Anxiety is a pretty common thing, though some people may suffer it at a greater cost. It is estimated that 21% of U.S teenagers suffer from some sort of anxiety, whether it’s from school or Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). However annoying anxiety can be, there are ways to cope. But before we dive into how to deal with it, let’s take a look at what anxiety actually is.

We’ve all heard of the fight or flight response. Anxiety is just that. Your choice of either fight or flight. It can look different depending on the person, however. Some people find anxiety to be something that propels them to get a task done, while for others it’s an overwhelming sense of terror or dread.

Not sure if you have anxiety? There are a few symptoms that can help you define whether or not you have some form of it. Trembling and shaking is a very common one, and an easy one to spot. However, there are other important things you need to identify in order to understand if you have anxiety. Being irritable and restless is a big one. This also ties in to not getting enough sleep.

Anxiety, although many people may not realize, affects your sleeping schedule. It can cause you to lay awake for hours. This is due to the many disturbing and anxious thoughts floating around your head by the end of the day. One of the biggest symptoms, though, is poor decision making and trouble concentrating. Anxiety can get in the way of doing every day tasks such as homework and even chores. Your brain won’t give you a break and you’re in a constant state of fear.

Anxiety can be torture sometimes. But luckily, there are many ways to help cope. Choosing a strategy that helps you can make a great difference in the outcome of your stress. First of all, the coping strategies that fall under the category of meditative skills may not be for everyone, but they’re helpful nonetheless. They may even be something you’d want to try. Included in this category are awareness activities and breathing exercises. 

What does that mean exactly? Awareness activities help you become aware of your surroundings and it keeps you distracted so that your brain doesn’t have time to draw you back into your anxious state. An example of this would be the 3-3-3 rule. This is a very helpful strategy that involves naming three things you see, naming three things you hear and moving three parts of your body. Breathing exercises can be just as helpful. There are too many to name, but I’ll list a few: Box breathing, imaginative breathing, tiger breathing and long exhaling.

The next category of coping strategies include hobbies and physical activities. These are strategies that have to deal with your interests. For example, cooking is a very calming activity that many people love to do. Reading, doodling and doing physical exercise are also extremely helpful. They allow your mind to stay focused on one thing. It’s sort of like a trick. It tricks your brain into forgetting all your worries, if only for a short period of time. It may not be as effective for some people, but it helps you reset your brain so you can once again focus on the task at hand.

As a High School student, we’re all going through a lot, whether it’s homework or after school activities. It can be a lot of pressure sometimes. Anxiety is common amongst students, and that’s no different for Apex High School. It’s important to know what coping method works best for you, so that you can clear your mind of all the stress. Keep in mind that this is tougher than it seems. It’ll take time for you to be fully able to control your anxiety, but that’s ok. With just a little practice, it’ll get easier and easier to maintain.

Now that you have a little more understanding in the matter of anxiety, you might start noticing things you didn’t notice before. You might even understand why you’re feeling the way you’re feeling or why you haven’t been getting enough sleep. As a High School student, anxiety and stress can be a big problem. However, it’s not anything to be afraid of, but it’s a good idea to understand what helps you manage your stress. Maybe you’ll even slay the monster that is anxiety.