Learn to manage anxiety: A guide for students

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a strong feeling of worry or discomfort that affects both body and mind. At its core, anxiety is a natural response to threat or danger. Your body signals that something is wrong and prepares you to seek safety. This is called an alarm response and it is controlled by the part of your nervous system that operates automatically.

In modern society, which is generally safe, this warning system may seem unnecessary. Still, it can be triggered in situations where there is no real danger. The symptoms you experience are signs that your body is preparing to defend itself or flee by increasing stress hormones. These reactions are not dangerous. They occur because your body temporarily prioritises vital organs to ensure survival.

What does anxiety feel like?

Anxiety is often described as an intense sense of discomfort or unease in the body. You may feel as if:

• There is pressure on your chest
• Your heart is beating fast
• Your mouth is dry
• You feel dizzy
• You experience a sense of unreality
• You feel faint and weak in your muscles
• You have a knot in your stomach
• You have diarrhoea or need to urinate frequently

Tips to reduce anxiety

Accept the anxiety

Stay with the feeling and observe it. When you allow yourself to feel anxious and acknowledge that you are very afraid in that moment, it often decreases after a while. All emotions are temporary. Trust that anxiety is not dangerous and will pass. It is the right reaction in the wrong situation.

Take slow, deep breaths

Breathe deeply and slowly. Make your exhale longer than usual. When you breathe out, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps your body calm down.

Move your body or exercise

Physical activity helps release stress hormones circulating in your body. Exercise also stimulates the production of feel good hormones that counteract anxiety.

Do something you enjoy

Choose an activity that shifts your focus away from anxious thoughts. Read a book, solve a crossword puzzle, cook, or spend time outdoors. Call a friend or someone you trust and talk about something that distracts you. Remember that you are not alone.

Challenge negative thoughts

How would an outsider view this situation? What is the worst, best, and most realistic outcome? How will you see this in a year? What would you say to a friend in the same position?

Use warmth to calm your body

Take a warm shower or bath, sit in the sun, wrap yourself in blankets, or drink something warm.

Prioritise sleep

Make sure you get enough rest and recovery. Lack of sleep makes you more vulnerable to stress and anxiety.

Eat regularly and nutritiously

Foods high in sugar and fat can activate your reward system and reduce anxiety temporarily, but this is not helpful in the long term. Eating regularly and maintaining a balanced diet supports your gut health, where many feel good hormones are produced. This can reduce anxiety over time.

Reflect on your lifestyle

Reduce unnecessary stress and demands in your daily life. Ongoing background stress increases the risk of anxiety.

Learn more about anxiety

Understanding what anxiety is makes it easier to create distance from it and stay rational in the moment. When you trust that anxiety is a false alarm that does not need to control you, it becomes easier to use strategies to manage it.

If your anxiety is recurring and begins to limit your life, you may need to seek support from the student health service.