Dealing with Anxiety as a College Student in Washington, DC
Major Take-Aways:
Anxiety is a common concern among college students, and it’s little surprise as to why— college can be seriously stressful!
Many factors make college anxiety-provoking, and better understanding these can help in your efforts to manage your anxiety
Getting the right kind of support can go a long way. At the end of this article, I review a few strategies for dealing with anxiety as a college student and how to implement them
Anxiety is common among college students and young adults
Having worked in university and college counseling centers in the greater DC area for many years, I can say with confidence that anxiety is among the most common concerns college students face. In fact, at my alma mater the University of Maryland, nine of the top ten most common student concerns each year are possible symptoms of anxiety (e.g., “My thoughts are racing”).
That’s really no surprise when you consider that anxiety is the most common mental health concern among adults in the United States, with anxiety disorders affecting as many as 30% of US adults at some point in their lives. It just so happens that anxiety disorders on average develop in the early 20s, which for most students is the age they’re in college. Worse, students who haven’t had much difficulty with anxiety in the past may not have had the chance to develop active coping skills to more effectively respond to it. These factors together make anxiety a real challenge for many college students.
Some amount of anxiety in college is normal, to be expected, and may even be motivational, but when it becomes persistent, distressing, or gets in the way of you meeting the day-to-day demands of college, it may represent the development of an anxiety disorder. Let’s take a look at why college may be especially stressful and what to do when you begin feeling anxious.
Why college may be making you anxious, even for the first time
There are an infinite many reasons that students I’ve worked with have felt stressed out by college, but here are just a few of the less obvious that come to mind:
It’s a major transition. This should be apparent to most, but beginning college is a major transition in your life. It’s one you’ve likely looked forward to and fantasized about, and you should feel proud to have made it this far! However, as with most fantasies of change, we often underestimate how hard the adjustment can be and the loss of familiarity that can come with it. Even things as simple as being in a new setting or surrounded by strangers can be taxing on our emotional systems and contribute to anxiety. Reminding yourself that this is a significant transition and that it’s normal to experience a period of adjustment may help to calm your anxiety.
First time away from home. For many students, college is the first time they’re living away from home, and for some this may even mean taking on routine self-care tasks they never needed to before. Suddenly, you may be cooking for yourself or doing your own laundry for the first time, and while this may seem like a simple thing for some, it can really throw others off-balance. Top on the fact that you are suddenly away from family and childhood friends, which for some may provoke a reasonable amount of separation anxiety, and it can make for a seriously stressful time.
Family dysfunction and abuse. That said, others may find relief in being away from their families, especially if they’ve experienced significant family dysfunction or abuse. Yet they may find themselves surprised to be anxious in this new setting. This too is not uncommon; often, when we are exposed to traumatic environments, our bodies and minds enter a sort of survival mode. The damage that accumulates in that time may not be noticeable when in this mode of living, but when away and in a safer place, it may begin to resurface. You may notice yourself feeling freshly anxious, depressed, or struggling with other distracting feelings that are now demanding your attention.
Greater demand, less structure. College is a major step-up in terms of its academic demands for most. It’s not uncommon for students who were superstars in their high schools to begin to feel like a small fish in a large pond, and your old ways of achieving academic success may not fit the demands of college as neatly. It’s rare for straight-A students to find themselves failing their first exams. Further, many students are surprised by the general lack of structure in college. When you were in high school, for example, you may have been given study guides for major exams, had larger assignments broken up into smaller tasks with multiple deadlines, or benefited from more one-on-one support from your instructors. College strips much of this support and begins to entrust you with greater responsibility for your work. While this freedom can be a welcomed relief for some, for most it can create new challenges for time management and lead to anxiety.
Identity exploration and crisis. College comes at a very formative and vulnerable age, during which we begin to ask very difficult questions about ourselves and the lives we hope to lead. Suddenly, the endless opportunities begin to narrow, and we start to make choices that zero us into a particular path. What do you want to do with your life? Who do you want to be? What will you look for in a partner? How can you set yourself up for financial success, while also finding passion in your work? What are your values, and how will you live in alignment with them? While most will not answer these questions definitively by the time of graduation, these kinds of existential questions— and the feeling that some of our decisions may be irreversible— can be a breeding ground for anxiety. At the end of the day, there are no perfect decisions however, and it helps to remember you can always change course down the road.
