Beating Back to School Anxiety

It’s August… and that means, as we soak up every ounce of sunshine, many of us are also beginning to think about the fall. Whether we are starting a new semester or embarking on a new program, things are about to change, and change can provoke anxiety. How do we tackle that knot in our stomach, so we can enter the new school year with confidence?

Start with the self-care basics. Eating healthy foods, sleeping regular hours, and exercising can help us deal better with the demands that come our way. Think of this as filling your gas tank. Life can be a demanding journey, and your tank will take you further if you keep it topped up.

Face your fears to overcome them. In the fight against anxiety, it’s important to acknowledge our feelings. It can be tempting to ignore or suppress nervous sensations. While this can be effective for a while, it won’t do the trick in the long run. Avoidance is anxiety’s favourite food – when we try to avoid our anxious feelings, we actually make them increase. On the other hand, when we do what scares us, we often find that the reality is less scary than the worst-case scenarios our brains imagined.

Cope ahead. Ask yourself what is making you nervous, what might make the semester hard, and what you can do to make things easier. Plan a study schedule and start using it now. Get

into a routine, so that you feel more secure and establish a structure to your studies – this will help prevent the need for cramming later down the line. Surround yourself with a support system: make plans to join peer study groups, contact a previous graduate of your program for tips, or introduce yourself to Student Services.

Feel at home on campus. Take a tour of the school, find your favorite coffee supplier, discover the quiet study spaces, or pick out your favourite locker at the gym. Making the school feel familiar will give you a sense of community, safety, and control.

Nip catastrophizing in the bud. Our brains are imaginative. That’s great for making movies and coming up with outside-the-box date ideas, but not so good for our anxiety. Anxious imaginations can quickly morph “I can’t find my textbook” into “I’m falling behind in my readings, failing the class, failing the program, and failing at life!” If you catch yourself catastrophizing, take a step back and challenge those thoughts. Am I really doomed to a life

of misery if I struggle in my stats class?

Be mindful. We can be much more relaxed if we take on an observer stance – simply noticing thoughts and feelings without interpreting them, judging them, or getting wrapped up in

them. See yourself as bigger than your thoughts. View them as clouds floating by: let them come and go of their own accord, as you watch them with interest and open curiosity.

All in all, while times of transition and change can boost anxiety, we have an arsenal of tools available to calm the storm and start this term off right.