Anxiety

So winter break has just ended and I’m heading back to school for second semester…I’m having a lot of anxiety lately and I think it is because I am nervous to start new classes and I get kind of homesick. I live about an hour away from my campus so I only go home maybe once a month because I don’t have my car with me. Anyways I am not feeling too well. Any advice?

Sure. Everything you describe is normal. Second semesters of the first year can be tough because there’s no excitement to cover the homesickness. By now, college is old hat, a grind. But you can’t go back, only forward. I’d recommend a daily morning phys ed class right off the bat as exercise releases dopamine and you’ll feel better with more energy. Get a calendar posted on the wall and circle the date you’ll next go home–something to look forward to is important. Get the phone number of an old high school friend and give them a call to compare notes and catch up. Focus on your studies and keep moving/making progress toward your graduation goal. Good Luck.

You accept your feelings instead of fighting them. Face your fear, tell yourself the pain is worth it (this belief will get you through a lot in life–pain can really be worth it), start classes, dig in, study hard, keep moving forward. The anxiety will dissapate.