5 Tips to Help with School Anxiety During the Pandemic
You find yourself completely fatigued and utterly unmotivated at this point in the semester. Mostly, you have been studying, sleeping, and eating in your room and you’re not feeling great. First of all, I want to affirm and remind you that this is a VERY ENDURING time to be a student. You have suffered a tremendous loss. No more in-person class, minimal socializing, fewer university breaks from classes, more papers, fewer group projects, to name a few. What about how you envisioned your freshman, sophomore, junior or senior year? Most of us, have a vision of what our college experience will be like and I’m guessing you did not imagine yours being stuck in your room (or at home.). This is significant. Not only do you have to grapple with what the reality is of attending in-person college during COVID but also grieve the loss of what you imagined college would be like. Here are a few small areas to be aware of if you are really feeling stuck.
Here are 5 tips to help with school anxiety during the pandemic.
ZOOM OUT
Remember that this is a more challenging time than ever for students, you included, because of the extenuating circumstances. Reminding yourself to uncouple your worth from your performance in school right now. That your grades might not be an accurate reflection of what you can truly accomplish. It’s harder to build a relationship with the teacher, with classmates, and any study structure you had in place, probably had to change (going to the library, being a study group.) Give yourself some credit.
BE KIND TO YOURSELF
Being aware of your self-talk right now is crucial. Self-talk can really impact our self-esteem and belief in ourselves. What kind of commentary is going on in your head? If you find yourself thinking things like, “I’m such an idiot.” “There’s no way I can do this.” “I don’t have anything of value to write or say” sound the alarm bells. This is harmful to you. Shifting the internal voice inside takes time and is a gradual process. Time to start practicing encouraging yourself instead:
“I’m doing my best and that is enough.”
“My GPA does not define who I am or what I bring to the table.”
“I’m just going to get started and see what happens.”
TAKE BREAKS
Allow yourself to rest. Feeling fatigued? Give yourself permission to stop and rest. Engage a different part of your mind through a creative activity/hobby. Take a walk at least once per day. Prepare to and completely step away from school-related work for an entire day, if not two, weekly. AND if it is really not working out, give yourself permission to take a semester off. No one will fault you, everyone learns differently and online learning is not for everyone, if that is you, THAT IS OKAY!
SMALL DAILY RITUALS OF WELLNESS
Incorporate a few daily rituals that support your brain and body.
What are you consuming? And is it giving energy or depleting energy? This means food, media, substances. Be intentional about feeding your body in a well-balanced way and stepping away from social media that is draining.
Walk outside before 9 am for 5 minutes and allow the natural light to hit your eyes This will help with serotonin and melatonin (feeling good and sleeping well.)
Move your body once per day.
Open your windows between classes or spray an essential oil blend to help “clear” your space.
Spend downtime with people who energize you.
GET EXTRA SUPPORT
Ask for extra testing time.
Ask for extensions.
Reach out to the counseling center or come see me. It is okay (and likely) if you are feeling overwhelmed, burnt to and unmotivated.