Skip to main content
Logo image

Sound Writing

Subsection 4.4.2 Managing Anxiety

List 4.4.2. Strategies for Managing Paper-Writing Anxiety
  • Broaden your scope of focus.
    You will survive writing this paper. Although grades, improvement, and learning are important, your worth as a human being and as a student does not revolve around one college assignment.
  • Use your resources.
    You go to a great school with great resources for students. Try going to your professor’s office hours, making an appointment at the tutoring center, or visiting a librarian
  • Remember what interests you about your topic.
    Whether your paper is due for your favorite or least favorite class, you can always find a way to invest yourself in your topic. Focusing on the interesting parts of the topic itself may help you focus less on the stress of writing a paper and more on the intellectual conversation in which you, a scholar in training, are participating.
  • Take a break.
    Breathe for a few minutes. Go for a walk, do some yoga, call someone, or watch a funny video on YouTube.
Using your resources is important, and your professors really do want to talk to you! Watch this video for University of Puget Sound professor perspectives on asking for help.