Scared and Losing my Mind

[DenisY]

I'm in my early twenties, due to graduate very soon. I'm living in Scotland but I am not from around here. My final exam is in two weeks but I have terrible anxiety and panic attacks. I can't stand the thought of having to wait two more weeks before leaving. I want to leave and go back home now/ as soon as possible. I understand that this is ridiculous because I have been able to cope with everything here for the last 4 years. I don't know how to get through this, I feel like if I go back home to my friends and family everything will be okay and get better. But I don't want to give up with just 2 weeks left and disappoint everyone and myself. Maybe I should explore Cognitive Behaviour Therapy? I'm not sure how to deal with this, it's all I think about 24/7 and I can't sleep. I'm losing weight and I'm always tired. Please help

[Olderal]

Hello Denis, my graduation days were long ago but I still remember well the pressures and the feeling I might lose my mind. Don't worry you won't but what you should do immediately is to visit the student health centre ( presumably there is one) or a GP. The student health centre will be well used to seeing students with your problems and probably will be better placed to help you than a GP. The one thing that won't help is to return home after four years there. That would be ridiculous and you would feel bad about it and yourself for years. think a little about it realistically. Do you really think that explaining you gave up two weeks before your final exam after 4 years will make things better ? You're just between a rock and a hard place, a very very common experience as we go through life, and one never improved by running or hiding.

If you've done a reasonable 4 years you're unlikely to fail your final exam but will do a lot better if you take the time out to visit the health centre , read through a self help book on coping with anxiety and summon up your courage and resolve.

Remember also that there are many ways you can imagine things going wrong in your final exam. Most likely nothing will go wrong and if something goes wrong in part of the exam (unlikely ) the odds are it won't be one of the ways you've imagined. That means all the worry time is wasted and would have been better spent revising (always at a fairly leisurely pace--you'll remember more.) Yes,of course , being human it won't stop you worrying totally but its what you should be aiming at.

When you've read this get off to the health centre, two weeks away leaves no time to lose.

Olderal

[DenisY in reply to Olderal]

Hi Olderal, thank you very much for your answer. I hadn't even considered the Student Health Centre! I struggle with the fact that I can rationally understand how ridiculous and pointless my need to leave is but my emotions and anxiety are all over the place and all I can think about is escaping. I will definitely contact the University and will try to distract myself and study. Thank you once again, it's really reassuring to hear that everything will be okay!

[Olderal in reply to DenisY]

Hello again Denis, dealing with anviety is n't too easy for the medics so make sure you give them the best chance by opening up totally to them . It should all be confidental anyway and its important to nip this sort of problem in the bud. Flight and escape is a natural human response to pressure ,its how our ancestors got away from those Sabre toothed tigers, but in the modern world it is n't that simple although on the whole I'd rather face a final exam than a stt.

Final exams are a high pressure and you'll meet a few more more as you journey through life so it might be worth doing a bit of reading on coping with anxiety once you're taking a break after those finals. Best of luck in the exams.

Olderal