Anxiety Throughout My Education

“All school has given me is chewed down fingernails, tired, lifeless eyes and the notion I’m not good enough”. — l.b

I remember in high school I started to feel intense symptoms of anxiety due to being stressed by the workload. These feelings started occurring in my grade 11 and 12 years because those were the grades that mattered for postsecondary schools. I did not take school too seriously up until the point of when this reality set in. Since then, school has always been a major stressor that significantly increases my anxiety. Even though I ended up doing quite well in high school, I carried this anxiety throughout my postsecondary education as well.

When I first arrived at the University of Guelph, my new home for the next four years, I was extremely excited, optimistic and nervous all at the same time. I had been looking forward to this moment for many years and now that it had arrived I was overjoyed. As I said before, I am quite the social butterfly and truly love meeting new people and making new friendships. Making new friends was not a problem for me because I was never afraid to make the first move and go out of my comfort zone to introduce myself to others. I quickly adjusted to the transition of living away from home for the first month of school until midterm season kicked in and my anxiety peaked greatly. To this day I still remember the feeling when I received my first midterm grade. It was for an Introductory Psychology course I had to take for my program. I thought the exam was rather challenging but when I received the grade of 50%, I was in utter shock. My stomach dropped and in that moment I realized how the next 4 years would be different and more challenging than high school, which worsened my anxiety.

Anxiety took over my life in first year and negatively affected my mindset towards my future. The transition from high school to university was difficult for me and I was truly unprepared. But through hard work and support I was able to get my grades up and even graduate with honours. Now, I am finishing my postgraduate certificate in Digital Media Marketing. I have grown as a student and individual, and have learned different ways to cope with my anxiety.

12 Tips for Coping with Anxiety During School:

1. Take things day by day
2. Create a calendar of what/when work is due
3. Eat, drink and sleep regularly
4. Prioritize your time based on your work load by allocating enough for each assignment and test
5. Study to understand, not to memorize
6. Deactivate social media accounts, and put your phone away when studying
7. If you choose to work with others, make sure they are focused and will not distract you
8. When you receive a poor grade, don’t beat yourself up. Take it as a learning experience and strive to do better next time
9. Take study breaks (watch a show, hangout with a friend, work out etc.)
10. Maintain a positive perspective and mindset
11. Seek help from professors, students and tutors
12. Don’t forget to love yourself and have confidence in your abilities

I hope by hearing about my anxiety throughout my education it will help others not feel ashamed of their struggles with school. I know I am not alone in this tough transition from high school to postsecondary education, and I hope my tips can help others get through it too.