“Everything will be totally fine and then it will feel like I am dying. I never know when I am going to have an attack so my attacks come out of no where and usually at the worst times, like when I am hanging out with my friends or in the middle of one of my classes. I usually just have to pretend like everything is fine when in reality it is not,” Nicole DeFrancesco, biology major at Arcadia University, said.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, over 40 million adults suffer from anxiety and 75 percent experience their first attack by their early 20s.
Anxiety can be defined as a feeling of unease or nervousness, typically about something or an event that a person is not sure what the outcome will be.
“My definition of anxiety would be an increase sense of worry about an issue,” Jack Dunleavy, sophomore English and secondary education major, said. “You focus so much on one thing, or multiple things, that it consumes your whole life.”
The American College Health Association reported in a 2014 assessment that one in six college students had been diagnosed or treated for anxiety.
In the same assessment, they found that approximately 20 percent of college students experienced anxiety in the last 12 months, which affected their academic performance.
“I often experience anxiety at the end of the semester when each professor hands out so many assignments. It is hard for me to balance all of that work,” Dunleavy said.
Sophomore education major Jackie Ware is not someone who is good with taking tests. She becomes really nervous and anxious before class that she makes herself think that she is not going to do well.
To handle her stress and anxiety she swims.
“Swimming is a great physical sport as well as mental sport. You use your whole body when you swim and swim back and forth often thinking about anything and everything. It really clears my mind and relieves my stress,” Ware said.
If Ware cannot swim or does not have access to the pool, she handles her anxiety by listening to music or talking with friends or family.
Other ways to manage anxiety deal with taking a time-out from what a person is doing. Being to focused on a task or something that may occur can stress oneself to the maximum. Taking a step back, breathing deeply and slowly and counting to 10 helps to relax a person.
Talking to someone whether it is a professional or just a friend or family member helps when a person feels overwhelmed.
“The most important thing to remember when dealing with an anxious person is to never judge. Always listen. Be their rock and offer advice when they ask for it. Many times, people feel better after they vent,” Dunleavy said.
