For many GW students returning for the spring semester, first-day jitters have taken on a whole new meaning. “Have you ever juggled?” inquired sophomore Mike Coffman when asked to describe the management of his busy life.
Along with the usual stress of everyday life, college brings the added pressures of balancing work, extracurricular commitments and challenging classes, in addition to dealing with newfound independence and financial woes.
Anxiety, as defined by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, is a feeling of apprehension or fear whose source is not always known or recognized but can nonetheless compound pre-existing distress. Symptoms of anxiety, which include irritability, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, headaches, upset stomach and dizziness, vary in scope and differ among individuals.
“You get nervous trying to get everything done on time,” said one junior who wished to remain anonymous. “It’s kind of paralyzing to just sit there and worry about how you can do it all. And there’s a feeling of dread knowing you have to do it eventually.”
Aggravating the problem further are the poor and often counter-productive coping mechanisms many college students adopt to deal with their anxiety. For example, drinking caffeinated beverages during exam periods actually magnifies one’s anxiety, as the stimulant increases one’s heart rate even further.
“(People) from all walks of life can end up with anxiety,” said Dr. Linda Tipton, a clinical associate at the University Counseling Center. “It’s not just people with money or people from a certain area – although if you are worried about money and work, the increased stress can lead to problems with anxiety.”
For Coffman, who keeps track of his finances without any “immediate family support” while balancing a job, classes and fraternity obligations, exhaustion and unease are daily struggles.
Many college students share a similar experience. A 2001 study by the American College Health Association (ACHA) found that more than 75 percent of college students reported feeling “overwhelmed.” Moreover, an ACHA survey of nearly 19,500 college students found that stress and anxiety were among the top 10 impediments to academic performance, accounting for nearly half of the students’ grievances.
“There are just not enough hours in the day,” said sophomore and Student Association Sen. Josh Lasky. “There’s this sense of urgency that you didn’t have (in high school). You start trying to seek direction and to prepare for the real world.”
Dr. Diane Shrier, a GW clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics, said today’s college graduates are postponing the acquisition of real life responsibilities more than any past generation.
“Nowadays, people are increasingly stretching out the time of not taking on the responsibilities of adult life such as marriage and career building,” Shrier said.
Despite this delay, rates of anxiety continue to rise. The source of increased anxiety among college students, Shrier said, is the seemingly unlimited options they are afforded.
“(This) generation is more anxious because (it has) so many choices,” Shrier said. “There are lots of choices and not a lot of guidance on how to make the choices.”
To help guide students so that they may make appropriate decisions, the University Counseling Center offers a host of services for students overcome with anxiety. The Center offers individual counseling, support group sessions, as well as a referral service and several online resources (gwired.gwu.edu/counsel).
The Center, according to Tipton, tends to see more students later in the semester, with slightly more patients seeking counseling in January, following a difficult first semester or an equally straining winter break. However, Tipton noted, “There is always pressure.”
Students facing such pressure are advised to develop healthy coping strategies by finding reprieve in exercise, eating well-balanced meals, reaching out to loved ones and finding time for hobbies and other enjoyable activities. If symptoms and sources of anxiety are not addressed, serious consequences, such as jaw problems, low immunity and even ulcers, may arise, Tipton said.
Lasky said he has considered the negative effects of anxiety. “I probably would consider going to the Counseling Center,” he said, “if I had the time.”
