Kind of freaking out/ on the verge of tears

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I just got to college in the start of January. I am 21 but this is my first time at college. Its complicated but I didnt really do much the past few years. I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do and I was finishing HS.

I feel overwhelmed. No one believed I would do well here, and I have that pressure on my shoulders. And everyone is pestering me with did you do this? Did you do that? Why havent you dont this yet?

I've skipped 3 classes since the start (not in a row) and I feel awful about it. My chest feels tight and I feel so stressed. I feel trapped with having so much responsibility so fast. It doesnt help that I have yet to make any friends. So I come home to my dorm room and have no one to talk to or hang out with.

I think im having a panic attack right now. I just want to lie on my bed and cry. I dont want to go to the rest of my classes today. But I have to or else one of the classes gets dropped.

If anyone else has been through something similar please give me some advice on how to handle this. I dont want to drop out I do like it here.

what college are you going to? talk to disabilty suport services if your college has them.

I'm going to the art institute.

Definitely see if there is support there. One thing that helps when there is so much new going on is have someone make you a visual to do list or daily schedule. It might help you from feeling that everything is being flung at you at once. Not just classes, but any outside errands or conversations that need done by priority. Hang in there!

I understand, I will probably have to end up taking off this semester, and wait until the next one to try again.

I understand. When I started university I was having panic attacks many daily due to being overwhelmed with so much new stuff.
Definetly see if there is any support at the college you are at.
Then take things a day at a time.
Hang in there. Things will improve.

I don't think you need to have excuses for what you did the past few years. Starting college for the first time at 21 is not a bad thing, so don't feel bad about it.


I really hate that.


Skipping a couple of classes isn't going to kill you. Since you just started, that's a fairly high amount of skipped classes over a fairly short time, so definitely don't keep doing it. But don't feel so terrible about it either. Feeling awful is worse than a couple of skipped classes.

What's done is done. It's in the past, and you can't change it anymore. You can change the present and the future, though.


I don't know if my situation was exactly the same, but at least some of the emotional reactions were the same. The first time I went to college, I didn't do so well my first semester, got miserable about it, which made me do worse, which made me more miserable, until I finally flunked out. I'm back now and doing fine, and I think the best advice I can give is not to beat yourself up over things.

A self-reinforcing cycle of misery is really painful and doesn't help you do better, so avoid getting in one. You'll probably mess up some things in the future too, so when that happens, don't let those things get you down either. The purpose of anxiety and worry is to make you notice stuff you need to pay attention to. Any worrying beyond making you notice a problem is excess worry, and you don't need it.

Best advice I've seen in a long time.

^ word.

Also, some students find that using the organizing tools on a smart phone (calendar, to-do lists, reminder alarms) works well b/c they generally always have their phone with them.

I found that having an organized schedule in my binder really helped with my one year of college that I took (I ended up withdrawing from my program to move to Australia), and I would just relax between classes. Find a quiet place to curl up, maybe find a person to talk to there. *I had the blessing of being able to talk to my boyfriend over MSN when I was in class and between classes (atleast in the morning), and other than that I had my classmates sometimes. *

I'm fortunate that college didn't really get to me that much. It was new, exciting, and somewhat familiar because I've been to my college several times before I started there (school visits and a first aid course). What got to me was the pre-college preparation :s tuition and textbooks and such were a heavy burden on me. But the college environment itself didn't worry me at all. I somewhat befriended most of my classmates (even if the only things we had in common was the program and our passion for helping and children), and some I was even lucky enough to be able to attach the friend tag to.

I understand a lot of people on the spectrum would have difficulty managing to be in my situation xD But really, the buzz of the place didn't overwhelm me, rather it energized me.

my friend heres what you do, you talk to your program cordinator and disibility counciller then you set up your yearly class outline and take a reduced course load. a 3 year program may take 6 years but it will help because you will understand the classes they are teaching you now and not feel so stressed.

I feel the same.

Except in the area I'm from, girls are getting married around my age, and dating, and stuff.

I dated one guy but it ended up in.....complications.

This is actually my first semester of college as well.

Even though I went to half of another semester in the past.

I also skipped 3 classes.

Twice, my alarm didn't go off, and once, I was so late that I decided not to go....I was also 45 minutes late to one, so I sorta skipped it, but the teacher let out early, so it doesn't count.

I'm getting 2 B's, and A, and 2 unknowns, and I got straight A's in high school.

I only need a 2.5 to keep my scholarship...but I also live in an apartment and share a bedroom with 3 girls.

I am expected to keep it clean, and stuff. I also am trying a social life, and doing choir.

Meanwhile, I run every day to keep in shape, and sleep at night.

However, my sleeping has been messed up and I am INCREDIBLY AFRAID, I will screw this all up because I am addicted to the internet. ((((

On top of this, I haven't "hung out" with anyone.....though I have had one offer over text, one offer of "you should hang out with my friends sometime"??????????, and 7 new friend on fb (none from the other school) so I am doing better....but I feel this pressure that I should be dating. Luckily I can say there are not a lot of guys up here in my church (10 guys to 60 girls in my area).
But if I go to a legit area...I'm so screwed if I don't date. I don't want to die alone.

On top of this, I have body dysmorphia issues.

And I'm expected to be smart. I am smart, maybe? I never know. Ugh...internet keeps me sane and unsane.