The Effects of Anxiety in the Classroom
A classroom can be filled with many different types of children. Some children will be studious, engaged, and interactive. Others may be known as the class clowns, disruptive, and may have trouble focusing occasionally. Different ages, family backgrounds, interests, wants, needs, personalities, and more exist. The list goes on and on.
Another addition to a classroom that could happen is anxiety. Similar to the different types of children within a classroom, many different types of anxiety could also present themselves: separation anxiety, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and phobias. No matter the exact type of anxiety, it can present itself differently, especially in a classroom setting.
Difficulty Focusing
When it comes to being unable to focus in a classroom setting, you may immediately think of ADHD. ADHD isn’t always to blame, though. Anxiety can make it hard for students to focus in the classroom as well. If anxiety presents itself in a classroom, a student may appear that they’re daydreaming. In reality, they’re actually thinking about what they’re anxious about.
Acting Out
Anxiety can cause students to behave differently than normal. They may act out by behaving poorly in the classroom. This could look like a tantrum, starting a fight, or not following the rules. Asking repetitive questions could also be a sign of a student feeling worried and wanting to be reassured.
Visiting the Nurse on a Regular Basis
Anxiety presents itself mentally and emotionally, but it can also show physical signs. A student who is showing signs of anxiety may complain of headaches, an upset stomach, and digestive issues. They may even talk about their heart beating faster than normal, being sweaty, having tense muscles, or not being able to breathe. Anxiety can cause a completely healthy and able-bodied person to feel like they’re unraveling from the inside out.
Avoiding Completing Homework
There are many excuses for not doing your homework. Students may blame it on being sick or even say their dog ate it. There may be another reason that a student isn’t turning in their homework. Anxiety may actually be the one to blame. Anxious thoughts can make someone believe they’re not doing the best work they can or that their work isn’t good enough. This can cause students to second-guess themselves while they’re working on homework and may spend so much time rewriting or correcting themselves that they may not have enough time to finish their work.
Refusing to Participate
There are usually a few students in every class that will try to avoid participating in certain activities. It can be easy to feel a little nervous about giving a presentation in front of a group, but anxiety can cause someone to avoid other things as well. Anxiety could cause a student to avoid attending classes like physical education, eating in the cafeteria with their fellow schoolmates, or even trying to avoid participating in group homework or projects.
Next Steps
Anxiety is a normal human emotion. It typically goes away within a few minutes, hours, or within a day. That being said, if you notice that the anxiety you’re facing is starting to creep into your daily life and routine, it’s a good indicator that it may be time to reach out for additional support. One can learn to work with anxiety. With the right support, time, and dedication, you can be on your way to living a fuller life.
Kamini Wood, a certified professional coach, helps people take the courageous steps to identify their limiting beliefs, the reasons for their stagnation or feelings of not enoughness, so they can have what they want professionally and personally to live a fulfilled life.
She is the creator of AuthenticMe® and CEO of Live Joy Your Way, a coaching company helping high performers and overachievers who have seen success through old-rooted, traditional metrics, reestablish their relational self-awareness. Her best-selling book is Om: Life’s Gentle Reminders – for more information visit www.kaminiwood.com
