Colleges overwhelming
So right now I'm living at home and taking college classes at a 2 yr college thats 5 minutes from my house, and after next year I will move on to a real college hopefully. The problem is....I don't know how I'm going to go live on my own, live with a roommate who wouldn't understand about my anxiety. I've been looking at colleges online and they're all so big, I just get so overwhelmed. Also I get really anxious walking around places, because I get out of breath when I'm really anxious, and walking just makes it worse. There are just so many people living all together at a college, I think I would have a nervous breakdown. Too many people around all the time, idk. Any advice or anyone had experiences that they went to college and lived on the dorms with anxiety and were fine? I still have a year to get my anxiety better, but I just hope I will have it gone by then....and I wouldn't want it to get worse at college and then be in a bad situation.
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Guest
Hi Lizikins-
I'm sorry that you are having a hard time.
I did go to college while I was anxious and that was light years ago, so I didn't know about anxiety and how I could help myself. And I made it just fine.
What I would say is:
1. WOW- you are doing college level work now. So that will not be a big shocker next year.
2. Are you doing the StressCenter.com program or something like it? Then you will be practicing your relaxation and breathing. That should help your anxiety while walking around. I also like the book "Freedom from Fear by Dr. Howard Leibgold". Very practical.
3. When you are looking at colleges online, they are going to tell you how great they are, etc. and show off their programs. What you are not seeing is that the colleges are made up of individual people. You won't be all over the college at the same time, and won't be around all those people at the same time. It's not a constant huge football game type crowd. It's people in a classroom- just like you are experiencing now.
4. Don't put pressure on yourself to have the anxiety be "gone" by next year. Work on your anxiety, work on your college classes, work on picking the next college you are going to transfer to. It's a day by day thing. I'm thinking that if you give yourself a deadline of having to be "cured" or "perfect" by a certain time then that will cause even more anxiety. Do the things that you want to do in your life. Anxious feelings will probably come with you, but put them in their proper place and perspective. They are uncomfortable and sometimes rear their ugly head a bit more than we would like, but you can study, have fun, work and live with anxiety. You are doing it now. It is no different for next year. One day real soon, with consistent practice, you will notice that things don't bother you as much as they used to, and the anxiety will fade away.
I hope this gives some new things to think about.
Terri
I'm sorry that you are having a hard time.
I did go to college while I was anxious and that was light years ago, so I didn't know about anxiety and how I could help myself. And I made it just fine.
What I would say is:
1. WOW- you are doing college level work now. So that will not be a big shocker next year.
2. Are you doing the StressCenter.com program or something like it? Then you will be practicing your relaxation and breathing. That should help your anxiety while walking around. I also like the book "Freedom from Fear by Dr. Howard Leibgold". Very practical.
3. When you are looking at colleges online, they are going to tell you how great they are, etc. and show off their programs. What you are not seeing is that the colleges are made up of individual people. You won't be all over the college at the same time, and won't be around all those people at the same time. It's not a constant huge football game type crowd. It's people in a classroom- just like you are experiencing now.
4. Don't put pressure on yourself to have the anxiety be "gone" by next year. Work on your anxiety, work on your college classes, work on picking the next college you are going to transfer to. It's a day by day thing. I'm thinking that if you give yourself a deadline of having to be "cured" or "perfect" by a certain time then that will cause even more anxiety. Do the things that you want to do in your life. Anxious feelings will probably come with you, but put them in their proper place and perspective. They are uncomfortable and sometimes rear their ugly head a bit more than we would like, but you can study, have fun, work and live with anxiety. You are doing it now. It is no different for next year. One day real soon, with consistent practice, you will notice that things don't bother you as much as they used to, and the anxiety will fade away.
I hope this gives some new things to think about.
Terri