Overcoming Back To School Jitters and Job Training Anxieties

In today’s society, Americans face a large variety of stresses and anxieties in their lives, from financially-related stress factors to medical issues. However, two of the most common things that cause people to seek the help of an anxiety therapist are school and work. While these stressors can affect people at any point in their life and for various reasons, people seem to particularly suffer from anxiety when they start or return to college.

According to the 2006 American College Health Association Survey, the stress and anxiety of school causes 45 percent of women and 36 percent of men to develop depression so severe they find it difficult to function. These statistics are a large reason why the Anxiety Disorders Association of America has likely seen an increase in students seeking the help of an anxiety therapist to deal with their anxiety, stress, and depression. Fortunately, with both stress and anxiety management tips and the guidance of a skilled anxiety therapist, many students are able to better handle their anxiety or reduce it.

Common School-Related Anxieties

Many young adults find themselves seeking the help of a therapist due to the anxiety and stress of beginning college. This is often due to the extreme amount of change such a life change brings. Depending on where you are in your academic career, you may be experiencing unique stressors or factors that contribute to your anxiety. In fact, many students going to school for the first time seek the aid of an anxiety therapist for these common stresses or fears:

• Getting lost – especially when you move to a new city or state to go to college, this can be a major fear.
• Losing your support system – as a major concern that many new students bring to an anxiety therapist, this is a common fear for which people seek the help of an anxiety therapist. When going to college, a person often moves away from the family and friends, giving rise to the fear that they will no longer have these people to support them.
• Not handling social situations well – many new students become anxious when considering meeting new people and making new friends.

While a person returning to college often experiences these fears, returning to school to get a college degree can present its own unique stressors. When returning to school, you may find yourself in need of help from an anxiety therapist for the following concerns:

• Not being able to balance other areas of your life – When returning to school, many adults already are married, have an established social life, and have a job. This can make the concern of balancing all these with school arise.
• Being an outsider – Many people returning to school are older, making them feel as if they won’t fit in with a younger demographic.
• Making the right choice – as most jobs today require college degrees, a large number of students graduating high school go straight to college, making it seem like less of an option and more of a necessity. However, when going back to college, you may find yourself wondering whether this is the right choice. Should you have changed your professional goals and aspirations? Do you need this degree? These and many other questions could cause your anxiety to increase.
  
  

Tips for Handling Stress and Anxiety

Although dealing with school and job training related anxieties can be difficult, there are many ways students can address these stressors and fears, including:

• Getting help from a qualified anxiety therapist. Many schools have mental health centers that employ at least one anxiety therapist and are free to or very cheap for students.
• Simplifying your schedule. Students often juggle school work, personal and social lives, and jobs, making their life extremely hectic and stressful. Reducing the amount of obligations you have and focusing on only a few areas can help decrease anxiety.

Whether you seek the help of an anxiety therapist or use other methods for reducing your stress and anxiety, simply taking these steps can make you happier in school and more successful.