All power to you for asking for advice and I hope the following helps :-
All of us suffer with stress and it does become a major health problem if it isn't kept under control. Start by making a list...
Stressed out and anxious from schoolwork and everythingOriginally Published: December 2, 1994 - Last Updated / Reviewed On: December 12, 2008 |
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Alice,
I think I just had my breaking point. I don't know how much more stress I can take. I tried to check out stress-reduction workshops, but the next one is next semester. I don't really want to see a psychiatrist. I don't know what to do. Basically, I think a lot of my stress is because it is just so difficult for me to focus or concentrate on anything. My thoughts are running everywhere. I try, I really do. I even moved into a single for it. I feel so incompetent. I don't give a damn about making friends. I'm always feeling lonely. And worst of all, there is always something that makes me so worried, panicked, to the point of just wanting to die to relieve me of it. I have chest pains when I sleep sometimes. When I stand up to do something, I always forget what to do... always. This letter that I'm writing has taken me an hour to write because I have to pause so many times to think about my classes. Whenever I do anything away from my desk during my designated "study time," I feel so guilty. Last weekend, I couldn't eat because I didn't want to leave my room to go to the kitchen to eat anything. Yet I am always behind in my schoolwork. Since transferring here this semester, I have never felt confident, relaxed, or satisfied about anything. Everything annoys me. I annoy me. This letter probably sounds really unorganized, but I can't organize my thoughts. I went to see a Broadway play and loved it, but just really hated myself for seeing it when there was so much work I had to do. When I would read my texts, I would try to read faster so I could get all of it done, and a lot of times, just out of nowhere I would get so upset and start crying over my book and myself and my life. I've decided I don't want to live like this anymore. I'm tired of not being able to breathe and get chest pains when I get stressed. Please help me.
-Feelingsuffocatedandconfused
Dear Feelingsuffocatedandconfused,
You need to talk with someone about what's happening in your life and about how you are feeling. Reaching out for help, as you have done by writing to this website, is a sign of strength. You deserve credit for saying that you no longer want to experience the kind of anxiety you describe in your letter. You definitely DON'T have to feel the way you do any longer.
Although you say you don't want to see a counselor, you can see either your primary care provider or the health care provider at your school's health service. Since you have physical symptoms, that's an appropriate place to start. Students at Columbia can make an appointment at Primary Care Medical Services by calling x4-2284 or by logging on to Open Communicator.
Your physician or nurse practitioner will talk with you and ask questions to better understand what you are experiencing. Afterwards, you'll have a medical examination. Based on the information gathered, s/he will make recommendations, including, perhaps, seeing a mental health counselor or therapist, and/or taking one of the many kinds of medications available. You also can and need to express any concerns you have about seeing a counselor and/or about taking medication.
Talking with a counselor doesn't mean that anything is "wrong" with you. It means that you need assistance in reducing your stress, minimizing your physical symptoms, and changing the way you see and/or talk with yourself. A counselor or therapist has training and experience in working with others who have similar feelings and/or symptoms. You can be active in these decisions; for example, about whether you want to see a man or a woman. Students at Columbia can make an appointment at Counseling and Psychological Services by calling x4-2878.
If you choose to see a counselor or therapist at the suggestion of your medical provider, you can ask for a one-session consultation, a "sneak preview," or a "test drive" with him/her to determine if that person is someone you can learn from. You need to feel reasonably comfortable and safe with whomever you choose to work with. If, after the initial meeting, you don't feel fairly comfortable and/or safe, or believe that you are in incompetent hands, you can ask your health care provider for the name of another person to see.
Whatever you do, don't place getting help for yourself on the back burner. A medical exam, therapy, and/or medication are recommendations to help you take better care of yourself. And based on what you've described, relief could probably be gotten quickly by continuing to reach out for help.
March 13, 2012
508513All power to you for asking for advice and I hope the following helps :-
All of us suffer with stress and it does become a major health problem if it isn't kept under control. Start by making a list of the things that stress you out the most, (this can be added to constantly if necessary)then look at each item and try to imagine the worst that could happen and find solutions to whatever situation may arise from that. ie Failing exams. These can be taken as many times as you like, okay, you may have to wait a year but that time will pass and you can have another shot. It does help to have a risk assessment plan. Talk to your tutors, find out what can be done if you don't get the results you hope for. Nothing is final. It helped me to realise that I was learning not only just to pass exams and go on to get a job, but because I actually loved the subject of my exams and was interested in learning all that I could about it.
Get outside and get some air and sunlight. Don't think about it just be a robot and at a certain time each day go out for an hour, personally I think mornings help you focus on the rest of the day. The world won't end and you won't die for taking that hour and your workload certainly won't suffer because you 'lost' an hour, it's suffering anyway.
Try and find something to be thankful for each day. That you get fresh water at the turn of a tap and remind yourself that you are lucky and life is good just for that. There are millions of people in our world that don't have that good fortune. Trying to see your glass as half full rather than half empty will give you a more positive outlook.
Be kind to yourself after all we're only human and not infallible.
Good luck with dealing with your stress levels and in the words famously quoted by Abraham Lincoln, "And this to will come to pass", and remind yourself that it will.
December 4, 2008
21493To the reader:
Wow, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm very relieved to see that others are having the same troubles. I've felt anxieties over a bunch of stuff, but nothing compares to the...
To the reader:
Wow, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm very relieved to see that others are having the same troubles. I've felt anxieties over a bunch of stuff, but nothing compares to the anxiety provoked by the physical reactions I'm having. It's unbelievable how emotional anxiety can affect you so badly physically... I'm constantly afraid of heart-attack. What's weird is that I also feel guilty about having anxieties even though I haven't been through a stressful life or anything traumatizing.
Anyhow, I wish the author of the question the best of luck. Also, I found this Q&A extremely helpful, and intend to find some help myself. So thank you Alice for giving yet another troubled soul some hope!