COllege has been awful for me

<p>I moved to this town to finish school . I am working on my BS and should graduate in May if I complete all of my courses. I am currently taking 5 courses and have seven more to complete after the 5.</p>

<p>Well I've been hit with homesickness which has led to high anxiety. I am a straight A student but have been knocked down to a B- minus student. I have missed classes because I can't sit in class without my heart racing, feeling like I am going to pass out, dry mouth, racing thoughts, trembling..... That's not it. I don't only experience this in school I experience it in my apartment and in certain places I go around town. I have never ever experienced anything like this.</p>

<p>It has gotten so bad that I've contemplated withdrawing from the school. I have went to the counseling services at school and oh my gosh they are NOT helpful. They want to push me on meds. I've never ever needed meds in my life so why take them now?</p>

<p>My mother has come up to stay with me for a bit and it's been helpful. I don't see how I can stay here any longer. I've been feeling this way since the third month I've moved here so it's like I am accustomed to feeling this way. I associate this whole entire place in a negative way. How can I continue on successfully here for 7-8 more months?</p>

<p>My whole experience has been awful. I haven't made any friends and I have no romantic life. I just come home and stay in bed or sit at the park and study (those are like my safe places). I was an eager and strong student when I first came here and now I've been dwindled down to nothing and I hate it. I am convinced that I must move back to my hometown in order to save my sanity. I'll just commute to school. This can work since I don't even have to be on campus for my last semester. People are telling me to tough it out and don't move because the problems will follow me, but really? How is that so when I didn't even have these problems before coming here.</p>

<p>Any advice for me?</p>

<p>I am an older student (age 27) and single mom. My 8 year old loves it here so I will have to uproot her again and move her back to our hometown, I figure better sooner than later because we are going to have to move back when I graduate any way. I've met a couple of people who feel similar to the way I feel.</p>

<p>I recommend that you see a counselor or therapist. Medications may be able to help the anxiety, and just because you didn’t need them when you were younger doesn’t mean they won’t be helpful now. The only person who could determine that, however, is a psychiatrist, and people over the internet will have no way of knowing. You may also be able to participate in therapy that doesn’t involve medications. Perhaps, a therapist will be able to help figure out what the root of the problem is or whether or not moving back home would be beneficial to you.</p>

<p>Speaking to a trained professional in person really seems like the best option, since I can only speculate on why you might be feeling this way. Perhaps, you could find a different counselor at your school? Or, if your insurance will cover it, perhaps you could seek out another therapist or psychiatrist, perhaps someone who specializes in anxiety or cases that are similar to yours.</p>

<p>These problems may follow you if you move back home or they may not. It’s hard to say without knowing where this is all coming from, but I do think figuring out what the issue is and how to manage it would be very beneficial to you (again, I recommend therapy or seeing some other trained professional), especially as you wouldn’t want this to reoccur if you have to move away for a job or schooling again in the future. Sometimes returning home is a good option, but I wouldn’t look to it as a permanent solution.</p>

<p>How far away are you from your old home? It’s always difficult to make transitions. Even for me, though I’m just a sophomore, it was very hard to leave home at first, and it always still is. We’re so familiar with it. But know why you came here and that at least you have company (your 8 year old). It’s better than just being there yourself, haha. I think time heals everything, but if your anxiety is very bad and keeps taking a toll on your everyday activities, you should probably seek some help from a professional counselor. Also, just hanging around with new friends may help, but it might take a while to find some. I was sort of feeling like how you did when I first went to college. It was like, I couldn’t stop thinking about going home, wanting to go away, etc.</p>

<p>See a doctor. Finish school. Move. Don’t withdrawl. You’re close and you need to think about your kid when it comes to your economic future. The degree is worth it.</p>

<p>Think about what your wrote:</p>

<p>1) you have never felt like this before</p>

<p>2) you have never taken meds before</p>

<p>In this situation, meds will help in the short term so you can develop skills to cope over the long term.</p>

<p>Rationally, don’t you think that 1)needing your mom to live with you to help you cope, and 2) withdrawing from school because you can’t cope</p>

<p>are much more radical solutions to your anxiety attacks than taking a few pills and working with a therapist?</p>

<p>If you haven’t tried meditation or exercise…try those first. If those don’t work a short stint on meds could help. Lots of people use them temporarily for short term stressful situational anxiety. Best.</p>

<p>Since you are experiencing panic attacks, meds are a good short term solution for the time it takes you to complete school. I agree that uprooting yourself and potentially not finishing school is much more risky. I have taken medication before and it really is not a big deal. Some won’t do a damn thing and you may have to try another one. I don’t know why you are even thinking twice about it because of the classic anxiety/panic disorder symptoms you are exhibiting. When your disorder is affecting your functioning it is time to try something different. You have posted about this before so do something. And yes, exercise is surprisingly effective for mood disorders. Not as a cure but as an aid.</p>

<p>get your thyroid checked.</p>

<p>^^that’s an excellent suggestion. Thyroid can be cause of all kinds of mood ills. But if it’s not, then get some assistance on how to manage in changing environments.</p>