Situational Anxiety in Young Adults: Symptoms, Causes, and How to Cope

Situational anxiety is just what it sounds like—anxiety triggered by a specific situation. It’s why your stomach might be tied in knots on your first day of college or a new job. Or why your heart races on a first date. You can even experience situational anxiety related to a presidential election. 

Just about everyone goes through these temporary flutters and agitation at some point, although some of us may be more prone to them. However, situational anxiety can cause intense stress, and it may be a sign of an underlying anxiety disorder. Therefore, it’s important to know what it means and learn how to manage it.

Key Takeaways

• Situational anxiety is a type of anxiety that occurs when you’re in a new or stressful situation.
• Public speaking, flying, job interviews, first dates, exams, and medical appointments can all cause situational anxiety.
• Symptoms of situational anxiety can range from sweating and shaking to headaches and nausea.
• Relaxation techniques, positive self-talk, and adequate preparation before anxiety-provoking events can reduce situational anxiety symptoms.

What Is Situational Anxiety?

Situational anxiety is a feeling of intense fear that occurs in response to new, unfamiliar, or stressful situations. Even when the situation isn’t really dangerous, you perceive it that way. Because you feel threatened, the body’s fight-or-flight response kicks in. Your heart might beat faster, your breathing might become shallower, and your palms might get sweaty. 

Sometimes situational anxiety can help keep you focused and motivated. Other times, it can interfere with your ability to function optimally. Unlike generalized anxiety disorder, it’s not recognized as a condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). But that doesn’t mean it’s not distressing when it occurs.

What’s the Difference Between Situational Anxiety and Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

Generalized anxiety disorder is less common than situational anxiety. However, it’s still the most common mental health issue in the United States. Different forms of generalized anxiety disorder include panic disorders, phobias, social anxiety disorder, and separation anxiety.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, over 40 million American adults suffer from an anxiety disorder, and young adults are especially at risk. A Harvard University survey found that 36 percent of young adults who responded to the survey experienced anxiety. 

Generalized Anxiety Disorder vs. Situational Anxiety

What Causes Situational Anxiety?

In general, new, changing, or uncomfortable situations cause situational anxiety. When you’re in unknown situations and don’t know what to expect, you’re more likely to feel anxious and nervous. And situational anxiety isn’t always an overreaction. For example, during the height of the COVID pandemic, many people experienced situational anxiety in public places due to the risk of infection.

Past negative experiences can also contribute to situational anxiety. If you’ve had a bad experience flying, for example, you might be more apt to feel anxiety the next time you travel by plane. And if you already suffer from an anxiety disorder, you’re more susceptible to situational anxiety. Other factors that can cause situational anxiety include hormonal imbalances, brain chemistry, genetics (such as a family history of anxiety), past trauma, and environmental influences. 

Symptoms of Situational Anxiety

Situational anxiety activates the stress response. This response (also called the “fight-flight freeze” response) causes your body to prepare itself for a threat. Too much anxiety can produce a range of emotional, mental, and physical symptoms that cause discomfort and make it hard to function, such as:

• Nervousness
• Agitation
• Irritability
• Ruminating thoughts
• Difficulty concentrating
• Rapid heartbeat
• Sweating
• Trembling or shaking
• Nausea, diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Dry mouth
• Headache
• Insomnia
• Muscle aches or tension
• Racing thoughts
• Hyper-alertness

How to Cope with Situational Anxiety

While situational anxiety can be upsetting and interfere with productivity, there are various coping strategies you can turn to for immediate relief. Here are a few tips for handling this specific form of anxiety.

Identify Your Triggers

Managing situational anxiety is much harder if you don’t know what triggers it. The first step is to identify those situations that cause you worry uncontrollably. Think about events or situations in the past that caused your stomach to clench or your throat to constrict. When you know your triggers, you can devise a plan to help you feel more at ease the next time an anxiety-provoking situation arises.

Prepare Yourself

When you’re adequately prepared, you’re less likely to feel anxious. If a tough exam is coming up, devote extra time to studying. Should you have an upcoming presentation, practice it several times in front of a mirror or for a close friend. If you’re going on a first date, choose a familiar meeting place so you feel more comfortable. Preparation can help reduce your jitters so you can be your best.

Ditch Unhealthy Coping Skills

Coping with situational anxiety requires that you assess the way you typically respond to it. Some people avoid the anxiety-provoking situation altogether, which can intensify the anxiety over time. Others use drugs, drink to excess, gamble, shop impulsively, engage in risky sex, or isolate. While these strategies might temporarily reduce anxiety, they can lead to more significant problems. Identify your unhealthy coping strategies and then commit to ditching them. There are healthier ways of dealing with your emotions.

Face Your Fears, Gently

Rather than avoid distressing situations altogether, gradually and repeatedly expose yourself to the thing that makes you anxious.  When a situation feels more commonplace, it’s less frightening. To begin, you might simply think about what makes you anxious. If it’s the ocean, begin visualizing yourself there. Then head to the beach and put your feet in the water. Later, get your legs wet, your torso, and eventually go deeper. Placing yourself in situations that make you anxious can lessen their impact. 

Gather Information

Sometimes it’s fear of the unknown that sparks situational anxiety. In that case, research helps. Before engaging in an anxiety-provoking activity, look into where you’re going to be or who you’re going to meet. Gather as many details as you can about what will happen in the situation. When you’re armed with information, it’s easier to relax.  

Give Yourself a Pep Talk

So often, what we fear is more frightening in our minds than in reality. When you imagine yourself in worst-case scenarios, your anxiety will escalate. Try noticing the negative thoughts and shifting to more positive ones. Take a breath and tell yourself:

• I’m going to be okay.
• I am more capable than I realize.
• Whatever happens, I can manage.
• This is just a feeling, and feelings pass.

Practice Relaxation

It’s easy to give into worry and upset if you don’t have any tools to combat them. Engaging in deep breathing, meditation, or visualization can help quell anxiety when it flares up. Progressive muscle relaxation is another self-care practice. To do this, gradually tighten and then relax different muscle groups in the body. This practice helps you move from fight-or-flight into the relaxation response.

Young Adult Anxiety Treatment at Newport Institute

At Newport Institute, we understand the stressors of young adulthood and the situational anxiety they can provoke. We help young adults address a wide variety of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety, OCD, phobias, and social anxiety. In addition, we treat depression, PTSD, and other mental health conditions.

Our clinical model provides the tools young adults need to enhance their well-being over the long term. Each client’s tailored treatment plan includes medical and psychiatric care, clinical and experiential therapeutic modalities, and support to develop essential life skills. Our young adults learn healthy coping mechanisms and heal longstanding emotional wounds. 

Our treatment programs help young people meet the challenges of adulthood with greater ease and a sense of hope. Contact us today to find out more about our nationwide locations and our specialized programming.

Frequently Asked Questions