I realized that eating, exercising, and sleeping well made me less irritable and better able to control my emotions.

When Rahm Patel started attending the University of West Florida, he expected to have a lot of fun. However, when he received the syllabus for each of his courses during the first week of classes, he could tell he was going to have to work hard. “To make more study time, I cut back on going to the gym each week,” he explained. “And I started skipping lunch to save time and ate snacks from vending machines between classes instead.” He also found himself sleeping less and eating more junk food.

Rahm was particularly stressed out and anxious about a class presentation he had been working on for his psychology class. He e-mailed his instructor and asked for an extension, which she granted. The day for the presentation came, and Rahm was really nervous. He felt flushed and his voice was shaking. After delivering the speech, Rahm was upset about his performance. He knew he hadn’t done well, but he was especially upset about the critique from the instructor. After class, he skipped dinner and went back to his residence hall room. He reviewed his syllabus and saw that this presentation was the first of three that he was required to give during the term. He hardly slept at all and finally decided that he would just drop the class. He could take a psychology class later, hopefully from an instructor who didn’t require oral presentations.

The next day he went to the instructor’s office to let her know his decision. His face was beet red, and it was all he could do to keep from crying. His instructor, Dr. Wilson, told him, “Lots of people are afraid of public speaking, and their stress causes them to perform poorly. But please keep in mind that the goal of my class is to help you get better.” She encouraged Rahm to stay in the class, and she promised that she would help him.

“I was really embarrassed,” Rahm admitted, “but Dr. Wilson convinced me that I couldn’t escape public speaking for the rest of my life, and I needed to learn how to control my anxiety.” Dr. Wilson helped Rahm make an appointment at the counseling center. He was surprised to learn that dealing with anxiety starts with eating, exercising, and sleeping well. His sessions with the counselor helped Rahm understand that his fear was common and that through preparation and practice, he could, over time, become more comfortable speaking before a class or even a larger group. He also learned about resilience—his ability to bounce back when things don’t go well.