anxiety through the roof

[lennon86]

i started uni monday, and was sat in my first lecture, when i think i had a panic attack. everything seemed ok. abit nervous, nothing more. then i just started to feel really anxious about everything, the class, the course, the people i was sat with. the blood rushed to my head and i felt quite dizzy. my chest felt slightly tight but nothing major. i really just wanted to get out of there. so after that lecture i came back to my flat, and i havent been back since. now i get that same feeling whenever i think about going back. i keep telling people, and myself, that ill go properly after this week. since this is a welcome week and most of the lectures are just introductional. ive got my timetables, i know my groups, i know the buildings to go to, i know everything i need to. im just really worried that im gonna get worse and end up not going next week.

:(

[trickyvicky]

I am quite a bit older than you as I was at uni a long time ago! I think you should continue going to your lectures as University opens up so many doors for you and is really good for your social life and confidence. I was lucky I think as I met a group of people who all felt quite nervous and open and honest and we spoke about alot of things and offered each other alot of support from quite early on but I do think that was quite unusual. Maybe it's a good time to go to a student counsellor and talk about this or go to the doctor and ask if there is any organisation or service who can help with the panic? I realise now that I always had a little trouble with anxiety, even at university but never really addressed it and now I'm trying to sort things out properly once and for all. Uni can be fun and being around new people can be exciting and interesting but maybe you just need a little help coping with the change? I go to a charity organisation once a week and do confidence building, positive thinking and managing stress courses which have made such a difference and have a counsellor attached to the GP who is working with me on panic/anxiety and it's working really well and it's great to have support that I didn't know existed. You could talk to someone you know at uni and tell them that things are difficult maybe, you can be surprised how supportive people can be at times, I know I have been. Good luck, hang in there. Anxiety and panic is just a response to a situation really, it may feel horrible but it can be overcome with time and effort. Hope you are ok.

trickyvicky

[Lion King]

Hi Lennon,

I can understand what you are going thru, I have been there and I used to avoid situations, this only prolongs the anxiety. Stay with the situation and learn relaxation and breathing techniques, nothing bad will happen, each time you get into the situation/lectures try not to think about how you feel and focus your attention outwardly as a distraction from your anxiety. Allow yourself to become comfortable by not overly participating, just get relaxed and speak when you feel most at ease! If this problem does persist I would suggest seeing your gp and try some form of meditation, either way will help, but remember it is your mind making a big deal out of every situation, just take a step out from these thoughts and take a look from an outside perspective and put a positive spin on what you deem as difficult situations.

All the Best

LK