My last anxiety-related blogpost had such a great, positive response
which actually (though I was gonna do this anyway) really spurred me on to get
writing my next one!
Someone messaged me through Tumblr right after I shared the last post
saying they have been unable to make it to their classes so far this year, for
whatever reasons, and now that they’ve started going they’re afraid everybody
has made friends which might be hard for them to join in discussion or meet new
people. I was super happy my post engaged people and got them asking for
advice!
So I devised a list of coping techniques, nothing fancy just simple
stuff, that you can try out when facing Uni lectures/seminars or even just a
basic classroom-type situation.
1)
Show Up
As simple as it may sound, this is the
first and most basic step. A lot of people with anxiety find it hard to even
get out the house so the fact that class HAS to happen can be daunting. You may
want to look at my next couple steps first before trying this one out, just as
a “warm up”. There have been instances where I’ve shown up to classes but
decided just before I go in that I can’t sit through an entire class and
looking after yourself like this is absolutely fine, as long as you know that
you have to overcome the fear at some point.
2)
Go for
walks, calm yourself
When you’re in an
anxiety-triggering situation, all you want to do is get out, get out and get
some fresh air. I like to get as much as this as possible, that stuffy
claustrophobic feeling doesn’t help at all. Situations where I COULD get on a
bus or in a taxi, for quickness reasons mainly, I try to avoid and I walk
everywhere. Especially in winter, I find cold sharp air is really good to just
clear your head and light exercise is said to be super beneficial for anxiety
sufferers!
3)
Plan, get
up early yet don’t stick to a tight schedule
If I have a
lecture starting at 10am? I always manage to get up 2 hours before at most, I
never know what I have to do: wash my hair, pack my bag, whatever. It’s always
good to leave loadsa time before you have to do something anxiety-triggering.
Waking up with only a half hour to go before your lecture starts isn’t a fab
way to start your day, it leaves you feeling flustered, hot from rushing about
and unprepared! Another thing is don’t stick to a tight schedule, that feeling
of knowing you have something nerve-racking to achieve for a specific deadline
is not enjoyable so give yourself time and relaaaaax. That being said, if you
DO have deadlines to meet i.e. assignments/homework then get a head start and
leave yourself plenty of time to refine your essays/whatever you got goin’ on.
4)
Don’t
over-drink and don’t think doing so makes you a “terrible” fresher or student
On my first night
out in Liverpool, it started to get pretty late and pretty hot inside the club
we were in so I went to fetch some water. A guy standing next to me told me “if
you resort to drinking water it’s time to go home”. The guy was friendly and
all but I really just wanted to tell him to fuck off. On another occasion my
friend was told she was a “bad fresher” because we haven’t attempted to go out
every night of our being here. This is dumb and you’d probably be broke by the
end of the two weeks of freshers. I know a lot of people tend to stay away from
alcohol (and I do with caffeine, see next point) but I know my limits and I
drink carefully. It can seem like such a “lame” thing to do, I must admit to
often thinking I probably am for doing so, but if it’s the difference between
feeling like you’re going to die from a panic attack the next day or feeling
just a little hungover, then don’t drink (or do but not excessively).
5)
Eat well,
Stay Hydrated
The phrase “you
are what you eat” is the truest thing I ever did hear. Eat shit, feel like shit
and this is all the more true if you have anxiety. Admittedly, I am no health
guru and my diet is pretty shitty but at least I know what to preach. I DO
drink a lot of flavoured teas however. My
favourites including: chamomile, blackberry, mango and liquorice. Green Tea is
especially good for you due to all the ant-oxidants and super cool things
jam-packed in there in order to make you feel tip top. I usually drink
chamomile before bed because I find it super soothing. I also try to eat as
much fruit as I can (which isn’t enough). Don’t believe the myth that eating
healthy is expensive for students because I got one word for you all: Aldi.
Don’t drink caffeinated drinks either, these tend to put me on edge and have me
shaking though my lectures. Sweets too, I had a bag of skittles on Tuesday and
had to endure an hour-long panic attack through my History lecture, not fun at
all.
6)
Speak up!
Just try it. I can
promise that a snowball effect will begin to take place, if you contribute in
class the more you will then do so in the future. You need to break that
barrier and realise that there’s nothing to be afraid of. No-one will laugh at
you (unless they’re dickwads) everyone is in the same boat, everyone is new and
no-one cares if you say something “stupid” because I bet at least one person
finds what you say super insightful. If you have presentations to do in front
if a seminar group/class then don’t over prepare. I've found that the older you get the smaller
classroom sizes are and the easier it gets to speak. Just follow the above
steps, if you know you have a presentation in advance get loadsa sleep, eat
right and all that jazz because you don’t wanna be a shaking jittery mess, especially
if it counts towards your final grade. I bet I’m making this all sound so easy
but it’s the little things that add up.
I hope you found my little list of tips helpful! I’ve been meaning to
make something up like this for ages so now here it is, message me here,
comment or message me on tumblr if you have any questions, I love answering
them. I love helping others, even though I’m still learning and coping myself
it’s just super cool.
-Rachel
