There’s no way to ignore the fact that college is stressful, and it can seem like the stress is coming from every direction. But when those stressors result in anxiety, you may have a difficult time preventing them from interfering with your overall college experience and quality of life.

Stress refers to anything that is difficult or challenging for your body and mind. Anxiety is the feelings of worry and fear in response to that stress. While stress is unavoidable for college students, it’s possible to learn how to manage and reduce the resulting anxiety. One of the first steps in anxiety management is learning about what triggers it in the first place.

We’ll talk about common anxiety triggers for college students. We’ll also discuss how you can learn to manage them at Lightfully U.

5 anxiety triggers that you may experience as a college student

A trigger essentially refers to any situation, circumstance or stimulus that results in mental health distress, such as anxiety. Since everyone perceives things in a different way, what may be triggering to one person may not be an issue for another. The same can be said for different types of anxiety disorders. For example, a college student with social anxiety may feel like their anxiety is triggered when they have to introduce themselves in a new class.

Even though triggers can vary from person to person, here are five common types of anxiety triggers for college students:

1. Stacked deadlines — Difficulty with time management and overwhelming course loads are common issues among many college students. While these struggles seem to be understood by many students before even enrolling, symptoms of anxiety can occur when your assignment deadlines and exam dates all seem to fall in the same time frame. It can be triggering for people with anxiety to see a calendar that doesn’t provide enough time in the day to be fully prepared for exams or turn in high-quality assignments.
   A trigger essentially refers to any situation, circumstance or stimulus that results in mental health distress, such as anxiety.
2. Reminders of home — If you left your hometown for college, or you live in a dorm, homesickness is natural every once in a while. But it’s also possible that certain reminders of home can trigger anxiety. You may feel overwhelming worry about family expectations, fear of missing important events or feeling like you’re not fitting in with your new environment. These triggers can refer to anything from getting an out-of-the-blue text from your dad to seeing a social media post of your hometown friends.
3. Lack of funds — Many college students struggle with finances. Not only is it common to take out loans to pay for courses and textbooks, but the amount of time dedicated to classwork often makes it difficult to hold a part-time job. This can result in struggling to have the funds needed for everyday expenses, such as food and toiletries. Your anxiety may be triggered if you see a low balance in your bank account. You may run out of laundry detergent that you can’t afford to replace at that moment.
4. Roommate differences — If you have a dorm or apartment in college, it’s likely that you’re rooming with one or more people that you don’t know. It can be stressful to live in close quarters with unfamiliar people. Plus, your lifestyles can often clash, leading to anxiety and disagreements. For example, if your roommate is not as clean as you, and their mess affects your living space, you may be stressed out about bringing it up. You may worry about tension with a person who’s impossible to avoid.
5. Upcoming graduation — Every college student is working hard to reach the finish line: graduation. While it’s an exciting milestone in a person’s life, graduation can be anxiety inducing as well. It means that you’re likely going to need to start searching for a job in your field or figuring out your next move. Whether you already have options lined up or you’re struggling to determine what path you want to take in life, it can be scary to face the unknown that follows college.

Lightfully U can help college students learn to manage anxiety triggers

It’s not always easy to avoid anxiety triggers. However, it’s possible to learn how to manage your symptoms with the right skills, such as stress management techniques and coping strategies. If you’re struggling to manage your anxiety when faced with a trigger, the Lightfully U Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program (vIOP) can help.

Created for college students, our vIOP can help you manage and reduce your anxiety symptoms with a supportive, structured program that provides you with virtual mental health care. It involves a variety of therapy dynamics, including individual, family and group sessions, that can help you learn to reduce the effects of anxiety on your everyday life.

Change is possible. When you’re ready to take the first step, reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team. We’ll take the next steps together, toward the fullest, brightest version of you.