Beating Anxiety Every Day with Dr. Lei Wang
If you’re looking for tools to combat anxiety but not sure where to start, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Dr. Lei Wang’s Beating Anxiety Every Day Workshop might be exactly what you need. Throughout the Spring semester, Dr. Wang has hosted a daily workshop that tackles what anxiety is, how you can recognize it in your body, and some concrete ways for combating it in your daily life. We caught up with Dr. Wang in hopes of sharing some helpful tips for incorporating more mindfulness into your daily life. Check out her strategies for recognizing and combating anxiety below—
Identify the common sources of anxiety 🔎
Dr. Lei Wang
We asked Dr. Wang to highlight some of the common sources of anxiety she has noticed in the past year. Here is what she identified:
“There is anxiety around COVID-19, because of all of the unknowns. That has been this year's top concern. Academics are always something that folks worry about. I think COVID has really exacerbated a lot of these worries. Another piece is around all the racial injustice that has been happening. That's something that I talk about in the workshop: how to recognize that, how to find community, and how to be able to find some solace around that.
Social anxiety is another big one. Although my workshop doesn't focus on that, some of the mindfulness techniques I discuss can be helpful to address worries around performance or worries about talking to other people.”
If you’re struggling with any of the above sources of anxiety, it might be helpful to consider the fact that you’re not alone and, in fact, people all over the world are struggling with similar sources of distress.
Notice your symptoms of anxiety 😰
It’s important to recognize what anxiety feels like in your body. In her workshop, Dr. Wang points out the following common symptoms that you might notice as signs of anxiety:
Physical symptoms: muscle tension, heart rate & blood pressure increase, breathing rate increase, hands & feet get cold, indigestion, headaches, stomachaches, dry mouth, nausea
Mental & emotional symptoms: anxiety, irritability, fear, sadness, restlessness, concentration difficulties, distorted thoughts or beliefs
Behavioral symptoms: avoidance, social withdrawal, conflict, increased alcohol use, crying, grinding your teeth, being easily startled, decreased sleep
Once you recognize anxiety happening in your body, you can start to utilize tools to help manage it.
Implement behaviors that help reduce anxiety and promote mental fortitude 🧠
In her workshop, Dr. Wang starts by recommending that students create a daily routine that helps boost their ability to cope with anxiety, i.e. getting seven to nine hours of sleep per night, eating three balanced meals per day, and getting three to four days of moderate exercise per week. She also suggests talking about your anxiety with trusted confidants, including good friends, a therapist, or even just journaling with yourself. She elaborates:
“Research has shown that mindfulness is really helpful. If folks come to the workshop, they'll learn more about that. [It also helps to set] a schedule. A lot of times anxieties are exacerbated because people aren't sleeping seven to nine hours a night or eating well. I also recommend finding community. With racial injustice, that's one thing that I really emphasize—this isn't in your head, you want to not feel isolated in these situations, and to find community and allies so that you feel supported.”
Find what works for you 🧘♀️
Everyone is different and thus, different techniques will help different people. Start off by trying a few different strategies and keep track of how they effect your mood and body. Record how things like yoga, deep breathing, journaling, meditation, taking a walk, or other mindful strategies influence you and begin to incorporate the most positively impactful strategies into your regular routine. Here is Dr. Wang’s favorite strategy for coping with anxiety:
“I really enjoy yoga. There is meditation there, there is also movement. It's a nice balance between being still and moving. It can help people who can't sit still be able to practice that balance. I think being able to find skills or techniques that work best for you is the most important thing.”
A breathing exercise from Dr. Wang’s workshop
Strengthen your mindfulness muscles 💪🏽
Dr. Wang notes that using these behaviors takes practice and likens it to strengthening muscles. Be patient with yourself as you sharpen your anxiety skillset and remember that the more you utilize these skills, the easier it will be to call upon them for help. If you’re looking for other concrete mental health resources on campus, check out this guide. Utilizing a meditation app like Calm, MyLife, or others can help you learn new meditation and mindfulness strategies and serve as a daily reminder to practice.
Ask for help 💜
If you’re having a hard time coping right now, we encourage you to reach out for help from others. Touch base with people who you know and trust and consider making an appointment with a therapist, either through Chatham’s Counseling Center or through an outside healthcare provider. Dr. Wang offers the following recommendations:
“If someone is seeking services, because we're at the end of the semester, I would strongly recommend folks find providers through their insurance companies. Because of the pandemic, a lot of insurance companies have waived their copay. If folks are going home over the summer, especially folks who are not going to be in Pennsylvania, the Counseling Center staff won't be able to see them because of restrictions around licensure. If students are going home to New York, it would be better if they looked for a provider who is licensed in New York so that they can be seen over the summer.
The Counseling Center now has two types of services that we provide. One is a more traditional therapy where folks can do an explorative dive into issues that they want to discuss. The second is therapy provided by our PsyD students who specifically work with students on skills like time management, studying, etc. Students can call the Counseling Center to make an appointment for either type of session.”
If you’d like to participate in Dr. Wang’s full workshop, please register via MyChatham Happenings. If you’d like to explore services offered by the Counseling Center, click here, call 412-365-1283, or email counselingcenter@chatham.edu.
