Wellness Central: Anxiety

Wellness Central is part of an effort to promote health and wellness to college students, faculty and staff. This video is about anxiety, and healthy ways of managing it.

California Community College students can access the full Wellness Central portal on their Canvas account. Or, contact our Health Services office! https://www.gocolumbia.edu/health_services/

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>> I've experienced anxiety
since I can remember.

>> I've definitely experienced anxiety before
most of the time I feel just for no reason.

Like I'm just sitting around and there's
nothing going on and I feel anxious.

>> I have experienced anxiety to the level
of shutting myself off from the world.

It got to the point where I
wouldn't even leave my home.

>> About, you know, big questions
in life like where's my life going?

What sort of career am I going to have?

Do I have the right major?

I've changed that more than a few times.

>> You get anxiety when you
get ready to take a test.

Some of us get more than others.

>> Just constantly all that vibration.

All that, oh, I'm nervous.

It's more than that.

It envelopes your entire body sort of thing.

>> I had a significant amount of coffee one
day and I was sitting in the college library

and just having terrible hot sweats and,
you know, my mind is racing thinking

about everything that could go wrong right
now, thinking about all sorts of things

that didn't matter in that moment.

The biggest solution for that was to breathe.

>> The midterms for history just because in
that class the midterm is like half your grade.

I live at home currently, so I
was able to talk with my parents.

They helped me pull my anxiety low enough for me

to actually start studying and
feel less nervous about it.

>> You've got to get out there.

You've got to be around people who are going to
support you, encourage you and just let you know

that everything is going to be fine.

>> Form a plan to deal with it and
don't just stress about it now.

>> In Texas, the wasps are about like this.

Huge. And so then they start flying
and now, you know, you go could, "Ah!"

And then they might come at you, or you
can just relax and let them fly away.

So for some reason, if we freak out about stuff,
it seems like it brings negative vibes to us.

>> Essential oils can be really
helpful for managing your anxiety.

Taking lavender, vanilla or orange essential
oils and dropping them onto your pillow

or a cotton ball, basically anything to
help you breathe in those essential oils,

because putting them on your skin can
sometimes be a little bit too strong.

>> Caffeine and sugar are huge
contributing factors to anxiety.

In one study, those that withheld caffeine

for six months did not experience
panic attacks during those six months.

And for two years after that if they didn't have
caffeine, they didn't have panic attacks either.

So those energy drinks, they're not helping us.

>> You may have mental health counsellors
on your campus and it's a free serve.

The counsellors are there to help you
and can give you specific tips on how

to keep your anxiety level low, so
check out your student health center.