Michigan's College of LSA move to stop showing first-semester grades on the transcript made national headlines this year.
The policy was implemented to help ease the transition to the demands of college and help “curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals (LSA First Semester Grade Covering Pilot).”
There are many who agree and many who disagree with this approach. Regardless of your opinions, the fact remains that nationally, about a third of college students report moderate to severe anxiety symptoms.
If your child or college-age client is struggling with anxiety, here are some tips that can help you support them.
Awareness: Know that anxiety is normal – it’s your body’s way to prepare you for challenges and protect you from danger. It becomes extra loud when it anticipates a threat – but sometimes it gets it wrong. Sometimes it confuses difficult or uncomfortable with dangerous. Notice the pattern, the way their body responds, the thoughts that pop up and the habit that have been built around them – without judgement. Now you are observing rather than experiencing anxiety, giving you the space to decide what you want to do next.
Mindset: We are talking to ourselves all day long and when anxiety gets loud, it sounds like “I wont be able to handle it,” “Everyone else is doing better than me,” or “There’s no point, I’m definitely going to fail.” What we say to ourselves makes a huge difference in how we feel and what we do next. Remember that anxiety is over-protective – it tells us things are too much to handle and its better to hide – but you have handled hard things your whole life. Choose to focus on what you can do now, rather than what might happen next or what happened before. Choose your mindset to focus on learning, growing, and having a chance to contribute to something bigger. This class/this semester – it doesn’t define you, but how you think about it can.
Approach: When we feel anxious or anticipate a threat (like a bad grade, or getting called out in class), our instinct often tells us to avoid the situation – skip class, doomscroll until we feel a little better – whatever might give us a sense of relief or escape from the threat.
Keep an eye out for your tendency to over-accommodate: Its tough to watch our children struggle. Your first instinct might be to see what you can do to help relieve the threat too. Maybe suggest a “mental health weekend” trip back home or reassuring them over the phone. This can help short term, but it can make the anxiety last longer. Instead, let them know you hear them, this is tough, and then encourage approaching the challenge: You may not get an “A” but you will show your anxiety that you can finish your homework when you stick to your routine. Plan the weekend trip home to celebrate the approach.
