<p>I just finished my first semester, but it was incredibly difficult to get through and I do not want to go back in a few days. I like my school but I am having an extremely hard time being so far from home (4-5 hours) and have been suffering from a significant amount of anxiety. I had anxiety issues throughout high school, but during senior year my anxiety problems were significantly lessened (practically nonexistent) and I thought I would be able to handle being so far from home. Unfortunately, it is so far appearing that is not the case. Once I got on campus to start freshman year, it became pretty apparent that my anxiety was back. I talked to my parents about it and at first they said to stick out the first semester and if I really wanted to I could transfer at the end of the semester. It was very difficult at first, but I managed to settle in a little bit, but the anxiety came back pretty badly a few weeks before thanksgiving and I decided I wanted to transfer after all, either to state school or CC. My parents did not like this idea and are now making me stay until the end of second semester and they said they will support me transferring, just at the end of the year. I am completely dreading going back and totally unsure what to do. On one hand, I would like to stay and finish out this first year at least--I do like the school academically and I have made good friends there and I do not want to look back and regret leaving. A part of me feels like it would be failing if I came home and that notion, along with the anxiety I have at school, is making me so depressed. I also feel like if I came home I would never be able to get the college experience I've always wanted. On the other hand, I am totally dreading going back and have been wildly depressed thinking about spending another 15 weeks--especially in horrible New England weather--at school with the anxiety. I am unsure what to do so any help would be appreciated. </p>
<p>Also at school I did go to the counseling center but did not find it to be helpful, and I try to maintain a regular workout regime which I found extremely helpful at first, but it certainly did not eliminate my problems.</p>
<p>You need some help. The decision is simple: stay or transfer? Now or later?</p>
<p>Your anxiety issues must be dealt with and managed, if not overcome. I don’t think changing colleges will benefit you 10, 20 or 30 years down the road with many life challenges to face. Please get counseling and stick with it. Counseling is not supposed to work in a day or week or month. Stick with it and keep up your exercise regimen and keep the communication open with your parents. They probably don’t know the depth of your struggles and would not send you back to school if they had any concern that it would affect you negatively (mentally, emotionally and physically).</p>
<p>Lastly, you’re not failing because of this. Kids mature and grow at different rates. One kid is certain of everything at 12, another at 20. There is no hard and fast rule that says you have to have it all figured out at 18. But you do have to start figuring things out and making decisions you can live with.</p>
<p>Hey I have the exact same problem. You have to do what is ever best for your mental health. I am currently trying to convince my parents to let me take a semester off to get my anxiety and depression under control as well so maybe Im not in the best place to talk to you about this. However, just really try to tell your parents that your not giving up, you just need time to figure things out and get remotivated</p>
<p>Hey. Sorry to hear about your problems, I know exactly how hard it is. If you want to contact me please feel free to do so or private message me and we could communicate via email or something. It’s nice to talk to someone who can really relate you know?</p>
<p>I can’t relate to my parents disagreeing with my decision. They support it whole-heartedly because they know I need to recover to succeed in the end. They also know that it’s my decision to make.</p>
<p>If you’re allowing yourself to be swayed by your parents then there are issues of maturity and over-dependence that need to be worked through as well…and it’s not just you. They tend to go both ways. </p>
<p>Keep open and honest communications with your parents, but at the end of the day you have to do right by yourself. I lived for the college experience, but it doesn’t always turn out that way. It’s not failing- at all. It gives you a new perspective that many students just don’t have. </p>
<p>Facing mental health problems isn’t an issue of immaturity, though. Plenty of perfectly healthy, traditional college students are immature. </p>
<p>It would be immature to stay in a place that’s not contributing to your health at this time for the sake of “the college experience”. There are great risks to untreated depression and anxiety.</p>
<p>The only type of counseling that works over night are the 6 hours of therapy a day required at mental health hospitals…one of the “great risks.”</p>
<p>If your school’s counseling offices didn’t help (and, please, give them another shot) then ask them for a list of professionals off-campus they refer students to. They’re usually required to keep a running list.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear ur problems. I’m probably shouldn’t be writing since I also have anxiety issue but the worst part is my parents don’t know. I think u should talk to ur parents again telling them u really need some time off.</p>