Perfectionism. This one goes along with the last two but is worth discussing separately given how commonly I see this issue. For many college students, getting here was no small feat and required diligence, determination, and excellence. While those qualities are not necessarily bad, many students begin to wrap their entire identities around academic achievement, and college can seriously challenge this source of self-esteem. Suddenly a straight-A student fails a class, or an otherwise diligent student feels completely unmotivated. You may even continue to achieve academically, but begin to find it doesn’t carry the same satisfaction it used to. This is all normal and a part of growing into a balanced and more robust adult, but it’s not without its challenges to our perfectionism and anxieties.
Social challenges. College is resplendent with opportunities to make friends, date, and find your people, which can be a huge part of the allure. There’s usually no shortage of opportunities to socialize, from the dorm floor to student groups and greek organizations. However, this abundance of opportunity is not without its drawbacks, and many students may notice that they are especially anxious in social situations or struggling to make friends for the first time in their lives. Think, for example, about how you made friends in grade school. Likely, you made your friends in the classes you had, and you may have even stuck with the same cohort of people for most of the day for many years. You had few choices for who to befriend, and so you made do with who was around! College flips that on its head, and if you’re someone who already struggles with social anxiety, this can be completely overwhelming. Complications in dating, roommate conflicts, group projects, and other social situations can also worsen this anxiety.
Family culture. Families have different rules, expectations, and values. Whether these are communicated implicitly or explicitly, children begin to pick up on them and internalize these rules themselves. For high-achieving families, these messages may have set success or excellence as an expectation. For others, there may be messages about how financially burdensome college is to the family and for this reason how important it is for the child to succeed. For first-generation college students and students from immigrant families, the pressure to succeed may be especially pronounced as a realization of a generational dream. Whatever the case may be, this sort of pressure can seriously up the stakes for college students and worsen anxiety by making it feel like failure isn’t an option.
Racism and predominately White institutions. For students of color, particularly Black students, attending a predominantly White institution (PWI) can be a serious culture shock. Many may come from communities and high schools where they were surrounded by others like them who celebrated their identities and at least somewhat shielded them from the effects of racism. College may be the first time students of color are stripped of these safe spaces, and between racist microaggressions, discrimination, gaslighting, institutional racism, white supremacist harassment, and even violence against Black and brown students, it’s no wonder that many report feeling fatigued, anxious, and depressed. White supremacy is insidious and permeates even institutions of higher education, and failing to name, acknowledge, and externalize it can prove toxic and anxiety-inducing for students of color.
So what can you do about anxiety in college?
While the previously described challenges may feel a bit overwhelming, it’s important to remember first that you are not alone and that anxiety is a common concern among college students. You’d probably be surprised to know just how many of your peers are also feeling anxious about similar things, and recognizing that anxiety is common and that there are options for responding to your anxiety may help to take the edge off.
Now, remember, it’s not all doom-and-gloom. Most colleges and universities are well-aware of the immense anxiety facing their students and have developed resource centers and other opportunities for their students to address this anxiety. Here are just a few ideas about what you can do to manage anxiety in college:
All of the usual strategies apply. I won’t get too into this here, but all of the usual strategies for managing anxiety still apply to anxiety in college. Things like practicing good sleep hygiene, managing anxious thoughts, eating regular nutritious meals, exercising, limiting the use of caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine, and others will help you to feel a bit more balanced. Any existing anxiety management strategies will likely be the easiest for you to get back into the habit of using. If you made use of any strategies in high school like mindfulness meditation, deep breathing, going for walks, calling a best friend or loved one, or journaling, you’ll probably want to start there now. Think of it like working different muscle groups: if you’re usually one to skip leg day, you probably won’t want to rely on your legs when it’s time to do the heavy lifting (though building that new muscle group can be a helpful long-term strategy!)
