You know the feeling. Most of us do. The feeling of waking up in the morning with something primal, something in the pit of your stomach telling you to stay in bed, warning you of the dangers ahead. But you push it aside, forcing it back into its corner, willing to go on in your day.
But it stalks you, creeping up on all your thoughts, every time you raise your hand in class, pitch an idea to your group, even text your best friend, it plagues your thoughts, like a dark cloud who rains doubt and strikes lightning bolts of fear.
And when you’re at home, the danger seemingly gone, it strikes, like a tsunami, the panic coursing through you like a river. You’re not good enough, everyone hates you, the project due tomorrow will be an utter failure, you’re articles are never going to be published. Its enough to make you curl up into a ball and never take a risk ever again.
So how, as a student who is constantly fighting for the highest grade, the most extracurricular activities, the greatest essays, do you stay motivated?
First, try to learn the difference between your “healthy anxiety” and “harmful anxiety”. Everyone feels it differently, although there are several tell-tale signs. If you can’t sleep, eat or concentrate, and your anxiety is making you feel physically sick, it’s obviously not the healthy kind. But there are other more specific signs. For example, my hands begin to shake uncontrollably if I’m about to have a panic attack. My friend gets dizzy. My other friend gets uncontrollably angry.
The first step is challenging your negative thoughts, which arguably is the hardest part. Are they productive to your happiness? You goals? You need to learn to control them, or at the very least distract yourself temporarily. This either means facing whatever is making you anxious (Is it the essay due tomorrow? The fight you had with your friend? ) and talking yourself through it, or preferably, have someone else help you. If you get caught up in the negatives, it may cause you to lose motivation, scaring yourself into nonproductive habits, and into further anxiety.
If you feel yourself beginning to panic and you begin to lose control, try this breathing technique. It’s known as the 4-7-8, and is meant to try to get you to sleep, but I’ve found it helps during bouts of anxiety, especially during exams where I can’t really do much else. Breathe in through your nose for four counts, and the hold your breath for another seven. Then breathe out through your mouth for eight counts. It helps you steady your heartbeat and increase your oxygen intake, with the added bonus of giving you something else to focus your mind on temporarily.
When staying up late studying and catching up on schoolwork, avoid coffee as much as you can, especially if anxiety prone. The stimulant can aggravate anxiety and can trigger panic attacks if used excessively. Instead, try planning out your work schedules, and starting homework as early as you can, so you can go to bed reasonably early. Avoid procrastinating as much as you can, because even though it makes you feel better for that hour or so, but in the long run, will make you feel a lot worse. If you really have to, try drinking something with less caffeine, such as green tea or even chocolate!
People with anxiety are faced with a constant overhanging cloud, always threatening to ruin the day, but learning to cope with it, and still staying productive is essential. In many cases it is an illness, something that needs to be treated medically, but every little healthy coping mechanism can make the nebula a little less dark.
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