Hi. It’s Jenny at AnxietyBoss.com. Our question today comes to us from Kathleen in New Mexico. How do I overcome my study anxiety?
Some people have general anxiety that occurs without a specific trigger. Other times, people have anxiety over very specific triggers. School can be very challenging. There’s a lot of pressure to complete assignments, to meet time expectations, and to accomplish good grades. Many times anxiety around studying occurs if the person has procrastinated or fallen behind in a class. This gives a sense of being in a hole that’s too far to get out of. This feeling triggers anxiety and then makes it difficult to actually perform the level of studying or homework needed to catch up.
The following are ways to help overcome study anxiety:
1. Stay on top of homework assignments and class time. Prevention is a key to study anxiety. If the student has been able to maintain in the class, the anxiety level should be eliminated or low.
2. Get assistance as early as possible. If there is a class that is very challenging, try to get tutoring from the teacher, resource room administrator, or a tutor. Similar to the above, the quicker the student is able to stay on top of the expectations, the less the anxiety.
3. Cognitive restructuring. Anxiety about studying is usually centered around feelings of being overwhelmed or fear of failure. Now chances are the person has completed several homework or study assignments and they’ve survived the task. Restructure thinking to focus on the past successes of completing assignments versus focusing on anxiety and fear of failure.
Studying in itself is not a scary task. The student should change their thought to “I can do this. Studying is not scary. I have done this before. I will feel better when I’m done.” Studying is not always the easiest thing to deal with, but knowing how to deal with it is important. If studying causes you anxiety, you cannot just stop studying, as that may give you even more anxiety.
You can visit AnxietyBoss.com. It will not give you study tips, but will give you ways of dealing with your anxiety. You can put these ways to use right away, so that you can study as soon as possible.
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I know this is an old thread, but I wanted some advice. Due to financial difficulties and other life problems (parents divorced), I had to drop out of college and come back home. I have a lot of regrets and sadness over not being able to attend again, despite doing fairly well. I fell into a great depression – did not want to wake up at all. Slowly with time I began to overcome that. Fast forward a few years, I still can’t pick up a book without my body reacting. I get nausea, I vomit. I get Diarrhea. I always, always circulate positive thoughts in my head, but it’s like my body doesn’t listen.
Any advice? I’d like to move on..
If your anxiety and depression were so severe that it impacted your functioning as you describe, then you need to see a psychiatrist for assessment and treatment. Please follow-up with your family doctor for a referral to a psychiatrist. No online help will be beneficial to you, given the severity of your depression and anxiety.