If you suffer from anxiety you are definitely not alone. In fact, according to the the Anxiety and Depression Association of America over 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders.
That’s a lot of people.
I know I mainly write about veganism and post vegan recipes, but mental health is also something that is very close to my heart and is part of my lifestyle as well. I recently graduated with my Bachelors degree in English and am even thinking about going back to school for culinary arts. I won’t lie to you. There were some days when I had to leave school or skip classes because I let my nerves get the best of me. But there were also times that I just had to push through it.
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Let me describe a situation I went through just so you can get a picture of my anxiety at its worse. Maybe you can relate to a similar situation…
It’s almost 10:00 and I’m rushing from my 9 AM class to another building for my next class, American Literature. I can already feel the knot in my stomach forming because I didn’t eat breakfast that morning and I’m not sure if I have a pop quiz coming up. As I walk to class I begin overthinking and by the time I am at the top of the stairs I feel like I can’t breathe, like I’m gagging on the thought of sitting down for the next 50 minutes.
I have about four minutes before class, let me specify, a class that I absolutely cannot be late to for fear of public humiliation from my professor. I run to the restroom, gasping for air and quickly close myself up in a stall. I tell myself to calm down and to suck it up, but now my nausea is hitting me full force and I’m sure I would throw up if I had anything in my stomach. I debate, whether or not to skip class. A class where I may miss a quiz which means I would have to make that up in my professors office. Nope. I go to class.
The entirety of the class goes by irritatingly slow. My whole body feels like it’s shaking and I keep crossing and uncrossing my legs. Once it’s time to go I race to my car. I was only at school for about two hours and already felt exhausted from my experience.
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That was one of the worst experiences with anxiety I had in school.
As you can tell I overthought the entire situation which created a downward spiral for myself. I felt nervous and completely alone in that situation and let those negative thoughts get to the best of me. Since then, although it was not that long ago, I would like to think that I have learned a couple of things that could have helped me out with that situation. So below are some of my best tips for coping and preventing anxiety attacks in school. However, any of these tips can be applied to any anxious situation.
This is an important one which is why I’m putting it first. Now since this situation I have paid a lot more attention to my mental and physical health. Now I’m no gym rat and I don’t always eat super healthy, but I do watch what I put in my body and what I put it through. For me, going vegan helped a lot. I was a vegetarian during this part of my life and was consuming too much dairy, although I was lactose intolerant and it generally made me feel like crap. I also wasn’t getting enough sleep and had stopped doing my daily yoga routine. Sleep, a healthy diet, and exercise all really help with anxiety. If you’re a student I know doing each of those things can be difficult, especially if you have a busy schedule, but you will really feel the difference that these things make in your body and your mind.
2. Stop overthinking and breathe
Now I’m even a hypocrite for saying this one because I still do it. Sitting in class for hours can make overthinking or negative thinking an easy, almost natural process. It’s best to try and stop this in its tracks before it goes out of control. Some things that I try and do is to really tune in to the lecture or the work in front of me. If that doesn’t work saying positive affirmations to yourself or thinking about what you are going to do after class can put a positive spin on those icky thoughts. Focusing on your breathing may also help. Just breathe in and out slowly and tell yourself that you won’t be in this situation for long. I even liked journaling in class. It looks like you’re taking notes and being a good student, so that’s a plus!
3. Ask For Help
If you go to a University or even if you are in high school there is definitely a resource out there for you to go to if you feel like you need to talk things out with someone. Also, it’s probably free as long as you are in school! Even if you have the slightest feeling that it might help, go talk to someone. My university had a counseling service. Even if it is not something you want to do long term it helps just knowing that there is someone around that you can contact or who can most definitely give you resources and coping mechanisms for panic attacks or anxious thoughts. However, I think that it is very important that you go to someone before you have a major breakdown like I did. That way you can nip those thoughts in the butt before you let them get worse, because believe me, anxiety likes to creep up on you.
So those are just a few things to help cope with anxiety in school. I have many more stories that I can tell you about dealing with my own mental health and I most definitely will.