Nothing says “anxiety” better than a college campus. It’s such a common part of college that every campus has a counselor on the premises, for students who reached the end of their rope.

While the worst cases might require specialized medical care, you can deal with the light symptoms by following certain tips. Everyone gets stressed by exams, deadlines, and being so far away from home – which is why you need to learn how to find a balance.

Here are some tips for you to deal with that state of anxiety that prevents you from enjoying college life as you should.

Find a Hobby

The best way to ensure your college life does not stress you out to the max is to keep yourself busy. Sure, while being too busy might cause you to even more stressed, being completely free will make you think even more about what’s to come – such as exams, rent, and responsibilities.

Join a club or volunteer as a student mentor. Do something that you really love to do – and do it on a daily basis. If you love to write, you may just turn it into a personal hobby. Occupying your mind with a hobby will keep your demons at bay and you’ll be able to enjoy college life much better.

Meditate

Simply 10 minutes of meditation every day can greatly decrease your anxiety levels. You may go for YouTube videos, phone apps, or you may learn how to create the perfect session for yourself.

Through meditation, you can learn how to breathe right, think right – and most of all, it will clear your brain of the negative thoughts. Plus, meditation will also improve your concentration, therefore making you feel more confident in your own skills.

Don’t Judge Yourself

Students have this tendency of holding themselves to a very high standard – and once they feel unable to reach it, they start being overly self-critical of their own results.

Instead of focusing on your failures and mistakes, focus on your successes and on your determination to not give up. Encourage yourself to keep going. Think of it this way: if this were your friend, would you believe they are not trying enough? Understand yourself just like you would understand a friend.

Find a Place of Comfort

A lot of students have anxiety from meeting too many people in crowded, less familiar environments. This can be very scary, particularly if you don’t like large groups of people. The wrong environment for a person with anxiety might lead to panic attacks.

Instead, try finding a place that makes you feel comfortable. This can be a coffee shop, or it can be the library – whatever relaxes you more. Take the one-on-one conversation there, and you’ll see how the anxiety will slowly start to die down.

Seek Help

Using a professional student counselor is nothing to be ashamed of. If the university does not have a counselor on campus, then it certainly has contracts with them for referrals – that’s how common these situations too.

Talking about the problem will most likely make you feel much better. If you have not yet made any friends that you can trust, simply look for professional help. They’ll help you find the root of the problem – and will allow you to release the anxiety instead of letting it bubble up.

It’s normal to be stressed during university; you wouldn’t call yourself a student if you weren’t at least a teensy bit anxious about your exams. However, by balancing the stress with some healthy activities, you will be able to enjoy life as a high-functioning student – all while forgetting about the anxiety.