Tips for getting help

[AnxiousS]

Hi everyone,

I've decided recently that I need to see someone about my mental health/anxiety. Since starting uni this year I've really struggled (I've posted about it before), and my mental health which has never been perfect has really taken a turn for the worse. I've found myself really struggling with everything and I know trying to finish the next few years is going to be very hard if I keep going this way.

My problem is that I've never really been one to talk about my mental health. The mental health conversation in my family is currently non-existent (and it's not one I really want to have with them). Even in high school I only had one teacher who I could ever talk to (as I said my mental health has never been great) and even then I often held a lot back. Back then, I guess I was always stable enough that I could manage it for the most part on my own but I think I might be a bit past that point now.

So basically my question is whether anyone has any tips or advice to make this easier because right now I'm stuck in a rough place of knowing I need help but not being able to ask

Thanks in advance!

[Croix]

Dear AnxiousS~

I did read your other posts about exam worry (did you pass after all?) and your sister's situation. You have been having a tough time and anxiety is something that realy does need to be addressed, so I'm very glad you have decided to do something about it. Getting the right help was exactly what I needed, and I'm only sorry I left it for so long.

One good thing is you do not need your parent's knowledge or help to get assessed and treated. Even so it can be a pretty daunting thing to try to do. I found not only was it very hard to disclose what has been happening but trying to do so face to face seemed just too hard. I worried I'd muck it up, or forget things, or even chicken out.

Can I suggest you either see the uni student counseling service or a GP and have a long appointment? There hand over a paper which you wrote well beforehand. I used point form and took a couple of days, so I'd have time to make alterations and add things until I had an accurate and complete account of what had been happening to me. I've done it more than once and it's been good, the doctors appreciated it too.

From then on it was easier as I just had to answer questions and clarify what I'd written.

You can take things a step at a time, getting medical help being the essential first action, then deciding what to say to your family later on.

Does all this sound possible?

Croix