Hi Schoolblues,
I can tell from your post that you have anxiety. I strongly
urge you to go to a doctor (GP). It’s important that you talk to someone about
how you’re feeling and what you’re experiencing. Are your parents aware of
everything that’s going on? When I was in my teens and had severe anxiety, my
parents were a great help. I was also very stressed in Year 12, and my grades
reflected this. I ended up getting a decent enough TER score at the end of Year
12, but I knew I didn’t reach my potential. If you don’t need a high entrance
score to get into your course at university, then this will hopefully slightly
reduce the pressure. However, I know how important it is to do your best.
As well as seeing a GP; talking to a school counsellor or a
trusted teacher about what’s going on is a good idea. This way, you may also be
given some extra allowances if you need them. I was able to sit my final Year
12 exams separately due to anxiety. I personally felt this wasn’t absolutely
essential for me, but appreciated the consideration.
What helps me sometimes is typing or writing down my
thoughts when I am overwhelmed or stressed. Don’t worry about expression or
grammar; just write or type stream-of consciousness style! I delete what I have
typed afterwards, as I feel all the thoughts are then “gone”. Of course they’re
not really gone, but expressing them does seem to help.
I am studying psychology at uni, and
remember reading last year about a study (experiment) where undergrad students
were instructed to write down their issues and dilemmas for 20 minutes daily. There
was a control group who were only told to write down what they did during the
day, rather than reflecting and writing down issues and conflicts. This was
done for many weeks. It was found that the students who did reflective writing
got, on average, higher GPA’s than did the control group. This shows that expressing
emotions is very important for optimum academic performance. So when you feel stressed,
angry, or overwhelmed, feel free to just write out your thoughts and worries 🙂
Your GP may recommend medication to help, but this is
ultimately your choice.
Good luck with the rest of your studies. I hope you are able
to feel a bit better soon.
Best wishes,
SM
