Struggling mentally at university

[Matthew1233]

Okay so this post will be long and a bit confusing but please bear with me.

So I am first year in university and I am struggling quite bad with mental issues.
I am living away at home about half an hour down the road with some friends. Trouble is i'm quite anxious and homesick. Every Wednesday I go back home and I just can't wait for the weekend til I go back. I usually just in my room doing work or noting productive most of the time while the rest of the people in my house go out. I'm a worrier and emotional person in general. I cry almost every Monday when I go back to my rented home and just want to go back to my real home. I have been feeling this for a few weeks now but it's sort of building up and it's coming out now.

Also, the people I'm living with are my friends but aren't super close friends and I find myself being picked on and made fun off by the rest of them. While they are only joking, I sometimes take it personal and wonder if they don't like me. They also ask me why I go home on a Wednesday, I just think of some silly excuse rather than telling them it's because i'm homesick. My friends who I was close to in school have all gone to other universities far away.

Should I talk to my family about this, I'd feel a bit embarrassed doing so. They do know I am a very anxious person- but they don't know anything about what I've described above. I've gotten to the point where I'm just super worried and homesick and I can't help it. I am on antidepressants.

Thanks

[.Poppy.]

Hi Matthew.

I'm 26 years old and I know EXACTLY how you feel. I entered college at 19, lived in the dorms with my best friend, and still went home every single weekend (I lived a similar distance from home). It was just a nice break - I got to see my dogs, got to see my family, etc. I also wasn't a big partier and that's what my friends did on the weekends, so there wasn't really a reason for me to be there. In addition to that, around halfway through the year I got really bad insomnia and could only sleep at home - so many nights I'd have to come home at like 2:00 am because I was so tired, anxious, and upset.

The next year, I moved into a house with my friends and I was pretty much the same way. I settled in after a few weeks of thinking I'd made a massive mistake, but I still went home every weekend. After I graduated from college I ended up spending a couple of years living at home while I figured out my next steps.

Now, at 26, I am in grad school and work full-time. I live with one of my close friends and I get to have one of my dogs with me, which helps a lot. I've found that now I really enjoy living away from home - I have one dog still with my parents so I do visit every couple of weeks, and I love talking to my family still, but I don't feel as sad or as big of a pull to go home.

I think some people just grow up more slowly. It's not necessarily a bad thing - you'll find your independence when you need to. For now, just try going home on the weekends only. That's a reasonable goal to shoot for. :)

[Matthew1233]

Thank you for the advice.

[Fishmanpa]

Should I talk to my family about this

YES!!! My daughter had similar issues (anxiety and depression). She came to me and told me what was going on. I, along with her mother, made sure she got the real life help she needed. She worked hard, takes meds, goes to therapy and has done incredibly well. Graduated last year and has her dream job teaching pre-schoolers :)

Yes... IMO... talk to your family. Ask for help!

Positive thoughts

[Matthew1233]

YES!!! My daughter had similar issues (anxiety and depression). She came to me and told me what was going on. I, along with her mother, made sure she got the real life help she needed. She worked hard, takes meds, goes to therapy and has done incredibly well. Graduated last year and has her dream job teaching pre-schoolers :)

Yes... IMO... talk to your family. Ask for help!

Positive thoughts

I have spoken to my father and I feel a bit better