Tips for Coping With School-Related Anxiety While in Eating Disorder Recovery

By: Jennifer Rollin, LCSW-C, Therapist & Founder of The Eating Disorder Center

At this point in my life, while I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, I am grateful that I had pretty intense school-related anxiety in college and also struggled with an eating disorder. What’s behind my gratitude is multi-faceted, however, one of the reasons is that I have so much empathy for my clients who are struggling with school-related anxiety (in high school or college) and also in recovery from an eating disorder.

While I’ve written a lot about eating disorders over the years, I haven’t written as much about school-related anxiety and how to cope, especially for those of us who have perfectionistic tendencies. So, today I want to both share a little bit more about my experience of school-related anxiety in college and provide some tips for those who are currently in the midst of it.

A Bit About My Experience With School-Related Anxiety and Eating Disorder Recovery

In college, I saw a therapist weekly and I remember going into sessions talking about how I was extremely anxious about upcoming exams. As a result, I overcompensated by spending hours upon hours studying in the library (and meticulously retyping my study guide over and over again) beyond what I needed to do. Frequently, but not always, I got good grades, particularly towards the last two years of college. However, because I did not challenge the compulsive behaviors I was doing around studying, I felt that I ‘needed’ to do them or I would fail. The anxiety felt paralyzing at times. I worried a lot about the future and my career aspirations. At the time, my grades felt like a measurement of my worth. I remember studying really hard for one exam where the teacher ended up testing us on things that were not on the study guide. I got a D and had a breakdown over it. 

I also deeply struggled with an eating disorder and switching to a therapist who specialized in treating eating disorders was one of the big factors that helped me. At the worst, most of my day was consumed by thoughts about food and my body. It was so exhausting. I felt totally trapped by my own brain. It was miserable, but similar to grades, I was terrified at the thought of my body changing. I am so grateful to not be struggling with an eating disorder anymore.


Tips for Coping With School-Related Anxiety

1. Work to separate grades from your worth, as well as addressing any perfectionistic parts (if you have a tendency towards perfectionism).

This is not to say that grades do not matter at all, rather that what you score on an exam is not a measurement of your worth or value as a person. You are already worthy, no matter what grade you get on something.

It’s important to also address (ideally in therapy) any perfectionistic (or obsessive compulsive) parts that might be making you miserable as they relate to school.

Through therapy, you can also unpack what wounds perfectionism may be trying to keep you from and other ways to build up your sense of self and self-worth.


2. Remember that what is happening now is simply one small dot on the big painting that is your life.

I know it can feel all consuming if you get a grade that you aren’t happy with. It’s so important to try to put things into perspective. Remind yourself that this is one small dot on the larger painting that is your life. Many successful people have received a grade that they were not happy with. Notice the stories that you’re telling yourself around this grade and if they are unhelpful try to respond with something that is more helpful.  I’ll give an example below:

Unhelpful Response: “I got a D on this test. It’s the end of the world. I will never succeed in my life or get into law school.”

More Helpful Response: “I got a D on this test. I know this hurts AND it’s not the end of the world. Plenty of successful people have not always gotten a grade they were happy about. Right now, I will take time to be compassionate with myself and when I’m feeling better I can strategize around howI can better prepare for future tests.”


3. Practice self-compassion.

You deserve to be kind to yourself! Beating yourself up for getting a grade you aren’t happy about is not the recipe for success. 

You can also practice being kind to yourself if you are struggling with school-related anxiety. It’s NOT your fault if you are struggling with anxiety. The same way it would not be your fault if you had a broken leg. You deserve to treat yourself with compassion and care when your mind is racing with anxious thoughts.


4. Work to reduce rumination.

Ruminating about school endlessly is like rocking on a rocking chair-it doesn’t actually get you anywhere. I know resisting the urge to ruminate is hard AND it can be so helpful when it comes to managing anxiety symptoms.

You can practice telling yourself, “If and when that happens, I’ll deal with it then,” and, “I trust my future self to handle future problems, it's not helpful to worry about them now.”

Practicing non-engagement responses to ruminative thoughts and trying to bring yourself back to the present moment can also be helpful.


The Bottom Line

Being a student struggling with school-related anxiety and also being in recovery from an eating disorder is a lot! You deserve to be kind to yourself and to seek professional, specialized help from a therapist who is knowledgeable about eating disorder recovery and anxiety.

At The Eating Disorder Center we love working with high school, college, and grad school students. We’d love to help you with both eating disorder recovery and coping with school-related anxiety.

---

Schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation to explore how eating disorder therapy or recovery coaching can help you to find freedom.
​
🌟 Available in MD, VA, DC, PA, NY, FL, and CA for eating disorder therapy
🌍 Offering recovery coaching worldwide

---

The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping children, teens, and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, Pennsylvania, and California. We provide eating disorder and EMDR trauma therapy in Rockville, Maryland and virtually throughout Maryland and Virginia. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com