Should I get counselling (think I have anxiety)

[rubyonyx]

I don’t want to rant about everything I’m feeling but basically I’ve been feeling really anxious for a year now and it’s spiked over the last six months. I’m in my last year of school so maybe it’s just exam stress and it’ll go away. But I’ve been considering going to see my school counsellor (who was my teacher last year and has helped when I had a panic attack on camp). Should I do it?

Theres no information from my school on how to contact her, so I’d probably just email?? Does anyone have any tips on writing that email and what counselling is like?

[rubyonyx]

also I won’t list all my worries but I get anxious during math class because the idea of being called on terrifies me, for example. I occasionally do the beyondblue k10 test and have over time gone from 36 to a steady 44.

i don’t know what I’m looking for rn, maybe just some help

[blondguy]

Hello Rubyonyx

Good on you for having the courage to reach out. You are proactive by doing so!

You are going through a rough time in year 12. This is a mega stressful time for anyone to be going through Ruby. You are a amazing person for mentioning the school counselor!

Emailing sounds like an excellent idea Ruby. Please keep in mind that the counselor is there for you and has strict privacy guidelines to follow

Its no different to posting here.....Your privacy is paramount (and your well being of course)

you are not alone and please ask any questions you wish 🙂

my kind thoughts

Paul

[blondguy]

I apologise for the double post Rubyonyx

just a note...its only my opinion as I have had anxiety for a while. Be gentle to yourself and have a talk to your counselor before even thinking you have anxiety

A counselor will only ask you how you have been feeling and whats on your mind and he/she will make you feel better by being understanding and caring about what you are going through

I hope you can post back when you have the time Ruby

Paul

[LarkAscending]

Hey rubyonyx,

I remember that. I'm (not that much) older than you, but I still have that experience in me. A teacher once said that the HSC was the biggest exam I'd ever do.. until the next one, at uni or elsewhere. Or the next challenge we chose to take on. There's so much more to our human experience than our curriculum.

Connection is always a wonderful idea. We tend to get to caught up in our own heads.. inhabiting a relationship of any sort is just great.

🙂

[rubyonyx]

Thanks for your replies

yeah I don’t want to claim anxiety I mostly just put that so people would get where my heads at... that probably doesn’t make sense

i think mostly I’m worried about seeing the counsellor and telling my parents. I know I could do it without telling them but I’d feel like I’m lying to them if I did that. I’d be more nervous lol. I know my mum knows about mental health and mental illnesses run in the family on her side. But she doesn’t seem to understand counselling and sees it as what people do when they’re gonna hurt themselves.

thanks for your advice

[blondguy]

Hi Ruby

Thankyou for posting back 🙂

Its difficult when a parent thinks that counseling is only for people that may hurt themselves.

You have a great attitude Ruby...I hope you have been doing okay

my kind thoughts

Paul

[LavenderTea]

Hey Rybyonyx,

Thanks for posting.

Seeing a counsellor is a great step towards managing how you're feeling. It's also really good that you've been able to identify when you feel most anxious or worried (i.e. in math class) - this is a perfect place to start working from. If your Math teacher is someone you feel like you can talk to, you can perhaps explain to them that you experience a lot of anxiety about the idea of being called on in class, and can ask them if they could avoid doing so, which may help you feel a little bit more comfortable. Either way, it's important to think about why being called out in class might be causing you some anxiety. Often in these situations, individuals begin to think things like "what if I get it wrong, people will think I'm dumb" or "people will laugh at me" - and it's important to address these thoughts, write them down even, and then challenge them. For example, you might ask yourself "If someone else gets a question wrong, do I think they're dumb" or "would I laugh at someone else if they got it wrong". One way in which you can challenge the negative thoughts can be for you to imagine that a friend is experiencing the anxiety, and imagine what you would say to them.

Sometimes it's hard to tell your parents, so it might be a good idea to have a conversation with the counsellor first, and discuss this with them. They might be able to give you some tips on how to have the conversation with your parents, and may also be able to get them into a meeting to help explain what's happening for you.

Hope this helps.

LT.