Tips on doing well in college while employed and coping healthily with mental illnesses?

Hello, there! I’m very anxious understandably about starting college this Monday. I’m in three classes, and one is online. I have bipolar, PTSD, anxiety disorders and a few others, although I don’t have anything to give to the disability office yet, I still have to talk to my therapist and psychiatrist about that.

I’ve been working 20 hours a week since this June and I’ll be continuing to work while in school. I don’t have a car, so I’ll be Ubering, I graduated from high school last summer and I’m hoping to at least maintain a 2.0 GPA.

Are there any other college students who also have mental illnesses? I’d really like to do well, especially since I don’t want to have to repay for the FASFA money & the money I’ve spent already.

I’m going to two classes a week and taking one online, I’ll aim to study at least three and a half hours a day, and I’ve been reading up on articles and tips though I feel like I’m gonna fail. I really want to do well, and I really hope I could make some friends, since I could really use some. I try to tell myself I’ll do well, though I’m really afraid.

Thank you so much for reading & your time & I am wishing you well !! <3

There is support on most campuses for students with mental illness; you really need to have documentation, though. How quickly can you get that? Sometimes the school has specific forms they want filled out so you should check with the counseling center on campus.

What helps me is to create a schedule for the week where I plan out when I’ll do work/ readings/ projects etc for each class. I spread the work out evenly so I don’t feel overwhelmed. I find it helpful to also schedule in mini breaks (like ten minutes or so) in between certain assignments and tasks so my brain has time to process the information and I don’t feel like I’m in a never ending cycle of school. Additionally I try to schedule an hour or so a week where I catch up on a my favorite TV show, or read a book that I enjoy, ie have some “me time”.

Personally the key things that help me balance school and my job is 1) not waiting until the last minute to study for a huge exam or start a project/assignment, and instead work on it an hour or so a day, maybe even 2-3 hours depending on the intensity of the exam/ assignment 2) set aside an hour (or two if possible) of “me time” a week. The “me time” can vary in length depending on how many exams I have that week. The key thing with this is to also not over do the lengthy breaks either. A one hour break can spiral into a three hour break if you don’t get back into your work, so just make sure to not take advantage of your longer breaks. 3) Take small 10-15 minute breaks after every hour or two of work you’ve done. This helps me take a breath and not over load myself. Again the trick with breaks is to get right back into studying as soon as it ends

Though it can be hard try to stay as positive as you can. I have struggled with maintaining my anxiety but I have found that if I can talk to myself and turn my mindset into a more positive one my anxiety begins to decrease a lot. You sound very dedicated and willing to work hard for your grades, so I believe that you will do well in college!

Best of luck!