My anxiety is killing my concentration in college

LegacyUser

When I'm siting in class all I can think of is how anxious I am. I literally can't take in anything the lecture is saying because I'm just overwhelmed by my anxiety.

Should I go to the student doctor about this or are they just for flu's and stuff like that?

I want to go to him but I'm too anxious. I'm probably gonna end up skipping classes just to avoid the anxiety and because they're pointless if I can't concentrate.

Are any of you dealing with this better than I am?

Big Bag of Chips

The student doctor is there for all manner of problems. So of course you should go if you feel you need to.

Can I ask are you generally an anxious person, or is this just new since starting college? It's probably normal enough to be a bit on edge until you settle in. But if it's bothering you to such an extent that you are considering skipping classes because of it, then you need to get it sorted. Sooner rather than later.

Have a chat with the college doctor.

Roisy7

Most colleges have a counsellor and it is free. They are extremely professional and the will help with any issue large or small.

I would advise you to go to them and bypass the GP.

There is some underlying issue here. Are you a first year? Have you been through something traumatic? Have you previously suffered anxiety? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the workload?

As to how other people get through college- you would be surprised. Some of the most confident-seeming people have issues of their own, and counselling services in colleges experience heavy demand.

LegacyUser

I'm actually not a first year but passed previous year just by skipping class and doing the work at home. It's not really possible this year though.

There's never really been a time in life when I wasn't at least a little bit anxious but if I get really anxious I try and go off on my own. When in class the thought of getting up and walking out makes me anxious because it would draw attention to me. So the fear of becoming anxious makes me anxious because I know there is nothing I can do until class is finished.

I'll try and find out about the counselor but the though of going makes me anxious. I know I'm starting to sound ridiculous but every interaction with someone makes me anxious. Even some of my family make me anxious.

Big Bag of Chips

It's not ridiculous at all. And once you go about trying to conquer it, you will more than likely find out there are many many more people going through the same type of thing.

Roisy7

anxiousStudent wrote: »

I'm actually not a first year but passed previous year just by skipping class and doing the work at home. It's not really possible this year though.

There's never really been a time in life when I wasn't at least a little bit anxious but if I get really anxious I try and go off on my own. When in class the thought of getting up and walking out makes me anxious because it would draw attention to me. So the fear of becoming anxious makes me anxious because I know there is nothing I can do until class is finished.

I'll try and find out about the counselor but the though of going makes me anxious. I know I'm starting to sound ridiculous but every interaction with someone makes me anxious. Even some of my family make me anxious.

Going to a counsellor is pretty nerve wracking but in my experience they are usually excellent at putting you at your ease.

Try and look at the counsellor as if you are going to see a doctor. Everytime you feel the tightness in your chest, or whatever, just take a deep breath and tell yourself you're going to the doctor because you have a cold.

You need to do something about this anxiety OP. It's normal to experience anxiety in stressful situations but this is impacting on your everyday life, situations such as interacting with others on an informal basis shouldn't be so stressful.

I'm a strange mixture of introvert and extrovert myself. When I was younger I would hate to go to the shops and stuff by myself, meeting people could be stressful, interacting with the opposite sex was a total nightmare. I was fine around my friends and family. I put it down to bullying when I was younger. I would dread to see a gang of children or teens coming and even now sometimes I feel uneasy around a group of teens, in town or whatever. However, between getting older and so on, I lost these feelings. What did it for me was getting a job in a shop where I was interacting with customers constantly, I learned the Irish banter and slagging a bit better. I was thrown totally in the deep end but it did it for me.

Please, please, get some help, you deserve to live a life free of this anxiety.

blatantrereg

Dont know about other colleges but in UL there is a psychiatrist, and the GPs will refer you to him if necessary. Not necessarily a good idea to skip the doctor and go to the counsellor.

Probably depends on the person. My personal opinion of the counsellor in UL was very negative. His attitude towards me was very antagonistic tbh. Somewhat unnecessary, given I told him my personal situation at the time - which any normal person would have been traumatised by. The psychiatrist struck me as a gentleman on the other hand.

You might consider deferring your year, especially if your anxiety has a tangible and hopefully transient cause. Some colleges are very understanding regarding such matters. I deferred a year in WIT as an undergrad because of a sick family member, and the entire process involved a five minute conversation with the head of department (it was the same for someone else I knew in a different course too).

Roisy7

blatantrereg wrote: »

Dont know about other colleges but in UL there is a psychiatrist, and the GPs will refer you to him if necessary. Not necessarily a good idea to skip the doctor and go to the counsellor.

Probably depends on the person. My personal opinion of the counsellor in UL was very negative. His attitude towards me was very antagonistic tbh. Somewhat unnecessary, given I told him my personal situation at the time - which any normal person would have been traumatised by. The psychiatrist struck me as a gentleman on the other hand.

You might consider deferring your year, especially if your anxiety has a tangible and hopefully transient cause. Some colleges are very understanding regarding such matters. I deferred a year in WIT as an undergrad because of a sick family member, and the entire process involved a five minute conversation with the head of department (it was the same for someone else I knew in a different course too).

Don't want to drag the thread off-topic but I'm a UL alumni too, never knew there was a psychiatrist there. My experiences with the counsellors was nothing but positive, I had Mary McInerney, she's absolutely lovely... Sorry to hear your experience was negative blantantrereg.

The information is all at your fingertips OP, it's all online. Like blatantrereg said, you might be able to defer or come to some arrangement with your lecturers. Most of them are not monsters and can be very sympathetic to any student who is in distress.

CillianL

The most important thing is that you get to the bottom of the problem by addressing the cause of your anxiety, and try to find solutions for the issues that are killing your confidence. Maybe even the action of talking it over with a councillor could be enough to remove the weight of it off your shoulders

Overheal

OP you don't even mention what you're anxious about..

LegacyUser

Hi OP, I think people often underestimate just how big a change going from school education to college education is, and how difficult it can be to adjust. There's also the added perception that at college you should be having the time of your life, but for a lot of people that's just not the case. I enjoyed studying at college, but not the social experience, and there are a lot of people who don't enjoy college. One thing I would say is that if you can put up for the anxiety, you will eventually graduate, and then you'll never have to face college again! if you don't want to anyway. I just met up with a PhD yesterday who told me how she was skipping lectures! Anyway, good luck with it. I would agree with seeing a counsellor as it's good to get your feelings/thoughts out.

LegacyUser

Overheal wrote: »

OP you don't even mention what you're anxious about..

The problem is I don't even know what I'm anxious about I just always am. It's not the transition into college because this isn't my first year and I had it all the way through school.

I still haven't gone to a counselor but I want to soon, not sure what I'll even say to her considering there is nothing for me to be anxious about I just am.

Roisy7

Just tell her what you've told us.

I guarantee it's not the first time she's seen it, and she'll be able to help.

Good luck OP

Sir Pompous Righteousness

OP, anxiety can spiral out of control if you don't get it sorted. I can certainly relate to your situation. I have to repeat a couple of classes from my 3rd year at college because of it; basically I was far too anxious to ask people for help if I had problems with course work and I frequently missed lectures because of my anxiety. My anxiety wasn't just with asking for help though, I find it very difficult to speak to new people without stuttering or going numb. I stay indoors most if the time for fear of being judged by others and I get panic attacks sometimes. I went to a counsellor over the summer and was told I had Social Anxiety Disorder and mild OCD.

I would wholly recommend that you go and get it checked out with your doctor/counsellor OP.