Establish a routine. One of the greatest stressors in college is the lack of structure. For high school, you likely woke at the same time for school each day, went to the same classes with the same people, engaged in the same extracurriculars, and ended with bed at a similar time— but much of this was likely not by choice, and now that you do have choice, you may find yourself making choices that aren’t the best for your well-being. Start by establishing a routine for yourself, focusing first by scheduling in all of your classes and major responsibilities, then other activities like homework and studying, and end on activities like self-care and socializing that can be fit in around the others. You’ll want to be sure to include enough time for at least 7-9 hours of sleep, regular meals, and exercise— for as difficult as this may be to do, you’ll thank yourself later.
Practice saying “no.” One of the great joys of college is the many options you’ll have in front of you. At some universities, there are dozens of majors, hundreds of student organizations, and endless opportunities for leadership and involvement. While this can feel like something of a buffet of opportunity, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and if you’re not careful, you may find yourself burned out by all the fun. Deliberately choosing to take things slower by saying no to opportunities and outings, or by prioritizing rest and other restorative activities can go a long way in managing your anxiety. You don’t have to do it all!
Seek out opportunities for making friends— sooner than later. The worst college experience is a lonely college experience, and social support can go a long way in getting you through some of the tougher times. From the beginning, you should seek out opportunities to begin building friendships, whether this be with people in your dorm, in your classes, or by joining a student organization or frat. Most major universities have an entire directory for searching student organizations, so you may want to start there and try to find people with common interests. This will make small talk and building rapport come more naturally, and may even lead to some leadership opportunities down the road. If you’re a member of a marginalized community like the LGBTQ+ community, you may want to seek-out specific cultural organizations that cater to you. This can be both an instant source of connection and help you to cope with any challenges you may face from discrimination or microaggressive behaviors.
Discover your community. As I mentioned previously, being a student from a marginalized community can make college uniquely challenging. Now not only are you dealing with the usual anxiety of academic demands, but you’re having to educate your peers on your experience, correcting your professors when they use the wrong pronouns, or facing microaggressive and blatantly discriminatory experiences. This, combined with the usual gaslighting and minimizing of your experience that comes with institutionalized oppression, may make you feel fatigued, anxious, out-of-place or out-of-your-mind. While it's incumbent upon universities to shape their culture and weed out issues like white supremacy on campus, that’s unlikely to happen in a day. In the meantime, you need places where you can take refuge among people like you who understand what you’re going through and can validate your feelings. You may even be so moved as to find power in advocacy on campus and push your university to be a more inclusive, anti-racist space or to support others in your community by hosting events celebrating your community’s values. Many colleges and universities have specific offices dedicated to diversity, inclusion, and specific student communities like LGBTQ+ students or students of color; some even have entire institutes, dorms, and community centers for them. Seek these out early and see how you might get involved.
Seek out mentors. For many college students, especially those who are the first in their family to attend college (i.e., first generation college students), asking instructors, TAs, lab leaders, and others for support can feel a bit daunting. And, make no mistake, there are some pretty lousy professors out there whose small egos get a kick out of picking on students for sport. But most university personnel, especially student affairs staff and administrators, are there because they love to work with students and appreciate students who appear invested in making the most of their experience. Seeking out mentors can prove especially important when you need help navigating some of the barriers to success in college, and having trusted mentors can go a long way in helping you to feel supported on campus and thus less anxious.
Find an academic “home.” You may change your major a few times while you’re in college; that’s exceedingly common and is nothing to worry about. In fact, I’m of the opinion that too many students enter college feeling they know what they’re going to do for their careers, rather than taking university as an opportunity to explore. Either way, once you find yourself established in your major, you’ll want to find an academic “home” on campus. This may be a particular department, an academic advising office, or even just a study group. Your academic home should be a place that you feel has the resources to answer questions you have about navigating your major, meeting requirements, and finding additional academic support like on-campus tutoring should you need it. Academic demands are a major source of anxiety in college, and having some extra support specific to these concerns can help you to feel more in control, better prepared, and less anxious.
