When Coming Home From College Triggers Old Anxiety

Many students tell me:

“I was doing okay at school… and then I came home and my anxiety spiked.”

That’s not random.

Why Anxiety Can Increase at Home

• Family dynamics activate old nervous system patterns

• You shift from independence → dependency

• You feel watched again

• Privacy changes

• Past emotional wounds resurface

  
  

Your nervous system remembers everything.

What Helps Stabilize Anxiety

• Create a predictable daily routine

• Schedule alone time

• Spend time outside the house

• Limit oversharing if conversations feel overwhelming

• Use grounding tools: walks, breathwork, movement

When to Get Support

If you feel:

• emotionally flooded

• stuck in old patterns

• reactive or numb

• hopeless

That’s a signal for support — not self-blame.

👉 If anxiety returned when you came home, that’s something we can work through together.

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