The ISA JournalAlumni Perspectives: Navigating Anxiety During Your Study Abroad Journey

Fatima Elmokaddem is an ISA Madrid alumna and Global Ambassador at Arizona State University. In this blog, she discusses fears and anxieties that she had about studying abroad, while providing some useful tips for managing and overcoming these difficult feelings.

Having returned recently from a summer semester studying in Madrid with ISA, I’ve been spending some time reflecting on my experience. Comparing the fears I had before setting off with how I feel now that I’m back home, I realize how much I’ve learned about myself and about facing things that seemed so scary and unattainable before.

As someone who struggled with anxiety for most of my life, this was definitely outside of my comfort zone. Traveling abroad alone, and having to assimilate in a different culture while attending university definitely gave me some new challenges, but also many opportunities to learn and grow as a person. If you are someone like me, I want to describe my experience studying abroad in Madrid, Spain with ISA and share some tips on how to overcome those fears.

Talk it out

The time spent preparing and planning was probably the worst I felt in terms of being anxious. Before taking off for the actual trip, my head was swimming with thoughts, a majority of them starting with “what-if.”

The best thing you can do if you find yourself in a similar situation, in my opinion, is to communicate these thoughts out to people you trust. I recommend sharing your worries with friends, family, or even a therapist. They can bring a voice of reason when you are caught up creating scenarios in your head and trying to predict the future.

After all, none of the scenarios I created were ever accurate.

I remember one of my created scenarios that I couldn’t quite stop thinking about was imagining myself in Madrid getting lost and not having anywhere to go to, and no one to ask for help. The fears were telling me I was alone and would not be able to make it back to my residencía, but when I brought this up with my friends, they gave me a more logical solution: just ask locals for help!

I ended up losing my way twice during my stay. The first time, I spotted a classmate and he was kind enough to walk me to the school after I had taken the wrong turn. The second time, I went exploring for souvenirs and I had lost access to Google Maps as my phone had died. I explained my situation to a local, and she kindly showed me the route back to my residencia.

The lesson behind this is that often, we make the worst scenarios in response to our fear of the unknown, and tend to think of solutions that aren’t very rational. When it came down to the actual problem, things turned out completely different than I had imagined initially.

That’s why it is important to talk about your worries with others. It gives you the ability to see what’s troubling you from different perspectives and challenge these fears to eventually overcome them.

You are never alone in this!

Upon arrival, I remember being immensely overwhelmed at first with all the new activities that started off straight away: orientation with ISA, figuring out where my classes were, trying to understand the public transport system, making friends, etc. etc.

I remember being so nervous that first day I met with everyone for orientation. I was even debating closing myself up in my room and skipping the very first meeting – but I am so thankful I didn’t. Meeting with the other students was immensely eye-opening.

We all met together at the same metro stop, each of us anxiously waiting for the orientation to begin. In the meantime, we started to chat with each other about how our initial experiences were going. This is where I realized just how anxious we all were. I felt a rush of relief speaking to everyone, and realizing that all of the other ISA students were trying to figure out the same exact things I was, and we ended up doing a lot of it together.

I had been worried I’d be all alone in this, but you’re really never alone when you study abroad. You will have the support of the ISA staff (who are always available for help), fellow ISA students and friends made along the way, as well as staff at the university. I felt more confident in taking more control of my study abroad experience when I found out I had such a solid support system.

Find comfort in routine

Believe me when I say time will fly by. Every day is a new experience. You will almost feel like a child experiencing the world again for the first time. With that in mind, my daily life in Madrid, although filled with new experiences, became kind of a routine with occasional fun activities planned here and there.

It’s easier to break down everything you want to do while you study abroad, and space things out over the length of your trip. Having a set daily routine, like school, homework, dinner, for example, gave comfort in knowing each day would be stable. On the occasions where I was feeling more adventurous, I included time to go out as well and explore.

I remember a particular day early into my trip where I had planned everything out. I would just go to class, finish my assignments in one of the lobbies, and go straight back home to prepare for the next day and catch up with family on the phone. After all, it was my second week abroad, so I wanted to take things easy. However, after class, I was feeling adventurous and decided to make a detour to the Temple of Debod to watch the sunset, as it was already pretty late. I ended up making some friends with some travelers I met, and in the end I was really glad I had planned my routine to be open. If I had ended up feeling particularly anxious that day, I could have gone home to destress. If I was feeling more confident, like I had in that moment, I also had time to sightsee and explore Madrid.

It’s so important to pace yourself and follow your own flow with your routine. Going overseas for the first time can be scary because there are so many unknowns. What helped me tremendously was being able to find comfort in my routine. I had control over most of the aspects of my daily life, and knowing I had control over most of my daily activities gave me less things to worry about.

Conclusion

Studying abroad will probably be one of the biggest and impactful memories you have during your time at university. You will learn so many valuable skills, even outside of your academic studies. I certainly remember all the times I felt worried while I was overseas, but the positive memories and the friends I made significantly outweigh those moments of anxiousness.

Studying in Madrid taught me the power of a balanced routine. Finding comfort in my daily habits allowed me to navigate anxiety, while leaving room for spontaneous adventures enriched my experience beyond measure. This approach has become a valuable tool in my life, helping me embrace new experiences with a sense of stability and excitement. Studying abroad will push you out of your comfort zone, but it is within these challenges that you’ll find the greatest growth.

If it’s your dream and goal to study abroad, don’t hold yourself back. It can be scary to challenge your fears and experience new things for the first time, but in the end, you will be proud of yourself and all the hurdles you overcame.

Curious to hear more from ISA Alumni? Read more Spain blogs or explore other alumni posts.