Anxious about Going Back to School? Here are 5 Ways Beachwood Can Help with Anxiety with our “Tune-in/Tune-up” Program. As the seasons start to change, and Autumn is upon us, one of the biggest transitions can be returning to school or college. Going back to school can make people feel very anxious and stressed.
We know it’s supposed to be filled with opportunities and possibilities. But for so many people going back to school is also a time of tremendous anxiety. Questions like; will I make friends? Will I be able to keep up with my coursework? Will I be okay away from home and my family? Will my family be okay without me?
The Horses and Integrative Equine Therapists at Beachwood are helping people feeling anxious and stressed right now with a three session, “Tune-in/Tune-up Experience.”
As a result, Beachwood clients are feeling less anxiety and better about their new worlds. Contact us for help successfully navigating your new environment with 5 concrete actions for anxiety and stress.
1. Tune-In: Concrete Steps You Can Take Now to Support Your Healthy Mind
Before you go, and in your first few weeks, connect with the support system in your new school. What counseling do they have for new students? Can you find the building or call them before you arrive? Put the number and location in your phone so it’s easy to find when and if you need it.
Being proactive helps when you are feeling anxious. Searching the internet for “a therapist near me” is much easier to do when you are feeling calm and supported, rather than when you are already stressed out.
Think about what brings you comfort when everything around you is new. Do you call your friends instead of texting? Do you make a regular time to reach back to your family? Does your favorite tea or favorite blanket help you remember you are safe and loved? Reaching out for comfort and support is part of self-care and can help when you are feeling anxious! Reaching out to the horses and IET therapists at Beachwood can be part of that promise you made to “take care” of yourself.
2. Tune-In: Being Pro-Active about Keeping Your Mind Healthy
Being pro-active about keeping your mind healthy as well as your body really helps manage stress. A 3 session “Tune-in/Tune-up” experience at Beachwood is the starting point for many students who are feeling anxious. The 90-minute sessions with the horses and IET therapists help you “tune-in” to what makes you anxious and “tune-up” your personal tools for managing your perspective and approach.
- Data shows that on average, it takes just 7 sessions for Beachwood’s clients to build new coping strategies with staying power.
Choosing a new therapist near you can be stressful. A 3 session “Tune-in/ Tune-up” experience is the perfect way to see if Beachwood is the right fit for you. Some people who choose this option are clients that have enjoyed working with the horses before, and, many people come for the first time to settle themselves compassionately into a new school environment. There’s no riding or horse care, so the focus is on connection, helping you adjust to your new environment. It helps take the anxiety out of starting therapy. Contact us and find out how Beachwood Integrative Equine Therapy helps.
3. Tune-In: Be Gentle with Your Anxious Stressed-Out Self
Beachwood’s horses and IET therapists are also really helpful for tuning in to your personal limits. Learning, and practicing what enough and too much feels like is so important for emotional resiliency and managing anxiety. Especially when starting a new job or new school!
If you know you tend to put pressure on yourself to do everything and be everywhere, think about what helps you to take care of yourself. Do you need to schedule some therapy time to disrupt some patterns? Would it feel supportive to be in nature? What helps you feel less anxious?
More and more schools are introducing emotional support services including animals to spend time with when exam season starts. It can also be so emotionally and spiritually nourishing to connect to a horse at Beachwood. You can relax into the safe space they hold for you.
4. Tune-In: Notice Your Patterns and Get Support for Anxiety and Stress Now
Take a look at NAMI.org’s guide to college if you want some more ideas for how to structure your week and plan to get support. Their most powerful message is simple:
- You are not alone
- Whatever you are experiencing, others are, too. Really.
- We don’t have to fight through anxiety, stress, and depression alone.
- Get help with anxiety to feel better
The horses and IET therapists at Beachwood know this, too. We can help you with all kinds of challenges that include emotional eating, sleep disruptions, and performance anxiety. Beachwood is helping clients right now get support for feelings that don’t fit neatly into a box and that you don’t have the right words to explain.
Maybe it’s a long-term eating challenge that you’ve started to notice again with the lack of structure and food choices? Maybe you run until you are empty on sleep, or you are having trouble staying asleep? Perhaps it’s anxiety around taking tests and submitting assignments, even when you’ve done the work? Beachwood horses are very experienced at helping anxious students let go of emotional stress so that you can regain your best healthy and mindful balance.
5. Tune-In: When Anxiety and Stress Shows Up in your Body, Ask for Help
Beachwood horses and IET therapists are helping people right now to get in touch with where stress shows up physically. When we become anxious, we often tense up. Many of us carry stress in our shoulders, or our hearts, or our bellies. It shows up as headaches, shortness of breath, tummy aches and irritation.
Oftentimes, we are too busy or even too used to “pushing through” these physically symptoms to ask, “I wonder what’s that about?”
Luckily the horses at Beachwood are extremely intuitive and talented at showing you where you hold anxiety and helping you to release it safely before it becomes a chronic health issues. On average, Beachwood clients feel this long-term relief from anxiety in just 7 sessions, so if you book a 3 session “Tune-in/Tune-up” Experience you are well on your way already! Contact Beachwood Integrative Equine Therapy for help healing.
Finally, at Beachwood we know that going back to school is filled with excitement, opportunities, new people, and new experiences. Not to mention all that new knowledge! Beachwood horses and IET therapists are helping people like you right now to shift perspectives, unburden their anxiety, and practice self-care. Contact Beachwood Integrative Equine Therapy today, get help for your anxiety and stress, and enjoy keeping your mind healthy while you explore new horizons.