Starting college soon... feeling very stressed and anxious.

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I hate it when the summer holidays are coming to an end, almost more than I do when the summer holidays start. The change in routine, having to go clothes shopping, having to shop for a new bag even though I'm perfectly happy with my old one, having to buy new books, pencils, pens... Argggg!

It's making me very stressed, anxious, worried... everything. I'll be having new taxi transport, new teachers, new carer(s)/learning support, new class mates, new time table and new classrooms.

Everything is so... new! Not to mention the meltdown I'll undoubtedly have when I enter the college's reception on the first day. People will be everywhere trying to sort out their classes and I have to wait in that same reception for god knows how long until someone finally collects me and takes me to my new class.

My god, just typing this is getting me all worked up. I've tried many different techniques to deal with this but none of them work, every year my ability to cope hasn't changed. I'll enter the school/college, see the building have a panic attack, won't be able to speak or communicate, break down in tears and make a lot of noise. Every year without a fail. It's take me over a month before I finally settle down.

Is anybody else starting college/school soon and feeling the same way? Please tell me this isn't just me.

You're certainly not the only one feeling like that, Coda. I think it's normal for most people to feel nervous and anxious about the whole thing but it's probably a lot worse for people with, for example, some sort of ASD. I'm a student at university and even though I don't have to cope with new classmates etc this year, I'm still horribly anxious about all the new things (new classes/subjects, new teachers who I have to inform about the problems that affect my studies, uncertainty and so on) and I've worried about it for weeks already.

I wish I had some good advice but I'm afraid I don't. I mostly just want you to know that you're not alone in feeling this way. Hopefully you'll feel better once you've had enough time to get used to things and form new routines. I don't know about you but I find it difficult to adapt to new situations and sometimes getting used to things and establishing new routines takes quite a while, but that's ok. Hopefully things will get easier with time. Try to not be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

Good luck.

You are not alone in this! I'm starting an MSc in a few weeks, and I'm terrified! New uni, new campus, new classes, new lecturers, new students, new support workers *shudder* the whole thing is incredibly stressful. When I was a teenager my parents said "it will get easier as you get older"... ha yeah right

I'm afraid I have no advise other than stay strong and remember the "everything is new and difficult" faze will be over soon, power through! And to repeat what my mum says every year: everyone else is nervous too! ( though probably not as nervous as you are )

Why do you have to get a new bag if you like the old one? I've been using the same bag since I was 15... which is almost 10 years *shock* (this makes me feel old).

This is how i feel every single semester.
Having to adapt to a new schedule, new teachers, new classmates, new lessons, new rooms, new ways, new voices... Is so stressful that at every beginning of semester i want to never go back to university again and i don't think this will ever change (at least for me) so i try to just face it as a bad time that will end soon.

Hey Coda,

You're a nice, smart person. I'm sure you'll succeed.

I'm starting my first year tomorrow my schedule pretty much takes away from love of sleeping for 12 hours

The semester starts tomorrow and I'm very anxious.

...Well , at least you got to go - I never got to full-fledged go , I'm sick , and old homeless .