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STRESS/ANXIETY
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Stress is part of the college experience. Anxiety (a range of symptoms deriving from the experience of stress) frequently takes students by surprise. Wake Forest tends to attract students who have been successful throughout their lives. They are used to thinking of themselves as coping well. At Wake Forest, however, many students encounter higher expectations placed on them, or demand more of themselves in college both academically and socially. Anxietal symptoms are a common and normal response to stress. The most typical of these are:
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- Physical signs: agitation, insomnia, tremors, chronic muscle spasms, insomnia
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- Cognitive signs: worry, obsessiveness, increased perfectionism, blocking on tests
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- Behavioral signs: missing class, not turning in assignments
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- Emotional signs: anxiety, emotional numbing, tearfulness
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For some people, acute or chronic stress may result in or contribute to significant psychological conditions known as Anxiety Disorders. These include:
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- Phobias (of social or performance situations, such as an exam in class)
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- Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or symptoms of OCD such as acute perfectionism or an obsessive need to create order in one's environment (arranging things in a particular way, doing things in a particular order)
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- Post-traumatic stress disorder: An anxiety disorder that develops following an acutely traumatic experience such as an automobile accident, rape or sexual assault, or another life-threatening situation.
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- Panic attacks or panic disorder (repeated panic attacks): Acute anxiety responses involving significant physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, and emotional responses such as a strong desire to flee the environment and feelings of terror and helplessness.
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You may find yourself frequently talking with students who are feeling stressed or are having other symptoms of anxiety. It may be that reassurance and your listening and caring is all that is needed. However, students are frequently grateful to be informed of resources on campus that can help them with stress and anxiety. These emotional responses are extremely amenable to professional care, and often students can begin to feel better and more functional within just several weeks of assistance. The University Counseling Center (x5273) can help students learn to deal effectively with stress and anxiety.
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