Project Materials

Anxiety and Depression Among Student

Anxiety is a kind of serious and reoccurring worry and fear about life and day to day situations. It could be mild or normal when it has to do with activities that could easily get anyone worried, but when the feeling gets more intense, serious and frequent, then there’s need to quickly check it. There are a number of reasons why students can get depressed or persistently sold to worry in higher institutions. The symptoms to look out for could range from sadness, drastically reduced interest in people and things, feeling hopeless, not being able to sleep well, unnecessary change in appetite, having low self-esteem, guilt, anger, or becoming very irritable. Perhaps as a student you’re beginning to notice some form of depression and you’re wondering why or how you can deal with it; this article reveals some major causes of anxiety and depression in students and provides some cure as well.

1. Difficulty Handling the Transition

This is especially applicable to students just transiting from high school to university or college. The abrupt change in environment, heavier school workload, how to attend to every duty and important thing calling for attention and piling up day by day can lead to anxiety and could result in depression if not quickly handled.

2. Relationships Not Working

Everyone loves to have at least someone who you can call a friend. But when situations make your relationship get sour, either platonic or romantic relationships, if issues just keep showing up and it seems you are just the bad person, no relationship seem to be working, both with friends, your special one or even family relatives back at home, depression could set in. You could just get stuck in the thought of ‘am I the only one?’ or ‘something must be wrong with me’.

3. Loneliness

When you just seem not to fit in or belong among your colleagues in school, it could have a very hard toll on you. Inferiority complex sets in and you’re thinking no one wants to be with you or move with you because you aren’t good enough, beautiful enough or intelligent enough. This is a very serious one because it has a very serious impact on self-esteem and can negatively impact on motivation as well. This can even be more challenging if you’ve had past record of loneliness in high school and here in university or college, the same thing is happening again. You’re wondering what in the world is wrong with you or when will it ever stop?

4. Stress

There are times stress could be the reason your mind is just muddled up; it could impact on your mood. You have not had time to organise your mind and have a straightening of your thoughts.

5. Drugs

Use of hard drugs or taking in of certain substances that alter normal mental functioning can eventually result in depression. This can lead to addiction and being hooked on hard substances which is a more serious problem.

6. Uncertainty

Not being sure of what tomorrow holds can also lead to anxiety and depression, especially when every time you try to look forward everything looks bleak and there seem to be no sign of hope in sight. And for people who may have pressures on them coming from situations, fear of college test/examination, friends or home about things like financial demands, marriage, these can also cause anxiety.

How Can You Handle Anxiety and Depression?

Below are some of the ways to handle anxiety and depression. Depending on how serious and persistent your depression or anxiety is, seek help as quickly as possible, so it doesn’t snowball into something you can’t manage.

1. Make Up Your Mind to Face It

This is perhaps the most important first step you should take in conquering anxiety and depression. Be sure that you can come out of it and be ready to take all measures it will demand to overcome it. Thinking that you are stuck and can’t come out is a mind-set that will keep you locked up in that state, so change that first.

2. Confide in a Friend

Open up about your struggles and the things filling your mind to a trustworthy friend. Sharing a problem sometimes can just be all you need to get it off your chest, even if it’s not solved, now you know you’re not alone, there’s a shoulder to lean on. He/she will likely have some encouragement to offer, and when they can’t even help much, they may offer good advice as to where to seek help. This will also serve to put you in check in some ways to ensure you don’t harm yourself.

3. Seek Help from Your School Counselling Unit

You can try this as a first measure and since it is close to you, you won’t have issues accessing. Be as open as possible so you can be helped. If this seem not to work, you can try out the next method.

4. Meet Your Chaplain/Fellowship Leaders

You probably belong to one religious denomination or the other, or at least the general school fellowship. You should meet with your spiritual leaders for guidance on how you can deal with this. Spiritual help can be very adequate when you are open enough and ready to be helped.

5. Join a Healthy Group

Sometimes all you just need is time out with people of like minds. Join a healthy team, to be involved in some meaningful activities. Avoid cultism by all means, seeking help should not push you into cultism.

6. Pursue a Worthy Course

Try to find something worthwhile that makes you tick, your passion or something of interest that you can do to feel fulfilled and have the feeling that you’re adding value to others. It may be that your depression is tied to an emptiness within you seeking for you to pursue a worthy course and when you find that core of yourself, hold on to it.

7. Seek Out a Professional Counsellor/Therapist

If your anxiety or depression seem to have become very pronounced and serious, then you may have to seek out help from experts and professionals who can help you. This is very important as it can save you further decline into the rut of depression.

8. Practice Good Healthy Lifestyle

Ensure you eat healthy foods; in fact, you can seek out medical help. Get a good diet that matches you and that won’t affect you negatively. Do exercises, this will help your mood and fitness greatly and can impact on your self-esteem.

9. Involve Your Parents/Guardians

Involving your parents is a good way to let them know what’s up with you so they can help you seek out assistance in every way they can. As much as possible, don’t hide your struggle with depression and anxiety from them

10. Avoid Hard Drugs

No matter how much you think a substance will help you to study or to feel better, if it’s addictive, if it’s a hard drug, it’s a no no. Avoid using caffeine, cocaine, marijuana and the likes. Rather seek out more healthy ways of overcoming your plights.

Some students are more prone to anxiety and depression than others, depending on personality, exposure, background and the likes. When you notice you’re being drawn into the rut of these destructive emotions, don’t delay getting help.