Editor,
It is perfectly normal for college students to feel anxious at times, but is it normal for anxiety to interfere in your daily life, your college work or your fun activities?
Many of us know that summer break is almost over for college students, and school is ready to start again. We are about headed for another semester, students!
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America website, “Forty million U.S. adults suffer from an anxiety disorder, and 75 percent of them experience their first episode of anxiety by (the) age of 22, and about 41.6 percent stated anxiety as the top pressing concern among college students.”
Most college students who have anxiety have seen its negative impact on their academic performance. Some students are either worried about failing a class or are overwhelmed by the amount of college work being assigned in the meantime.
I am sure many of you are experiencing this, including myself, having suffered with anxiety for two semesters.
The most frightening time to have anxiety is when you are just entering college the first year, starting at the bottom, not knowing what to expect in your academic performance and in a college environment. For some students who come from a small school to a larger university, the real world could be a really difficult and a scary place to be, getting use to a new lifestyle.
The problem for some college students is that they lose control of their time and lose focus and cannot handle their anxiety, which lasts a long time. This loss of control over their lives leads to taking psychotropic medications to relieve the anxious feelings. Students often feel pressured, realizing their many responsibilities, while trying to do their best and not make mistakes.
The majority of college students feel anxiety when they are taking classes, working at a job, taking nightshifts and cramming in homework, getting ready for the next day.
Even when you are trying to enjoy time with your family, anxiety gets to you, sometimes out of nowhere, making you feel like you’re going crazy; you never seem to have a good time, constantly worrying.
Anxiety symptoms include: dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath, loss of appetite and feeling like you’re going out of your mind.
Most people can’t control their symptoms. Researchers are still studying new treatments and medications to try to identify the advantages of the treatment and medication to see if the question of how to cure anxiety can be answered.
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The University of New Mexico Health and and Counseling Services, North of Mesa Vista Hall in campus, offers counseling for students who experience anxiety and other health-related issues. Students who are new to the university or who are experiencing anxiety should register with the health counseling services offered by UNM.
Having this kind of support while attending college can make the college experience a lot better.
Ludella Awad
Incoming freshman, fall 2017
