College and Anxiety

[MonkeyGirl18]

The two don't mix AT ALL!

And the problem is, anxiety can cause people, in relation to their education, to give up and think that they can't do anything right. At least that is true for me.

I don't fail because I can't do the work, I know I can.

I fail because I don't know how to handle the anxiety.

There's a point where you need to stop and realize that it will only get worse if you don't get the help you need.




I wish I thought of it sooner. It may sound like I'm making excuses and maybe I am, but seeing as how I've had anxiety attacks recently, I know that it isn't going to just go away and get better on its own.





What are ya's thoughts? Sorry if this seems a bit messy, writing this on my phone and am not bothering to try to read over it. Just saying what's on my mind.

[Kitalpha Hart]

I had to get mine medicated
Course now there's trouble with the refills and my I HATE TALKING ON PHONES thing, which existed long before anxiety spiked, kinda keeps that from happening
Tho my anxiety is for my summer job
Which I've done for several years
I don't get it

[galled]

What helps me is trying to keep perspective on things. For example, school isn't *that* big of a deal. Yes, it's important, but it's not life or death. You can take classes over again if you fail. Everyone wants you to pass. Your teachers want you to pass.

The same could be said for most things in our lives. In the grand scheme of things, most of the things we doin our daily lives just isn't that earth shatteringly important. In fact, driving, which you've mastered enough to be legally on the road is perhaps one of the most consequential things that you do (it is life or death--and could ruin your life if you do something stupid), but you handle that well!

I realize that irrational anxiety is probably what we're talking about and there's no simple solution--well, there's a simple solution, but getting there is hard. Perhaps look at how you handle real things that trigger rational anxiety and that may help.

For example, I am an CFII (flight instructor who can teach pilots to get their instrument rating--although I'm not actively doing that now, I still keep my certificate current) and that's one of the most inherently dangerous things I do/have done in my life. Literally life or death. A thousand things can go wrong and kill you. The weather can kill you. It would be unnatural to not have anxiety. In aviation circles we call it risk management, but the thing that helps/solution is to concentrate on the things that minimize the risk/danger/anxiety rather than the the thing that causes the anxiety. It's a subtle difference, but it makes all of the difference.

Hope this helps.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

keeping organized reduces the stress because then you can be prepared - last minute trying to get stuff done puts us into panic mode and the anxiety becomes unbearable. Getting stuff done ahead of time allows for the freedom to make changes if necessary and not be stressing if changes have to be made and having to explain why you don't have enough time.

That said, it is easier to recognize then to do.