Workshop for graduate students: Learning how to control anxiety

Feeling that familiar pit in your stomach, mind racing and worry taking over? It must be that time of the year when school ramps up and assignments start piling up like a game of Jenga. 

To help graduate students navigate such stressful situations, the Office of Student Life organized a workshop on April 11 titled “Processing Anxious Moments.”

The event featured Taylor Murray, a graduate student and guest speaker who shared valuable insights and strategies to cope with anxiety.

Murray is a second-year graduate counseling student and LU Shepherd. She grew up in Japan before moving to the United States to attend Liberty. Drawing from her new book, “Stop Saying I’m Fine,” she detailed her struggle with anxiety throughout her life, and during the workshop, she shared her experiences and the strategies that helped her overcome it. 

Her vulnerability and honesty created a safe and supportive space for participants to confront their own experiences with anxiety.

“Anxiety is a really prevalent issue, especially in our generation,” Murray said. “We go to school and learn about the solar system and algebra, but we don’t really learn how to process emotions in a healthy way. So, creating (an event) just like this where we can come in (and) identify and process our anxiety is such a privilege.”

The workshop provided dinner and coffee, which allowed participants to relax and feel comfortable while engaging in the discussion. 

The Office of Student Life also had a raffle at the end of the event for an Amazon gift card, which added a fun element to the workshop.

“Everybody has anxious moments at times, and it’s important to learn how to process it, cut it and deal with it,” graduate student David Oh said. “Emotional health is something that you can’t push aside or ignore. I think it’s important to get in touch with your emotional state and learn to process your feelings.”

One of the key takeaways from the workshop was the importance of self-care and confronting personal anxiety. 

Murray emphasized four different techniques to combat and control anxiety: pause and notice, attune and shift, ask and reflect and lastly, breathe and be. 

Murray walked through each one of the steps and gave advice for how to approach anxious situations.

Another important theme was the power of vulnerability and connection. Murray shared that opening up about her struggles with anxiety was a turning point in her recovery, as it allowed her to connect and receive the support and encouragement she needed.

“We’re looking to develop our graduate student(s) for life outside of grad school and specifically mentally, socially and to train them as leaders,” Associate Director of Graduate Life Eli Stewart said. “There is a whole community wanting to help (students) out. These people are here to help every student be successful in whatever it is they do.”

This was the last of three workshops done by Student Life for graduate students this semester. 

For more information on these workshops and events done by Student Life, visit their website.

Billingsley is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion