College can present many challenges for new students, particularly as they learn to fend for themselves and adapt to dorm life’s lack of privacy.  However, while some students may be merely stressed as a result of the transition, others may be suffering from anxiety.

Anxiety is the most common complaint among college students who seek counseling services. It’s generally described as fear, worry, nervousness, or apprehension, and is normally accompanied by physical symptoms affecting the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. Anxiety is appropriate if one is responding to a difficult situation but is characterized as a disorder when it interferes with daily life or a person’s ability to function. For example, people with anxiety tend to avoid stimuli that can provoke anxiety attacks or panic attacks, which actually exacerbates the problem.

To confront this issue of avoidance, Alexandra Sobor ’20 said she writes about the situations that give her anxiety.

“My old therapist did this really cool thing where she made me write worst-case scenarios,” Sobor said. “So my biggest fear was getting waitlisted at every college, because of the uncertainty, so she had me write this letter about [what would happen] if I didn’t get into college. It’s really good to think about the worst-case scenario, even if you don’t want to, because it’s quite possible that the worst case scenario isn’t even as bad as you made it out to be in your head….If you let these thoughts run around untamed, they’ll just turn into this monster, but if you fence them in with words, it really organizes everything.”

Anxiety exists in many forms: panic disorder, specific phobia, social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder and social phobia are extremely common in college-aged students and can present themselves with stress.

Generalized anxiety disorder presents itself as constant, free-floating feelings of anxiety, worry, or dread with no clear trigger or cause, and it frequently goes hand-in-hand with depression. Meanwhile, social phobia is an extreme fear of being watched or scrutinized by others. People with social anxiety have trouble answering questions in class, eating in public, and attending social events. Social anxiety is also highly common in college settings and can be triggered by classes that require a lot of participation.

However, even a single event can create a wave of stress that leads to a panic attack. If something as insignificant as losing a notebook happens at the wrong time, a person with anxiety can thereby lose the ability to function. Zoe Cassels-Brown ’20, who has anxiety, underscored that even small changes to the agreed-upon plan can be triggering.

“There was this one time with my friend, Fay, [when] we had planned to make spring rolls and eat dinner together, and I was so excited about it,” she said. “She got to my house and said, ‘Eh, I’m not really feeling spring rolls. Do you wanna do something else?’ And I just lost it….I didn’t necessarily freak out at her, but I was so upset.”

After the spring rolls incident, Cassels-Brown realized that her distress had been disproportionate and decided to seek help.

“That was the turning point,” Cassels-Brown said. “I just said to myself, ‘Spring rolls, Zoe? Oh my god.’ Then I went to a psychologist.”

Similarly, Sobor said she struggled with the symptoms of anxiety throughout her childhood without realizing the cause.

“I remember being four years old on the first day of pre-school, and I realized the folder I had was too big for my backpack and I just sobbed,” she said. “I thought, ‘Oh no, I’m gonna fail pre-school.’ In fifth grade, it was because I wasn’t finishing a certain coloring project fast enough; I was being too meticulous with my coloring….I always remember throughout my entire childhood just feeling insanely stressed out, and like I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

Another freshman, who preferred to remain anonymous, explained that feeling scrutinized or judged by others causes them the most stress and induces most of their panic attacks.

“If I’m going to a restaurant, I need to know what I want to order before I sit down,” she said. “Just the thought of making everyone wait for me gets me really nervous. I need to know the menu ahead of time; I need to know everything. Recently, I [went] to a restaurant with my boyfriend, a sushi place, and I remember looking at the menu. I had forgotten to do my research, I couldn’t understand anything the menu said, and I felt really overwhelmed. I just started sobbing uncontrollably; I thought I was so stupid for not preparing everything….It’s happened a lot around [my boyfriend], so he basically just said, ‘It’s okay, I’m taking you home, it’s ok.’”

An anxiety attack—also known as a panic attack—is typically characterized by trembling, shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, and a racing heart. When having an anxiety attack, some prefer to be left alone, while others would rather have the company of a friend. One thing people who have had panic attacks can almost universally agree on is not to ask someone, “Are you okay?”

“I get triggered by people saying, ‘Are you okay?’” Sobor said. “I just start to get mad and snap at people. Does it look like I’m okay? Probably not if I’m having an anxiety attack.”

Instead, Sobor recommended using a different phrase.

“A better way to ask if someone’s okay is saying, ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’” she said. “[It’s] infinitely better.”

Both Sobor and Cassels-Brown expressed support for the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), which offers therapy but is currently unable to prescribe psychiatric medications.

Sobor, who secured an appointment at CAPS after a week and half wait, said she was very pleased with her therapy session.

“[The therapist] was a young, relatable guy, really understanding,” Sobor said. “He explained the limitations of the system, like, there’s no way to get prescribed like antidepressants or anything like that on campus, but it’s something they’re trying to get going on campus, which is cool. For me and my anxiety, it’s always been about talking it out.”

Cassels-Brown, who has yet to visit CAPS herself, said she looks forward to making an appointment. She also stressed that CAPS is for all students, even those who have not experienced anxiety or other mental illnesses.

“A girl on my [soccer] team told me that she didn’t think of herself as someone who is traumatized or who has been abused or who has PTSD, [the] kind of person who would very obviously need counseling,” Cassels-Brown said. “She was just stressed during her freshman year, and she emphasized how the counseling is so good, even if it just gives you a safe place to cry….I think these kinds of things are essential on a college campus.”