Anxiety
Anxiety can be defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something unknown or in the future and can range from mild to severe. It is normal to occasionally feel tense, nervous, worried, restless, or apprehensive. These feelings can even prove helpful in some situations. For example, low to moderate levels of anxiety may motivate you to start writing a paper or help you perform well on a test. However, anxious feelings can start interfering in your life when they are persistent and feel uncontrollable or overwhelming. People often experience physical symptoms of anxiety such as: muscle tension, sweating, nausea, feeling as though you can't breathe or swallow, jumpiness, gastrointestinal problems, feeling "on edge", sleep issues, and fatigue. People may also describe feeling as though their mind is racing or going in circles or they may find themselves unable to stop thinking about one particular thing.
Click here to watch videos of college students talking about their own experiences with anxiety disorders.
Everyone is unique in what they find anxiety provoking. Common anxiety triggers include public speaking, exams, making new friends, transitioning to a new place or a new stage of life and planning for the future. There are different types of anxiety disorders including Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Specific Phobias. This page will give you more in-depth information about the differences between these disorders: Understanding Anxiety Disorders.
You should seek professional help if you experience any of these symptoms regularly, for a period of more than a few months, if they're accompanied by panic attacks, or if they are interfering with the everyday functions and activities in your life. You can make an appointment at theCounseling Center by stopping by their office on the first floor of Jonsson Tower or by calling 518-580-5555.
There are also relaxation techniques you can do on your own to help with stress and anxiety. Check out the following link to learn about diaphragmatic breathing and progressive muscle relaxation:
Anxiety Resources
Helpful Links:
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
Online guide to anxiety disorders and anxiety attacks
Generalized Anxiety Disorder online screening
Anxiety and Panic Disorder self-help
5 self-care activities and exercises from Anxiety.org
Anxiety and Depression Support Group Online – ADAA
How to stop negative thoughts that feed the anxiety cycle
A video on how to change anxious thoughts
Apps:
WHAT'S UP? (free app)
What’s Up? uses techniques from both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance Commitment Therapy to help users cope with mental-health issues like anxiety, depression, and anger. Among other things, the app offers a diary feature with a scale for rating your emotions, a “catastrophe scale” to help you put problems in perspective, breathing techniques, and an interactive question game to keep you feeling grounded during stressful moments. It also serves up answer forums, positive quotes, and silly-sweet metaphors to simply help you focus on feeling good.
STOP PANIC & ANXIETY SELF-HELP (free)
Panic attacks can be intense. This self-help app reminds you of your strengths and ability to cope when panic is triggered. A diary within the app is built to help you notice and challenge the thinking that leads to panic. The app also features audio content and reading that empowers you with the cognitive behavioral therapy-based techniques that can help shut panic attacks down. Panic Assistance audio is your voice of reason mid-panic attack, while the Emotional Training track helps you reconfigure your thoughts and associations to bring more calm into your life.
Sanvello (free limited version or $3.99/month Full version)
Ranked by Apple as one of its best mental-health apps of 2017, Pacifica is both easy to use and beautifully designed with a soothing purple and blue interface. The app provides space for you to track your moods, health, and habits, offering relaxation techniques and mindfulness exercises tailored to your specific needs. It also offers curated audio exercises to deploy if you are having a panic attack, are faced with a stressful moment at work, or even just stuck on the subway.
TALKLIFE (free with some in-app purchases available)
TalkLife, which calls itself “your place to talk to people who get you,” was developed as a judgment-free chat room for people struggling with self-harm, depression, anxiety, stress, eating disorders, bullying, or suicidal thoughts. Conversations are carefully monitored and users are encouraged to ask questions, chronicle their struggles, and offer tips anonymously or by name.
ROOTD (free with in-app purchases)
Downloading Rootd means you can work on improving your panic and anxious mood while supporting a female-led app. In addition to mindfulness exercises and step-by-step guides to tactics such as deep breathing, the app features an emergency contact button that makes it simple to call a loved one or hotline when you’re in distress. The Personal Stats Page is another source of encouragement, as it tracks the number of panic attacks you’ve overcome and the number of in-app lessons you’ve completed.
SUPERBETTER (free)
What if the daily disappointments in your life — a bad date, a fumble at work, a strained relationship with a friend — could be seen as an opportunity to strengthen your resilience? Created by game designer and self-help author Jane McGonigal, SuperBetter — based on her book of the same name — helps frame life’s challenges as part of a tough but rewarding game, with players moving through “quests” toward larger goals. Two separate studies even found that playing SuperBetter may improve psychological well-being.
WORRY WATCH ($2.99)
To use Worry Watch, just follow five easy steps: record, reflect, reason, realize, and refute. The app helps you track your mental state over time by asking you first to write down the cause of your stress, and later asks you to return to the app to reflect on the worry and note whether the ultimate outcome was good or bad. Based on your responses, the app generates charts and statistics to help you analyze your thought patterns — and, in many cases, come to the realization that your worries are unfounded.
HAPPIFY (free version or $11.67/month Plus version)
Happify claims that its games can help increase your happiness and reduce stress while teaching you life-changing habits. When you enter the app, you’ll be asked a series of questions that will help determine which “track” you should follow, with options like conquering negative thoughts or coping with stress. Based on your answers, the app then assigns you daily quizzes and activities focused on helping you advance toward the goal outlined by your track.
BRAIN.fm (5 sessions free, $6.99/month subscription)
In its own words, the goal of Brain.fm, an app developed in consultation with neuroscientists, is “unlocking music’s potential to influence cognitive states.” Choose your desired outcome — focus, meditation, relaxation, nap, or nighttime sleep — and the app’s algorithm will generate music to help you achieve it within 15 minutes.
HEADSPACE (free basic course, $12.99/month subscription)
Headspace offers a solution. The app includes “mindful moments” to keep you present throughout the day, as well as mini meditation exercises for a quick mental reset. The basic course, which is free, offers beginner-level instructions to help you think more mindfully about everything from eating to sleeping to social interactions.