College Student Therapy Using the Skills You Already Have to Quickly Feel Better
You were excited (and a little scared) to go off to college. Of course, you hoped that your hard work in high school would pay off in the form of a great college experience. You pictured new friends, lots of laughs, and excellent grades that would set you up for a successful future.
What you didn’t picture was the new levels of stress you would experience. Balancing everything is more difficult than you expected. You just want to feel calm and have fun. But there never seems to be enough time. Worry takes over and keeps you from getting out like you want. It keeps you so upset about your grades that you can’t relax. You can tell you aren’t fun to be around. Then you worry about what all of this is going to do to your friendships.
Not only that, but you are worried about the future. The questions in your mind might include: What if your friend is mad at you? What if you let your parents down? What if you fail this test? What if you don’t graduate? And what if you don’t get a good job that makes you happy? It is all so much and it all feels out of your control.
When you come to college, everything changes. The people you spend time with, the workload, and your environment all changed rapidly. Because of all of these changes, many college students start to experience anxiety for the first time.
And to a certain extent, anxiety is normal. But sometimes, our fears can begin to interfere with the life we want. If you have found this page, you are probably already noticing that some things in your life are not working.
College innately comes with pressure, and with pressure comes high levels of stress. Some of my college student clients are just starting out and needing support around adjusting to their new life. Others are finishing up college and need a lot of reassurance about the unknowns in their future. Oftentimes, my clients are competent students that are reaching for the next level and want help with their imposter syndrome.
My college students come from different size schools, in a variety of majors. Some need to talk to a professor but haven’t been able to do it. Some are studying for the LSAT and need cheering on as well as some stress management tools. And in the current economy, most of my seniors have big worries about finding a job. All of these challenges are valid, and all of them can be overcome!
Signs your Stress is turning into Anxiety
The following signs of anxiety are things you might be noticing. Not everyone experiences anxiety the same way. But if you identify with a few or a lot of the following symptoms, you may benefit from therapy for college students.
- Trouble sleeping or feeling tired often
- Difficulty eating
- Excessive worry
- Stomach problems or headaches
- Restlessness or being fidgety
- Headaches
- Irrational fears
- Avoiding social interactions
- Easily irritated or angry
- Attempting to control things to the point of creating conflict
- Panic attacks
Therapy Can Help With College Student Anxiety
Throughout my time as a therapist for college students, I have found a real passion for helping young adults. Typically, college students who come to counseling are smart, active people that really want to be happy and make something of themselves. But in many cases, anxiety, perfectionism, and stress have held them back in life.
But, I can help. With a decade of experience in working with college students, plus my extensive mental health training, I have helped many young adults overcome anxiety. My expertise has proven to be effective for people that strive to be successful but cannot seem to stop worrying about their future. In our work together, we will sort through the things on your overly full plate to see where tweaks can be made. Utilizing psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and a psychodynamic, relational approach we can address:
- Low self-esteem
- Negative self talk
- Time management skills
- How to utilize a support system
- Boundary setting
- Expectation management
- Relationships
- Learning style
- Problem-solving
- Utilizing your strengths to help you make progress
Reach Out for College Student Therapy
Oftentimes, students hesitate to invest in therapy because they think that their problems are not “bad enough.” Sure, it may be true that there are others having a harder time than you. But that doesn’t mean that your experience isn’t valid.
Sometimes, anxiety ramps up because of a stressful event in your life. And sometimes we never find the thing that set your increased anxiety in motion. The good news is, it doesn’t matter where it started. Everyone’s stress and pain is important. And if we are too stressed to take care of ourselves well, how can we expect to be healthy enough to be supportive of anyone else?
Begin Therapy for College Students near Nashville, TN
I use online therapy in Tennessee to meet with college students and young adults around the state from my Tennessee based private practice. Students from community colleges up through PhD and MD programs have benefitted from my services.
Contact me today to begin your journey of self-growth and finding freedom from anxiety. Schedule a consultation, then we’ll meet over the phone or video call to get to know each other and identify goals for therapy. I look forward to meeting you!
Online Therapy for Young Adults with Anxiety in Tennessee
