When you are applying to college, it might seem like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. Where you go to college could potentially determine the type of job you get, the amount of money you make, the types of friends that you make, and the level of happiness that you experience. It's a huge decision, and for people with anxiety, it can be a torturous one. If you have anxiety, here are some tips for keeping it under control while you are applying to colleges in order to make sure that you do the best that you possibly can.

1. Set Deadlines

First, make a calendar that has all of the application deadlines for all of the schools that you are considering. Write it on paper if you can and not on your phone or tablet. Then, in a different color of pen or marker, mark a day a few days before each deadline and set this as your personal application deadline. If you internalize that this is the deadline, you will know that you will be able to finish the applications with plenty of time because you will be finishing them early. This should help quell any irrational worries you have about things going wrong at the last second, because you are giving yourself time for things to go wrong. The extra few days in between your personal deadline and the actual deadline are for problems, such as ACT or SAT not getting your request to send your scores, to occur.

2. Divide Large Applications Into Small Parts

Next, you need to get to work on the applications. Sometimes, anxiety can be so great that you procrastinate doing things that you need to do, resulting in your overall anxiety being higher. To deal with this, all you have to do is make each application seem manageable.

For example, filling out the Common Application can seem like an insurmountable task, but just picking the topic for your essay is much easier. Do that one day. Then, write the opening paragraph and organize what you want the body paragraphs to look like. Then write the body paragraphs. Fill out all of the personal information the following day. If you take each smaller section one day at a time, you'll be done in no time.

3. Talk to Someone In College

Finally, talk to someone in college. They'll be able to help guide you through the process and help you put it in perspective. Many colleges are very similar to each other and getting into your dream school is not the end of the world. There are tons of students who didn't get into their dream schools and had an amazing college experience. Find those students and get their perspective on the issue to help calm yourself down.

For more information, talk to a mental health counselor. To see what support services are available, go to website links or call for an appointment.