Hello creators!
Today I wanted to tell you about a topic I connect with very closely. Anxiety. I have suffered from anxiety since I was a child and it shows in many ways. I have trouble at parties because I don’t like dancing freely in front of people. I get nervous at general admission concerts because I don’t like large crowds without organization. And most importantly, I struggle with my studies because I am afraid of not doing well on tests.
Since that last note may seem a bit strange, I’ll give you a little insight into how that works. I am afraid of taking large assessments or writing papers because I am afraid I won’t do well on them. The average person would use this as motivation to pay strong attention in class and study long and hard at home. While I do my best to do both of those, my anxiety sometimes gets the best of me and instead of motivating me, it forces me to shut down and freak out. In other words, I get very overwhelmed.
This post will hopefully help you learn some new ways to deal with anxiety in class.
1. Get a fidget tool
A fidget tool can be anything that helps you keep your hands busy when you have nothing else to do with them. I personally carry silly putty/play dough and a silly toy with me during school. I know this may seem childish, but trust me. I am 17 years old (a senior in high school) and I have at least 2-3 friends who use these tools in class. No body judges us, in fact most people ask what we are playing with and either ask to see or come to school with one later! These things are extremely cheap (normally you can find them at the dollar store!) and work wonders during class discussions / presentations. Most teachers understand that students may have a lot of anxiety or ADHD tendencies in class and would much rather see you paying attention while messing with a toy than spacing out or talking.
2. Use lotion
Personally in class I like to put on scented hand cream to massage into my hands when I get extremely overwhelmed. I think the reason it helps me so much is because it (like the fidget tool) gives my hands something to focus on while I calm my head down. Lotion is a calming way to distract me. Using a hand cream with a scent that you either really enjoy (my personal favorite is vanilla or “powder”) or that you are calmed by (lavender, eucalyptus) is very effective.
3. Eat a mint/ chew gum
For me, mints/gum are a 30 second fix to calm my brain down. I’m not sure what it is about them, but they always manage to calm me down. Maybe it’s just because I enjoy peppermint and it makes me happy! But I firmly believe that mints or gum in a flavor you enjoy can calm you down immensely, and you still have free hands to work on whatever you need to tackle!
4. Do a deep breathing exercise
This step is the most useful on this list, in my opinion. I personally have a few gifs saved on my computer that perfectly times out how long your breaths should last. I can pull them up on the corner of my screen in class and just breath along with the gif as necessary. I think it is often under appreciated how much a breathing exercise can really affect your mood.
And that’s it! Now, I’m not claiming that if you do these four things in all of your classes every day that you will suddenly have motivation to get that 4.0. But, I do think that if you are like me and you often find yourself overwhelmed in class, these tips can at least bring your mind back to the present moment and allow you to sink in the information you need to succeed.
Thank you for reading! In the comments, let me know what YOU do to help you stay calm in class.
As always, stay creative!