Tips from CAPS: Anxiety impacts academic performance

By University Counselor Patricia Dixon

A woman holds her head in her hands over a mess of school work and a laptop.Having events in life that impact academic performance is a normal part of the educational experience. Increased numbers of students have experienced anxiety due to changes needed to accommodate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Frequently changing learning environments have meant that students and professors need to be increasingly flexible. Change is normal in life and prompts the automatic fight-flight response. Multiple unexpected changes increase symptoms of anxiety that tells us something is different.

Change often equals fear and it fuels dysregulated behaviors and emotions. Four areas to focus on to reduce dysregulated behaviors include:

  1. Create a learning environment for yourself that is consistent, familiar and involves a routine.
  2. Listen and use actions that help you to stay in the moment and give your undivided attention. Be prepared to hear.
  3. Rebuild trust, that is: Be open to sharing how you are doing with changes and expressing concerns in a respectful manner. Email is a powerful communication tool.
  4. Acknowledge your anxiety! Listen carefully to yourself. This involves reflecting and restating to yourself and others what your anxiety is telling you about the learning environment.

Taking action when you experience anxiety can help change the situation to be more manageable.

Communication with your professors and other students can help normalize feelings of anxiety, especially around exams and clinical performance evaluations. Some actions to take might include:

  • Nurture positive relationships.
  • Pay attention to nonverbal and verbal communication matching your message.
  • Don't take things personally.
  • Set effective limits that are clear, simple, reasonable and enforceable.
  • Develop and stick to a schedule that includes downtime.
  • Learn to identify the things that predict an anxiety-driven reaction.
  • Use your physical presence thoughtfully. Approaching others gently and with respect often prompts support.
  • Take time to organize your thoughts.
  • Identify emotional triggers.
  • Remember things that prompted anxiety in your past.
  • Share your feelings.
  • Remember that anxiety is a normal and needed emotional response. It is the body's way of telling the brain something is happening that isn't quite right. It is easy to ignore the early signs of anxiety telling us something is off. The good news is that this automatic response can be managed and slowed by simple and effective actions:

    Pause, breathe, resume

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    It's easy to get started with CAPS!

    WSU Applebaum offers dedicated Counseling and Psychological Services support to students on a group or individual basis. WSU Applebaum students can reach out directly at 313-577-3243 or PatriciaDixon@wayne.edu. If you need help after hours or on the weekend, call CAPS at 313-577-9982. You can also visit caps.wayne.edu and complete the initial consultation form, making sure to note that you are an EACPHS student.


    An anchor in urban health care

    The Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is built on more than 100 years of tradition and innovation in the heart of Detroit. We have grown deep roots in our city, harnessing its powerhouse hospital systems and community service organizations as vibrant, real-world training grounds for students, with an ongoing focus on social justice in health care. And our research at all levels - from undergraduates to veteran faculty members - translates into creative solutions for healthier communities.

    Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering approximately 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 25,000 students.

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