Aug. 14, 2023
By: Hurley Cuaresma
So you’re starting college, you’re nervous about having to attend your first lecture, walking around the campus and exploring the place alone, you’re new and fresh. You have social anxiety.
So you’re starting college, you’re nervous about having to attend your first lecture, walking around the campus and exploring the place alone, you’re new and fresh. You have social anxiety.
I remember my first time in college, in my first communications class. I was standing in front of a crowd, staring directly at me. My hands were shaky and sweaty, I stuttered through every word of my speech.
Even when it comes to meeting new people, there was so much I was unused to and I had really bad social anxiety. So, it was a hard task for me to achieve.
“It’s sad actually, because my anxiety keeps me from enjoying things as much as I should at this age” - Amanda Seyfried
Struggling with anxiety can be such a burden when starting a new chapter in your life. Here are some tips to help lessen, prevent or at least ease your social anxiety;
First, ensure you get enough sleep. A full 8 hours of it!
This will help reset your brain, it will make you feel more bright and fresh. Nobody wants to come into a new thing, tired, annoyed and anxiety-ridden.
Despite what many say— Caffeine, unfortunately, is not your bestfriend when it comes to dealing with social anxiety. In fact, it will probably stress you out even more to be sitting in a room, eager to get college started but your caffeine intake can cause nervousness.
Take small steps! Give a stranger a compliment, ask someone to borrow a pen, introduce yourself to your professor before everyone else comes into the classroom. These steps can help boost your confidence and increase your chances of gaining friends.
Friends can help to ease social anxiety.
When you make friends, you can somewhat rely on them to keep your energy more comfortable, more relaxed than if you're alone and doing everything all by yourself. When around friends, you release positive endorphins that boost your confidence and help you to feel more energized, and ready for the freshman life!
All these tips can help you with social anxiety, but remember, take it at your own pace. Do some exercises that help you de-stress before, have a game plan for yourself and be authentically you.
Don’t give up, you got this!