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Stress and anxiety are terms we hear a lot in our daily lives, especially while living through such extreme circumstances, like the current pandemic, but how often do we see these topics broken down in a helpful way? In a 30-minute talk presented by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Dr. Krystal Lewis, a licensed clinical psychologist, explains where stress and anxiety come from and some coping strategies.
Being a student in the midst of a global pandemic has thrown the unexpected directly at us. It has repeatedly heightened the worry and fear of “am I on the right path?” “is this all worth it?” and of course, “am I good enough?”
Let’s admit it. It’s so easy to get sucked into our devices and the social media apps inside of them. Even if you feel like you’re not directly interacting with anyone and just refreshing, there’s something about these apps that can make three hours feel like three minutes, despite doing nothing.
This holiday season has already been one like no other. With family not allowed to leave their state and having older grandparents/family members who are more vulnerable, I sometimes get a rush of sadness that I will not be able to spend the holidays with all my family.
Since being placed in a new position at work a few months ago, I have found myself increasingly anxious on Sundays as the prospect of a new week looms. My new position comes with a lot of added responsibility which, for me, translates into a lot of added stress. I work hard each Sunday to find techniques that calm me down and help me enter the week more prepared.
Just this morning, I had one of the biggest exams of my time in school. Since I am in physical therapy school, this exam was a practical, in which I would be asked questions on the spot and have to answer and demonstrate techniques learned over the past year. Despite having studied hard and put in the work, my anxiety crept in. I had racing thoughts the night before such as “What if I didn’t study enough? What if I completely blank? What if I fail?” These thoughts are detrimental to myself, and I had the awareness to tell myself to stop thinking in this way.
I have found myself staring at a screen for endless hours of day. Now, with online school, we, students, are constantly on our laptops. Whether it is to read, type papers, watch videos, attend Zoom classes, or even watching Netflix, I have recently been feeling consumed by a screen. After so long, I get a piercing headache and I know it’s from the excessive use of the technology that we have today.
Listen. We know today is incredibly stressful. Even in a year of local and world events that not just lean, but completely skew on the negative side, the election today feels like the season finale of what many consider to be the worst year ever.
Recently I sensed a change in my mood. My thoughts have been racing, I have been feeling more and more fatigued and just overall worried and anxious.
I was diagnosed with clinical depression and generalized anxiety disorder a couple years ago and therapy has really helped me through it. For a frame of reference, I had severe agoraphobia which means I would get panic attacks anytime I would have to go any further than five minutes away from my house.
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