Sweaty hands, nonstop movement, shortness of breath; are you feeling anxious yet? 

Anxiety is an intense and persistent fear and worry about everyday situations. It is a familiar feeling that students deal with inside and outside the campus. It can be a big obstacle when you are in class trying to concentrate on your work, or outside socializing with other students.

The Director of the Center for Disability Services at EvCC, Eric Trekell, states that some types of anxieties in class can cause students to have a hard time concentrating, taking notes and even interfere with good performance on exams. He also explains how anxiety not only affects students inside class but in their social life as well. “They might have a hard time making friends, and it may even be difficult for them to simply come to campus and go to class,” says Trekell. 

After a quick survey through campus, 21 out of 30 students said yes when asked if they suffered from anxiety inside or outside classes. “It has sometimes made me lose my hopes on my goals,” said Vitor Cardoso, a Pre-medicine student when asked how anxiety has affected him in all aspects of his life through college.

Luckily, there are some ways to reduce this anxiety or even stop it. Janeann Good, EvCC public speaking professor, gave a tip on how to accomplish this. “Exercise is a great way of reducing anxiety before class, or even just going for a walk can help reduce it drastically.” Trekell said a good tip for battling anxiety is counseling. “Counseling is very important, if they work with a counselor long term, students can actually learn strategies to help them disrupt their anxiety,” he says. 

Anxiety is not a joke, and it can really affect students mentally, physically and emotionally. Understanding the proper treatment is one way to begin the battle of fighting a nervous state of mind.