stop these thoughts in their tracks.
For instance, let’s say you received your dream internship. While this is an obviously notable achievement on the surface, you may feel uneasy. You may start thinking, “What if I am not good enough?”, “What if they made a mistake and I was not supposed to be accepted?” or “What if they find out I am a fraud?”. These are anxious thoughts that may automatically pop into your head. Instead of these thoughts causing you to spiral, CBT can help you manage them so they leave just as quickly as they came.
Why can working with a CBT therapist be helpful for college students?
Anxiety can be draining, therefore seeking the help of a licensed anxiety therapist can be helpful, especially if your symptoms are severe.
If you feel anxious the majority of the time and experience one or more symptoms from the aforementioned list, it is highly recommended that you seek help for an anxiety counselor who is trained in CBT techniques. Even if you feel like your negative or anxious emotions have not been around too long but they are having a major impact on your life, you can reach out to a professional for help.
Help is always just a phone call or email away. At Anchor Therapy, we specialize in CBT. Most clients can benefit from CBT as it helps with many issues that college students may be facing. If you want to feel like your best self and work towards your goals, speaking with a CBT counselor is a step in the right direction!
Victoria Scala
is the Social Media Manager and Intake Coordinator at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Honors College of Rutgers University-Newark, planning to study Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the graduate level. As a Social Media Manager at Anchor Therapy, Victoria is committed to producing content for and managing the office’s social media presence and blog.
