Someone-who-sleeps,
Thank you for opening up to us here, welcome to the forums. I'm sorry to hear that you've been having difficulty coping.
Have you had a chat to a uni counsellor at all? Sometimes this can be a good starting point if you're looking to seek some professional support but not quite sure how to do that or if it's not been possible for you at this stage. In the meantime, if you'd feel comfortable reaching out to a friend, family member, peer, or loved one about how you're feeling, insights from those close to you can also often help.
How do you generally keep track of assignments? Do you have a schedule or a planner at all? This can be a good way to keep track of what you've already done and what you still have left to do. Alternatively, if this feels too overwhelming, start a checklist of everything you've already done instead. Rather than writing up a list of all the things you have to do, it can help to only write things down after you've finished them, as it gives you that little sense of satisfaction, achievement, and boost of motivation when you're tackling the next task. Either way, take it day by day, and tackle one thing at a time.
Anxiety can be really awful and so intrusive. Have you ever been into anything like meditation or relaxation? Even ASMR or relaxing YouTube videos can help calm some of that anxiety if you're in a place where you're able to put in some headphones and sit down for a bit. Often this is unrealistic, so quick grounding techniques can help (e.g. recognising five things you see, four things you hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste).
Journaling is another thing that helps ease my most anxious thoughts. For me, it helps to be able to visualise what I'm thinking, or to write it all out in a way that I can better understand and process. Anxiety can muddy our thoughts, so any way we can make them clearer can make a big difference.
If you're quite worried about your grades, would you feel comfortable chatting to a university tutor or course coordinator about how you've been feeling? Generally, there are accommodations, exceptions, and extensions that can be put into place to support you, and your teachers are the best port of call to make these happen.
I really hope this helps, from a fellow university student who also experience unhelpful amounts of anxiety. Please feel free to chat more with us if you'd like, we're here for you.
All the best, SB