Take advantage of your counseling center’s resources— early in the semester. Most major universities have a counseling center on campus. It may be located within the student health center or separate from it. College counseling centers evolved along with universities as educators became increasingly aware of the unique challenges students faced and the effects these had on their mental health. Today, these centers may offer individual therapy, therapy groups, workshops, trainings, and other resources to help meet your needs— most completely free of charge or paid for by your student fees. A word of advice, however: most college counseling centers are understaffed and overwhelmed by student demand, and by the middle of the semester, they’ll be completely slammed. While you shouldn’t ever hesitate to reach out in the event of an emergency, under more ordinary circumstances it may take some time to get an appointment or to be matched with a counselor. Many centers will try to refer you to therapists in the community (like me!) to lighten their load. If you’re intent on working with an anxiety therapist through your counseling center or simply don’t have the resources to see a counselor off-campus, I’d encourage you to schedule an appointment with the counseling center as early into the semester as possible.
Register with your disability accommodations office. If you have a documented learning disability or other disability, you should register with your campus accommodations office as soon as possible. Many students make the mistake of waiting to do so, and because of shame, embarrassment, or pride may just forgo their accommodations altogether. This can make classes unnecessarily difficult and may leave you a few steps behind your peers. Remember, disabilities are valid lived differences, and there’s no reason to feel ashamed for utilizing your accommodations. You’re simply giving yourself the same opportunities other students already have and making for a more fair, even playing field.
Allow yourself to make mistakes and practice self-compassion. If I hope to be clear about anything, it’s that college is tough. Like, really tough, and often in new and surprising ways. This may be the first time in your life that you fall short of your expectations, and it may really affect your self-esteem. The risk is that you might begin to feel like a loser or start to feel ashamed of yourself, and those kinds of feelings or unhelpful thoughts may shut you down altogether. For as challenging as it is, college is a wonderful opportunity to begin practicing self-compassion. Remember, you’re only human, and as much as any other human, you’re allowed to have limitations and make mistakes. Building skills for more effectively coping with that disappointment will serve you for the rest of your life— and make for a more enjoyable one at that!
Take the bird’s eye view. Few people look back on college and remember the class they nearly failed or that time they embarrassed themselves in front of new people. The fact is, for as serious as some of your concerns feel right now, they may feel a bit silly a few years down the road. I say this not to minimize or dismiss how you’re feeling; I know firsthand how difficult college can be and how anxious you might be feeling. However, it’s helpful to remember that this is only a period in your life, and that even if you miss certain opportunities or fall short of your expectations from time to time, there’s plenty of life left after college. Keeping this perspective may just help to lower the stakes a little bit, and in doing so, ease your anxiety. With this anxiety more effectively managed, you’ll be better equipped to focus on accomplishing what you’ve set out to while having a little bit of fun along the way.
College anxiety has got nothing on you!
Some amount of anxiety in college is entirely normal, and with as many stressors as you’re likely to face, I would honestly be more surprised if you felt calm and collected the entire four or more years. The truth is that college will challenge most of us in new and surprising ways, and that isn’t always such a bad thing— in fact, it’s part of what can make it such a transformative period in our lives.
Nonetheless, new sources of stress require new strategies for coping, and I hope you’ll be proactive in applying some of the ones I’ve summarized here. In particular, if you ever notice your anxiety becoming excessive or unrelenting, or if it begins to affect your academics and quality of life, you should seek out help for anxiety and explore anxiety treatment options soon. Anxiety can suck the life out of college, but there are plenty of options for help.
I work with college students to help get their anxiety better under control.
Are you a student at American University, Georgetown University, or another local college or university and interested in working together on better managing your anxiety? Check out the rest of my website to learn more about me and my approach to therapy, or simply send me a message at my Contact page to get started.
Have feedback on this page or ideas about how it could be improved to be more helpful to other college students? Send me an email, and I’d be happy to hear your thoughts.
