How to Manage Stress and Anxiety in College

College is a time filled with new freedoms, new opportunities, and new challenges. Being on your own for the first time is exciting—who can stop you from eating ice cream for breakfast? But managing the stress and anxiety of this important transition is much less exciting, which is why a bit of advance planning can make all the difference.

Tip sheet:

1. Set Small, Realistic Goals

Setting goals is a great way to keep yourself on track but try to avoid creating unrealistic expectations. Start with a few (2-3) key things you’d like to achieve in your first week, month, and semester, and take it from there.

Remember that your high school grades and social experiences aren’t guaranteed to carry over into college, and things may look a little different. Not only is that ok, but it’s also normal. New place, new you! So, keep an open mind, avoid judging yourself, and make space for new experiences.

2. Build a Self-Care Routine

The little decisions you make throughout the day can have the biggest impact on your overall mental health. Find ways to take care of yourself on a daily basis and turn them into habits. For example, you might:

• Journal or meditate for 3-5 minutes each morning/evening.
• Opt for your dining hall’s meal choices as much as possible versus fast food or junk. Keep some snacks in your bag for busy days.
• Schedule exercise between classes. Try walking versus taking the bus or opt for a 30-minute workout every other day.
• Restrict social media to certain hours each day, scrub your feed of accounts that lower your self-esteem, or set an alarm to maintain self-imposed limits.
• Stick to a regular daily wake time, even if you stay up late on the weekends.

3. Learn Healthy Coping Skills

Going to college is meant to be a transformative time; facing challenges is not a matter of if, but when. What you can control, however, is the coping skills you use to overcome these challenges.

Learning and practicing healthy ways to cope with stress can help prevent you from falling back on unhelpful behaviors in times of crisis. Here are a few suggestions:

• Check in with your support network. If you don’t have one, many colleges have active clubs that advocate for student mental health.
• Practice combating negative self-talk.
• Experiment with mindful meditation techniques.
• Keep a list of small wins throughout the day.
• Break down big projects into more manageable tasks.
• Try to reframe challenges as opportunities.
• Establish a compass of health. Instead of 4 directions to orient you, use 4 health aspects to orient you: nutrition, sleep, exercise, and recreation.

4. Know the Early Signs of Stress and Anxiety

Some amount of stress and anxiety is a normal part of the college experience, so learning to spot the warning signs of a more serious mental health issue is an important skill. These can include:

• Procrastination and avoidance
• Changes in sleeping or eating habits
• Unexplained physical discomfort (e.g., headaches or stomach pain)
• Social isolation
• No longer enjoying hobbies
• Sudden drop in class attendance or grades
• Reliance on unhealthy coping behaviors (substance use or excessive gaming, for example)

5. Take Advantage of Resources

Most colleges have a counseling center that offers a limited number of free services to students. This is a great way to get short-term help or navigate an immediate crisis; if you need longer-term care, you’ll likely be referred to an external provider. If your counseling center has a waitlist, there are virtual therapy platforms that can offer support while you wait for an appointment. Look up your university’s phone or text hotline for mental health services and keep it saved for emergencies. There are also some excellent mental health apps and online virtual self-help courses that teach helpful coping skills.