Functioning in university and work with anxiety

[PLUMJUICE]

Hello!

I'm currently enrolled at university full time and I'm wondering how to deal with anxiety during tutorials and lectures? Certain settings will trigger off my anxiety and especially certain classes. Sometimes, my head get's so blurry that I can't concentrate which is pretty troublesome especially since I have come there to learn. I also see how it effects how I interact with students. Because I feel so anxious I can't relax and I become brash and off-standish in my responses. I feel like this isolates myself further from people, and I moved recently so I don't have any friends so it sucks. I also tend to twitch, which is kind of embarrassing. I don't know how to deal with this.. Is it just something I have to suffer through and carry on with long term treatment?.. Also what treatments work best for anxiety? Sometimes I'm scared that I'll never reach my potential due to my anxiety.

Thanks.. 🙂

[MsPurple]

Hi PLUMJUICE

Sorry to hear you are struggling with anxiety at uni. I know the feeling because I had a similar situation at uni myself. Have you talked to your GP about your anxiety? I went to headspace when I was at uni because I felt more comfortable going to a youth mental health service then going through a GP and finding support that way. I had a team of a GP (from headspace), a mental health nurse and a psychiatrist. There they helped me receive treatment. I got come CBT, counselling and medication (on the forums we are not allowed to discuss specifics on medication because it is a medical issue and should be discussed with by a doctor). Now there are other services and youth centres to go to if you want to go down that route or you can get support from your own doctor. There are many options, some links can be found on beyond blue. Something I wasn't told until my last year of uni was disability services. I registered for that in my final year. They can help you as they offer you support throughout university. They can help you with a personalised achedemic plan. I would consult your university about this service and they can help you out from there. You are eligible to register if you have a mental illness, but they may ask a physician to sign some paper work before being about to fully register. Give them a call, they are really supportive.

My mental health nurse also suggested meditation as well because it helps you with mindfullness and helps you with breathing. I sometimes do it before bed to help my mind stop racing. It might be beneficial doing it between classes (go to a quiet place, maybe on the lawn).

As for what is the best treatment for anxiety, it is different for everyone. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Although I still have GAD I can now manage it. When I was really struggling I might have had one good day week, now I may have one bad day a week and that bad day is half as bad as it used to be. Anxiety can make make you feel like everything can get worse and that the fear of your anxiety getting worse can make it worse, it is a cycle. If possible try not think about how worse it can get, but instead distract yourself with a book or meditate. Sometimes you just need a breather to forget about anxiety.

Hope some of this helps 🙂

[BballJ]

Hi Plumjuice,

Firstly apologies for the delay in getting a response to your post, they can get a little lost in the forums, i always try to seek out threads with little responses, I came across yours and was glad to see MsPurple had given you some great advice.

Just to mimic it a little, have you seen a GP regarding this anxiety? it is not easy when you have moved and dont have friends yet, a good support network can make everything easier, i am sure they will come... are you more anxious about failing the class or getting things wrong or just overwhelmed with being in certain classes?

My best for you.

Jay

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi PLUMJUICE,

Thank you for posting!

Theres been some great responses here already.

Highly recommend you check out the young people forum link below as there are many posts and responses for people in uni dealing with anxiety -

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/young-people

As for your questions I'll answer them below 🙂

Is it just something I have to suffer through and carry on with long term treatment?..

Anxiety is not something that we have to constantly suffer through. It is not a permanent condition. Often once we find the right techniques that work for us over time it gets easier and easier to handle.

The time of treatment also varies from person to person. Some people may find that a couple of sessions with a psychologist is hugely beneficial; where as others find more self-help methods like relaxation, meditation and mindfulness end up being helpful. People also experience anxiety in different ways - some people find that they can notice when their anxiety is coming on where as others feel like it 'hits them in the face'. The more you can learn about your anxiety the better you can be equipped to deal with it.

Also what treatments work best for anxiety? Sometimes I'm scared that I'll never reach my potential due to my anxiety.

There are so many different types of therapies and treatments that can be helpful for anxiety.

Can I ask what you've tried already? How does anxiety present for you? What do you notice about your breathing; your heart rate? Knowing what sort of things you've tried and liked/disliked already can help us not bombard you with things that aren't relevant.

As for reaching potential - there is absolutely no reason why anxiety can stop you from doing so. Being able to reach out and learn techniques can help.

Oh, and this might help - look at all these fabulous people who came and conquered despite their anxiety. Win win - https://www.buzzfeed.com/maggyvaneijk/it-aint-about-the-ass-its-about-the-brain?utm_term=.nvP5bbD1d#.ffPB99WGO