A True Epidemic: Anxiety in Students

Adjusting to college or university can be a challenge that catches many students by surprise. Successfully navigating adult-like responsibilities, increased academic stress and social pressure require cognitive maturity and life skills that many in this age group are still mastering and adjusting to.

Obviously, no two students are exactly alike, and when students arrive on campus, each brings forth their own wide variety of experiences, beliefs, and fears that influence their emotional state as well as their likelihood of seeking help. Sometimes students enter school having been diagnosed with anxiety in their early teens or even younger. Sometimes a specific event during the school year sets off a cycle of anxious thinking that didn’t exist in high school. Sometimes the cause is not immediately apparent, or just comes out of nowhere. and with anxiety comes of course the negative effects of the condition such as feeling helpless, mood swings, shaking, uncontrollable breathing patterns, restlessness, agitation, panic attacks and more.

So, how do we get ahead of this epidemic and start coping with anxiety?

While many will take prescribed drugs to help calm the effects and urges of some conditions (if diagnosed previously), others may resort to more natural methods or over the counter remedies. But, as any doctor will tell you, the best way to cope with anxiety is to avoid alcohol, pay attention to your diet (keep it healthy), reduce your caffeine intake, start doing more physical exercise, quit smoking and most importantly practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, rhythmic exercise, and other activities that reduce symptoms of stress.

And with that final concept in mind - deep breathing - that is where we found a unique tool that not only looks great for us students to wear at all times, but actually works! The Shift, a product by Komuso Design, is an organic tool to guide your breath and slow your mind and can be worn as a necklace.

According to results from customers who analyzed their personal experience with the tool, 76% of respondents disclosed that they wear the necklace at least 4 days per week, mostly for class or during work, while 81% of those surveyed experienced a noticeable change in their stress levels and relaxation after using The Shift during a stressful event.

But of course, we can never take surveys at their word, so we spoke to some students on campus at UCSB who gave us a first-hand testimonial Haley M. told us, “I usually freak out when it comes final exams because I panic during tests so I decided to use my shift before and during my chem lab final. I legit felt it bring me from a panic to calm within minutes and ended up doing pretty well. This thing works!” And what's more, we spoke to Daniel Epstein, a Licensed Psychotherapist in Atlanta, GA, who told us, “I can’t be present with my clients when they encounter stress outside of my office. The Shift acts as a physical grounding mechanism that guides my clients back to a calm state whenever they need it. I would highly recommend this tool for anyone who is looking to improve their reaction to stress and anxiety because it really works.”

The Shift was engineered and designed specifically with students in mind because college is where stress coping habits are formed. The pressure of exams, performance, and social issues push students into self-medicating alternatives which can be toxic. With this tool, it provides students with an organic way to "chill out" by simply forcing a longer exhale. It’s totally discreet in that you can use it during a test, at the library, or even at a party to achieve calm. Wearing it as a necklace provides you with a consistent reminder to go slow and breathe.

Whatever way you choose to cope with anxiety though, its best to figure it out sooner than later, and of course, be open to new ideas and methods. Each of us is different, but more of us than you may even realize deals with anxiety at least once in our lives. It's a true epidemic!