So I’m currently in my first semester of college and I’ve been feeling very depressed and having anxiety. I go to a commuter campus so I don’t live in a dorm. I haven’t made any friends, i dont even talk to anyone on campus. Plus it doesn’t help when I have social anxiety and am a fried to simply talk to people. I just feel like I’m going to fail college, I know college is hard. I’m doing good right now and I’m getting A’s, but it’s hard to juggle everything. I’m scared that I’m doing everything wrong, and I constantly think about it. I don’t know if I’m just worried about finals, or I’m just having irrational fears.
I was exactly like you my first semester of college too. It really helped me to go to my school’s counselling center and talk to someone (your school might have something like this, and might offer free services). If not, you should look into local counselling centers. It helps when you can bounce your thoughts off someone who can put things in perspective for you, and eventually help you help yourself. Therapists can also help you with the social anxiety. Medication may also be an option depending on the severity of your condition.
It was hard for me to make that first appointment, but it helped me to know that the people there have talked to all sorts of people like me before. Part of their job is to be nonjudgmental and patient with you.
Another thing that helped me was writing things down. I used a chart like this: https://flourishnthrive.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2012/06/thoughtrecord.jpg
It’s easy to get stuck in your own head when you have a thought like, “I’m going to fail.” The more you think about it and entertain it, the more oppressive and frightening it becomes. But if you practice rationalizing things out on paper, then it becomes easier to do it automatically in your head.
Even though you think you’re failing, you aren’t failing. And even if you did fail an assignment, for example, that doesn’t mean you’ll fail the whole course. And that doesn’t mean you’ll fail all your classes. And even if the worst-case scenario happened and you failed out of college, that isn’t an irreversible mistake, and it doesn’t mean that you’re bad, stupid, or whatever that bad outcome means to you.
I agree with the above. Talking to someone and possibly getting therapy/meds will help.